- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to Item 3 of the Action Plan for Social Services Workforce, whether the Joint Ministerial Meetings are considering a social work qualification without a practice placement as an integral part of the training.
Answer
The role of practice placements within the new degree course is currently being considered by the project groups who are examining the detailed elements of the degree course. Both groups are of the view that supervised practice placements are an essential element of the new degree, but they are also examining the additional contribution that might be played by other types of practice learning.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to Item 3 of the Action Plan for Social Services Workforce, what the timescale is for agreeing the content and arrangements for the proposed new social work qualifications in order to ensure introduction of the new degree in 2004.
Answer
I have asked the project groups to report to me by December 2002.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to Item 6 of the Action Plan for Social Services Workforce, whether it will provide the Association of Directors of Social Work's action plan for promoting employer investment in better support for front-line staff, and whether this plan was prepared within the specified timescale of nine weeks and what the reasons are for the position this matter.
Answer
I await proposals from the Association of Directors of Social Work which will enable me to release the funds set aside for this work.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to Item 3 of the Action Plan for Social Services Workforce, whether it will outline details of the membership and workplan on workforce and recruitment, and whether these were agreed by a Joint Ministerial Meeting within the specified timescale of nine weeks and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.
Answer
Ministers have instructed the Social Work Services Inspectorate to consult with the sector to determine the way forward in the context of the development of Sector Skills Councils. Consultations with the Scottish Social Services Council are currently on-going. A seminar to consider the boundaries of a Sector Skills Council that covers social care activity in Scotland is to be held later this year.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to Item 4 of the Action Plan for Social Services Workforce, what the priorities are for attention by the new Director for Co-ordinating Social Services Policy and Performance, and whether these were agreed by a Joint Ministerial Meeting within the specified timescale of nine weeks and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.
Answer
The priorities for the new Director, agreed by the Joint Ministerial Meeting, are:a. future workforce planning and staff recruitment and training, andb. performance reporting on social work services.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to Item 3 of the Action Plan for Social Services Workforce, whether it will outline details of the membership of the project group on professional and vocational education reforms and the workplan, and whether the workplan was agreed by a Joint Ministerial Meeting within the specified timescale of nine weeks and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.
Answer
The membership of the project group on professional and vocational education reforms is as follows:
| Sandy Cameron | Association of Directors of Social Work |
| Bryan Healy | Attain |
| Christine Humphries | Scottish Consumer Council |
| Gordon Jeyes | Association of Directors of Education Scotland |
| Pauline Miller | Scottish Executive, Secretariat |
| Robert McClure | Scottish Higher Education Funding Council |
| Colin Mackenzie | Convention of Scottish Local Authorities |
| Kirstie Maclean | Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care |
| Angela O'Hagan | Carers Scotland |
| Gillian Ottley | Scottish Executive, Chair |
| Chris Robinson | The Open University in Scotland |
| Ruth Stark | British Association of Social Workers |
| Carol Watson | NHS Education for Scotland |
| Carole Wilkinson | Scottish Social Services Council |
| Bryan Williams | Joint Universities Council/Social Work Education Committee (Scotland) and Association of Professors of Social Work (Scotland) |
Ministers will review progress against the Action Plan at the next joint ministerial meeting later this year.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to Item 12 of the Action Plan for Social Services Workforce, whether Joint Ministerial Meetings will recommend a generic or specialist training for social workers.
Answer
In introducing the Action Plan to Parliament on 18 April, I made clear that there would be a generic core to the new honours degree for social workers. The project group are currently considering the balance between generic and care group specific competences in the degree and proposals will be put to ministers in due course.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to Item 11 of the Action Plan for Social Services Workforce, whether it will provide details of the survey of improving access arrangements to professional training and whether the survey commenced within the specified timescale of nine weeks and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.
Answer
As a first step we have provided an additional £400,000 for bursaries for postgraduate students. This was achieved within the nine-week timescale. We are currently considering what further steps might be taken to improve access arrangements to professional training. We will expect to announce further measures within the next nine months.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Action Plan for Social Services Workforce, what progress has been made under each of the 12 identified items.
Answer
I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-27467 and S1W-27469 to S1W-27487, all of which describe the progress made against specific items in the Action Plan. Work is progressing as quickly as possibly and I am confident that there will be continuing progress on all aspects of the Action Plan before the end of this year.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25808 by Cathy Jamieson on 28 June 2002, how many Joint Ministerial Meetings on social work and social services there have been and what issues were discussed.
Answer
There has been one Joint Ministerial Meeting. At that meeting Ministers agreed the content of the Action Plan and the priorities for the new Director for Co-ordinating Social Services Policy. The next meeting will be held later this year.
