SSSC Director of Regulation, Hannah Coleman reflects on the improvements and the immediate benefits not only for the social work, social care and children and young people workforce but for improved public protection for those who use social care services across Scotland.
Streamlining registration
We’ve made it easier to apply to register by reducing the Register from 23 parts to just four. This makes it easier for new staff to know which part to apply for and removes the complexity of people having to be registered on several Register parts if they have more than one role or job.
Now, just 1.8% of current registrants are registered on more than one Register part, compared to 18.5% before June 2024.
We’ve also made it easier to maintain registration with an annual declaration instead of needing to renew registration every three or five years. The annual declaration is a much simpler process than the previous renewal. Changes to MySSSC mean you can update your details all in one place which makes managing your registration much easier and keeps the Register more accurate and up to date.
We’ve already seen the benefits of this with 112,411 changes of registration details made in the first six months, compared to around 74,000 changes a year previously which means the Register is more accurate and up to date at all times.
A qualified workforce
We reduced the timescale for new registrants to gain their qualification for registration from five years to three years. This change will help get new staff qualified more quickly so that they have the right knowledge and skills for their role.
From our Register data we’re already seeing an improving rate of people gaining qualifications, which is a more positive picture than before.
Although pleased with the improvements, we do recognise the challenges people face in reducing the time for them to gain their qualifications and are looking at ways to support this.
We are working with SQA on flexibility in the assessment strategy, so people can gather evidence more easily and naturally from their practice and the introduction of a new SVQ for people working in integrated settings.
We’re also taking a more flexible approach to qualifications, accepting some qualifications for more parts of the Register than we did before. This means registrants can move between different types of services more easily. Registrants moving to another type of service must complete additional, specific learning as part of their CPL so that they develop and evidence the necessary knowledge, skills and expertise in working with children or adults.
We made changes to the searchable, public Register on our website to include information about specialist qualifications for Mental Health Officer and Practice Educator awards and to link fitness to practise information previously published on a different part of our website.
Improved public protection
We’ve strengthened our approach to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults by reducing the time for new staff to apply for registration to three months from starting their role. This means we can process straightforward applications quickly and take steps where needed to protect people receiving care and support.
Since introducing these changes, we have reduced the average number of days to process an application from 34.5 days to under 16 days.
Involving others
Each of these changes were co-designed with registrants, employers and other key stakeholders. Listening to and learning from them helped make sure the changes were effective, met their needs and the needs of people using social services across Scotland.
Involving people in our work will continue to play a key role in how we shape and deliver our services to ensure we best support the social work, social care and children and young people workforce to provide trusted, skilled, confident and valued care.
Read more
You can read more about the difference the changes are making to improving registration in our handy infographic poster.
