16 May 2017

Scottish Social Services Council/CCPS Communications short life working group
Notes of meeting - 16 May 2017, Key Housing Association office, Glasgow

Present:

Aileen Walker, CIC
Caron Duffus, SAMH
Grace Semple, Key Housing
Claire Mason, Carr Gomm
Nicola Chainey, SSSC
Cheryl Campbell, SSSC
Laura Wylie, SSSC
Vanessa Glenday, SSSC

Discussion / Action
  1. Nicola set out the remit of the group. Agreed to:
  2. meet every six weeks but can review depending on what’s coming up.
Nicola asked everyone to complete their contact details. / Collect details of other members at next meeting
  1. Date Register opens
Cheryl advised looking like 2 October but will be confirmed by Scottish Government.
  1. Barriers
Discussion around barriers to registration. This includes:
  • lethargy
  • staff busy
  • not appreciating registration is integral to job
  • think someone else will deal with it, ie HR
  • difficult to get staff together
  • lack of IT skills (90% of SAMH staff don’t have smartphone).

  1. Guidance to help you apply for registration form
Caron said how useful this form is as it gives workers the information they need before they sit down at the computer to apply to register. We could develop it to ask for different information or for employers to be able to change it to meet their needs. Include information:
  • specifically about care at home/housing support
  • about criminal convictions
  • about dual registration
  • qualifications
  • the worker’s position and what part of the SSSC Register they would apply for
  • whichcountersignatory to use.
Screenshots of website/MySSSC would be helpful. It could be used alongside the toolkit or the paper version mentioned below. / SSSC to update form/guidance
  1. Registration toolkit
Cheryl and Nicola discussed some of the resources available in the new registration toolkit. Caron and Grace asked if could provide a hard copy version of a step to step guide for staff (who don’t have access to smartphones or tablets) to use when applying. / SSSC to look at developing.
  1. Countersignatories
Caron wondered if we could develop some guidance for countersignatories so they are clear what they’ve to check when endorsing an application.
Cheryl mentioned that we will be contacting organisations/countersignatories to ask if they need more endorsers. Will do this first then can issue endorser guidance to new endorsers.
Grace said they need to be clear what countersignatory each member of staff will use. Can include this in the guidance to applying form.
Cheryl highlighted that some local authorities have a two stage endorsement process, where an admin person from HR completes initial information such as PVG number, PVG date etc but then 2nd stage countersignatories endorses the rest of the application. / SSSC to look at developing.
SSSC to put this option out to organisations/services.
  1. Fears about registering
Qualifications
Cheryl discussed spreadsheet the SSSC is developing which sets out for employers when it would be better for staff to apply to register. This looks at whether staff need qualifications, if retiring, have criminal convictions etc.
SAMH already have something like this that they use.
Cheryl highlighted that organisations could develop it to meet other needs they have, for example if targeting certain services about registration at different times they could note this on the spreadsheet etc.
Nicola highlighted the need to push the planning work employers need to do to make sure workers register at the right time, can use SSSC spreadsheet. Some services are already doing this.
Cheryl asked if employers can encourage workers to register with SSSC at same time they register with SQA to gain qualifications. And reminded the group that countersignatories can upload workers qualification certificates. It saves them having to endorse the certificate.
Discussion around how employers offer qualifications to workers. Some have own SVQ approved centre, in house, outsource.
Criminal convictions
Group discussed the fear staff have about applying for registration if they have previous criminal convictions. This includes staff whose employers are aware of previous convictions and have considered them. We will be doing more to highlight the SSSC process for looking at criminal convictions when someone applies. This will include highlighting the convictions we wouldn’t look at. This will help reduce workers fears when applying with a conviction.
Cheryl feels we need to include something for employers about ‘reasonable excuse’. (It is an offence for an employer to have an unregistered employee working in a registerable role after the first six months of employment without a reasonable excuse). Laura is in discussion with the Care Inspectorate to make sure inspectors are sending out message about ‘reasonable excuse’ as it’s the Care Inspectorate that enforces it. / Caron to share with SSSC.
SSSC to look at adding a field to
  • highlight when person registered but has a condition and when that condition is due
  • when staff should start qualifications
  • information about convictions.
SSSC to look at employers sharing how they plan staff gaining qualifications to help other employers. Also how they offer qualifications to staff (good way to share information).
  1. Value
Discussion what value registration brings for workers. Includes:
  • professionalism
  • working with people who are safe
  • knowing all workers are following the same standard
  • privilege to be a member of the profession
  • all workers skilled.
Grace isn’t sure workers do see the value in registration so need to work on this. As an employer, she sees the value in knowing there will be a proper investigation if someone not meeting the standards and it stops people from coming back into workforce.
Aileen thinks it is about professionalism. Workers don’t see themselves as a professional like a nurse, but we can use value of registration to bring this forward. Need to promote fact they are part of a regulated workforce which means more focused on practice. See it as a career and that progression is available. Need to be clear for the workforce about what’s happening, what’s coming, what they have to do and what it means to be regulated.
Caron thinks we need to promote the fact all workers are following the same standard and they are working with people who are safe. Make it sound like a membership and that barred people not allowed to work any longer.
Discussion around how workers can see being registered as a privilege. Can we offer them anything extra that non registered workers don’t get?
  1. Information material and getting the message out
Discussion around what material would help employers and workers and in what format.
Nicola and Cheryl discussed Powerpoint template that we could provide with information about the SSSC, registration, links to videos etc. Will include information about value, fears, would have key messages, Codes.
All agreed Powerpoint great idea. Can use it at staff induction sessions or team meetings.
Caron thought a A3 poster with key information would be helpful. Could we produce a template so organisations can add their logo and information?
Grace highlighted that a Word version of Codes would be useful so they can insert it into their own employee handbooks. Reminder that can order some hard copies of COP booklets/credit cards.
Nicola spoke about producing specialistSSSC enewsletter for CAH and HSS to promote key messages, dates and material such as the Powerpoint template, spreadsheet etc.
Everyone agreed that it would be good to have all of
the resources available in one place on the website but then highlight specific resources in each enewsletter.
Brief discussions about setting upand events to train champions from organisations to learn about and help with MySSSC.
Organisations internal communication available
Grace mentioned that not all staff in their service have their own work email addresses (might have their own email addresses) which means they don’t email information.
Caron feels attaching pdfs (if available) in emails to staff works better than linking to a website.
Caron – SAMH has internal newsletters etc but not specifically for care at home/housing support so worried about including information as goes out to much more workers in different groups. / SSSC to find out if we can add Word version of Codes of Practice to website.
  1. Fees – this discourages workers from applying until necessary
Grace very disappointed fees went up.
Group discussed why staff would register early if it means they have to pay their fee earlier. Can we offer those who Register first something extra – free session about our tools etc?
Cheryl spoke about how they manage applications and how we plan toput something on the website about what stage we are at with applications.
Caron explained that quite a lot of SAMH staff are registered with bank working and registered with agencies to bring in extra income. Raised issue about agencies ensuring workers are registered with the SSSC. / Material to say ‘your employer will tell you when you need to apply’. Focus on register opening not on 2019/2020 date as it will confuse workers.
Once register opensSSSC will put something on the website about what stage we are at with applications.
  1. Dual registration
Cheryl reminded everyone that a worker can register as support worker in care at home and housing support.
  1. SSSC timescales spreadsheet.
Group agreed:
  • will start specialist enewsletter start of June (once have date)
  • send enewsletter monthly.
  • promote spreadsheet in June, then PowerPoint following month.
Discussed some quick wins. A3 posters (that services can print out A3 and A5), leaflets, z cards, postcards explaining who we are, what it means for you, what you need to do, what if you don’t register.
Social media
Might not work targeting organisations through social media as they don’t think staff following their own organisations.
Facebook – some staff use it. Would an advertised post reach workers? CarrGomm staff do use Facebook although again don’t follow their own organisation.
For Key Housing the fool proof way to communicate to staff is by letter.
Next meeting is on Tuesday 6 June, 1.30pm to 3.30pm in Key Housing office, Glasgow.