What advice would you give someone starting an SVQ qualification in Health and Social Care or Social Services (Children and Young People)?
It’s important to make sure you are prepared to carry out the qualification. Qualifications can take time so you need to make sure you can allocate a certain amount of time per week for studying either at home, in work or in college. You may only have a certain amount of time to complete the qualification so it’s important to be prepared for the amount of studying required.
I would also say, don’t be afraid of coming back to education again if you have been out if it for a while. It can be daunting, but there is support in place to make the learning journey easier. It’s also important to check out any funding you may be entitled to.
Overall, I would tell them it will be ok, they will be fine and they will feel great when they have completed the qualification.
Explain the role of the SVQ Assessor?
The assessor’s role is to support as much as possible, without doing the qualification for the candidate. The assessor is there to make sure the learning is enjoyable and where possible remove any barriers that the candidate may have.
The assessor will go over their role, the SVQ and what the SVQ is. They will make sure the candidate is doing the correct level of SVQ that meets their SSSC registration and show them many ways to help get the evidence required. They will arrange support meetings with the candidate, discuss what learning needs the student may have and look at ways to support those needs. This can be from using talk to text, arranging the use of a Chromebook or using the Support and Inclusion Team within the college.
What support is available for people completing an SVQ qualification in Health and Social Care or Social Services (Children and Young People)?
Within our college we have many ways to support candidates. We will meet with them and arrange for any learning requirements to be put in place, if needed. This may include using an electronic device, support meetings, working with inclusion teams or using apps.
We also support the candidates to look online for materials that will help and provide links to the SSSC Codes of Practice, Health and Social Care Standards, legislations, etc. We also discuss workplace policies and procedures as they will all help with the qualifications.
An electronic portfolio is used to gather evidence, this can be daunting, but the assessor will make sure the student is well supported and will remove any barriers to using it.
What are the benefits of achieving an SVQ qualification in Health and Social Care or Social Services (Children and Young People)?
Having the relevant qualifications for your role is an important part of SSSC registration.
We all do our job but it can be hard to think about what we do, how we do it and why and we never think about the good things we do. An SVQ allows us to reflect on the good things and give a pat on the back for the good work the candidate does. It also lets candidates reflect on things that haven't gone well by making them think about what can be done differently in the future.
Gaining an SVQ qualification is also a great sense of achievement, especially if you have been apprehensive about starting it. An SVQ can also provide opportunities to progress into other job roles.
SSSC registered
This article is part of our #SSSCregistered campaign where we’re sharing real life experiences of registrants who have recently gained their qualifications, alongside training providers and SVQ assessors to help the social care and children and young people workforce across Scotland learn more about the benefits of qualification and the support available.