Chamber and committees

If the price increases announced by Scottish Power were replicated by the other suppliers, up to 169,000 more households would be placed into fuel poverty.

It is an employer’s responsibility to train staff. Employers must ensure that all those working in their services have the appropriate skills and knowledge to carry out their role.

The National Care Standards clearly state that services must have policies and procedures in place which cover all legal requirements, including staffing and training. This includes having a staff development strategy and effective training plans in place for all staff.

Employers are responsible for the training and continuous learning of their employees.

Bodies such as Skills for Care and Development, the sector skills council for the social services sector, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Authority amongst others, support employers in training their workforce.

There is guidance and tools available to all employers in the social services sector which supports the identification, level and quality of training required for their employees. This includes the SSSC Code of Practice, National Occupational Standards, Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework and the Continuous Learning Framework.

It is an employer’s responsibility to train their staff. Employers must ensure that all staff have not only the appropriate skills and knowledge to carry out their role, but ensure that the knowledge and skills is continuously updated.

The National Care Standards clearly state that services must have a staff development strategy and effective training plans in place for all staff.

Staff working in care home services for adults are required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council. A condition of registration is that a person has, is or working towards, an appropriate qualification for the job they undertake.

I understand from Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland that it received nine complaints after 9 November 2010 broken down as follows:

I further understand that consideration of the three complaints marked as “in progress” is pended as a consequence of the ongoing police investigation.

I understand from Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) that at the inspection of 30 March 2011, Ranaich House received “weak” grades across all quality themes. I further understand that SCSWIS has served two improvement notices on this service since this inspection and a further inspection took place on 13 June 2011. The inspection report is being finalised and SCSWIS will undertake the necessary steps to safeguard the safety and wellbeing of the residents.

Information about the number and whole time equivalent (full-time equivalent) of midwives employed by NHS board is published by ISD annually at 30 September. The latest published information showing figures for 30 September 2007 to 30 September 2010 is available at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health%2DTopics/Workforce/Nursing%2Dand%2DMidwifery/Nursing_and_midwifery%202010.xls.

Midwifery staff figures for the years 30 September 1999 to 30 September 2005 are available at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health%2DTopics/Workforce/Nursing%2Dand%2DMidwifery/list-of-historic-tables.asp.

Figures for 2006 are not available due to the assimilation to Agenda for Change.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-882 on 29 June 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Responsibility for the delivery of financial inclusion lies with community planning partnerships and a comprehensive and responsive range of support and intervention services exists across the country funded through the Local Government Settlement.

Supporting the provision of welfare rights and money advice is a key aspect of the Scottish Government’s approach to tackling poverty. The Achieving our Potential budget funds national infrastructure for the sector, this year for example:

Citizens Advice Direct continues to receive core funding of £400,000 and an additional £80,000 to provide telephone benefit checks to those people referred through the Energy Assistance Package and Home Insulation Scheme;

The Child Poverty Action Group provides a second tier advice service and has received £408,000 this year to deliver the Second Tier Advice, Information and Training Services, and the Benefits for Students Training, Advice and Information Service. This offers advice, training and support to frontline staff that are in contact with households that are likely to be entitled to benefits and tax credits, and

MATRICS, a collaboration between Citizens Advice Scotland and Money Advice Scotland, will receive £191,600 towards training and support for the money advice sector.

Scottish Government has also invested in a number of innovative local services, for example:

Link Housing Association are receiving £300,000 to continue their Older People’s Advice Service, which provides an outreach support and advice service in Glasgow, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire, North Lanarkshire and West Lothian to vulnerable older people with a particular emphasis on clients who have health problems, or who live in remote areas, and

Macmillan Cancer Support has been allocated £406,500 this financial year to continue to provide benefits advice and support across the five cancer treatment centres in Scotland and in two NHS boards for patients with long-term conditions.

In addition, a number of organisations and initiatives receive Scottish Government funding to provide a wide range of support to individuals and families which includes welfare rights and money advice, for example the Lone Parents Helpline, Parenting in Scotland, Contact-a-Family, National Debtline and the Family Nurse Partnership programme.

Scottish Government support for credit unions has been in the form of funding and they have benefitted from a number of schemes. Credit unions also receive support from their local authorities, while action to promote and develop them is best undertaken locally, to meet the needs of local communities.