Feedback from Quality Network

Thursday 8 November Thistle Hotel

Food for Thought (1)

  1. How can the new HN qualification best support the duty of public bodies in implementing and reporting on the UNCRC as proposed in the new children and young People’s Rights Bill?
  • Embed in HN elements eg convention
  • Practitioners need to reflect he principles of UNRC/YARB/FIRFEC, etc to provide a quality integrated service
  • Will assist/develop Workforce Skills broadening knowledge of wider sector
  • Observed practice will identify that children’s rights are upheld
  • Integrate practice and develop skills for the workforce
  • Ensure relevant criteria and knowledge is within new qualification that’s related to new CYP Bill
  • Relevant course content ie: Law, codes of conduct, awareness of other public sector roles
  • New HN should contain good understanding of UNRC and Children and Young People’s Right Bill, should be integrated through all/most units
  • To ensure equality/inclusion/diversity
  • Ensure understanding of responsibilities of practitioners
  • Ensuring participation
  • Personalisation/choice
  • Look at the bigger picture – it is not just what their own practice requires, it is about how is social policy developed and works its way down
  • Rights to be assessed through observation. Knowledge of rights put into practice
  • ??????? Will always integration of units to reduce the assessment burden on students
  • Increase the practice competence of HN candidates which will improve the experience of children that are cared for in either wrap around/pre five provision therefore upholding the UNCRC right of the child’s welfare etc
  • It will increase the credibility of SVQs
  • There needs to be evidence within the HN showing that it conforms to the UNCRC and practice examples are used. Students need to be researching current thoughts and philosophy and adopting this in practice
  1. Are there other non SQA qualifications/training programmes across the Health, Social Care and Childcare sector that could inform the revision process?
  • Renfrewshire Council child minder training
  • Scheme of Excellence . P X 2 Empowerment/Confidence Investors in Excellence
  • The training packages from the charity sector. Girfec implementation. Training from local councils
  • Pre-Birth to 3 & CofE Training and Support materials from Councils
  • Positive Parenting Programme
  • Social Policy needs to be a bigger part of the UNC
  • Conflict management
  • Team working
  • Play at home/therapeutic play
  • Health and wellbeing
  • VQ units
  • General in-house training
  • REHIS/Health & Safety/First Aid/Nutritional Guidelines
  • Perhaps looking at what would be required to facilitate articulation to University ie: analytical skills levels
  • Penn Green Training
  • Solihall Approach Training
  • All childcare related laws should be embedded throughout all aspects of the qualification
  • First Aid/Food Hygiene
  • Literacy Skills/Essay Writing
  • Legislation
  • PPP Training
  • Embedded in all units
  • Integration – Specialised Professional Speakers – this should be the minimum CPD for HN students
  1. How can we integrate the core skills literacy and numeracy for candidates in the new HN revised award
  • Issue staff not qualified to teach Core Skills in assessment and in the Graded Unit
  • Production of Asps for Core Skills to indicate where they can be integrated into HN
  • Qualitative and quantitative research
  • Graded Unit/Investigative
  • Literacy is embedded throughout
  • Programme design that include literacy and numeracy
  • Entry requirements
  • Mandatory unit – Promoting language literacy and numeracy
  • Graded unit for Core Skills
  • Contextualise core skills
  • Depending on level of core skills – Essay Work, Presentation Skills
  • Students currently struggle with level 5 core skills in some instances
  • State clearly in materials when literacy and numeracy skills are expected and being developed eg interpretation
  1. In what way do you think the revised NOS will impact on the Sector?
  • Older HNC regarded as better, new HNC not as good, confusion and snobbery. Published to sector through SSSC
  • Revised NOS will allow people to work across the Sector
  • Will they have an impact on other qualifications ie. Playwork
  • Broaden scope for practitioners. Improve Employability
  • Skilled workforce with transferable skills
  • No prejudices. Sufficient opportunities accessibility
  • Transferable skills (generic)
  • Positive move to allow more flexibility to move through the Care Sector
  • Standardised practice across the “board”
  • Improve practice (HN)
  • May cause some confusion at the beginning. Is NOS to remain the same, if changing how will this be marketed and understood by students and employers
  • Early Years can lose their individual identity
  • Will improve movement of workers in Sector
  • Integrate formal mentor arrangement between establishments and colleges to raise awareness of the candidates taking place
  • Will improve standing and acceptance of VQs
  • Improve relationships between Provides of VQ and HNC
  • Supports integrated working – flexibility and movement across disciplines
  1. How will closer alignment with Health & social Care NOS impact on the sector?
  • Better mobility across Sector
  • More job opportunities
  • Limiting as have to cover both Social Care and Early Years
  • Concern re assessment strategy for Social Care/Health Care – transferred to Childcare – eg implied knowledge
  • Clarification needed of moving completed units across Sector to Social Care and Health Care
  • Improved services expertise for service users
  • Some initial problems with acceptance in the beginning but once up and running will be beneficial
  • Professionalism of the sector – improve credibility
  • Flexible and diverse workforce
  • Smart working
  • Not comfortable of childcare being absorbed into Health & social Care as we cannot see the benefit. Will HNC increase the age of children to 16 as in SVQ but 12 in HNC.
  • How can a student who has done VQ visit with Early Years then cross over to Older People? (apart from “portfolio building”) where does the knowledge in the mandatory’s fit in?
  1. What would you look for in respect of roles and responsibilities of the Assessor and IV in the SVQ Assessment Strategy?
  • IV should be looking at standardisation across all assessors across the award
  • Both assessors/verifiers have the responsibility to keep up to date with legislation, Policy, Guidance & Theory/Research and record it
  • CPD should include maintaining occupational competence
  • Ensure that the assessment strategy is adhered to
  • Knowledge of both modes of qualification design
  • Must be occupationally competent and current in their practice
  • Qualified to level assessing and above
  • Qualifications in the field of work
  • Occupationally competent
  • Good role model
  • Graded unit 3
  • Recognition of the mentor role as a teaching remit
  • Sound knowledge
  • Experience
  • Mentorship
  • Consistent standards
  • Recognition of role of assessors
  • When the new NOS comes out – how does this impact on assessing CYP within the CCLD?
  • Centres may only be approved for one or other route eg. CCLD or CYP therefore assessor only occupationally competent in one area. How could the centre then offer the choice to candidates of the optional routes?
  • Will there be an automatic transfer of approval?
  • Assessor – assessment of competence level (not training) Verifier – quality assuring the assessment process regularly