Developing career pathways

Changing Lives recommended the development of new career pathways in practice and professional leadership linked to an agreed competence framework. The aims are to:

• provide routes for those working in social care to progress through the sector during the course of their career,
• promote lateral career opportunities within the social services sector and to some extent between the social services sector and other sectors,
• encourage, where appropriate, frontline practitioners to pursue a career whilst remaining on the frontline.

The Scottish Government's approach to supporting this will be to work closely with the Scottish Social Service Council, in their role as both regulator and Sector Skills Council for the sector, to scope the potential contribution of new roles such as practice specialists, consultants and lecturer practitioners.

We will then match potential new roles with competence frameworks and create a framework that employers can use to reshape their professional workforce. In doing this we will work closely with CoSLA to ensure that the implications of a new framework are reflected in the guidance being developed by them linking a national career framework with pay and reward within the Single Status Agreement.

Success Criteria

• Social work practitioners are able to progress their careers while continuing to practice.
• Practitioners have a range of career options that are challenging and rewarding.
• Career pathways in both practice and professional leadership are linked to an agreed competence framework.
• Service users and carers have improved access to specialist and advanced skills when required.

Useful links

• Framework for developing nursing roles (The Scottish Government Health Department)
  This publication gives a different professional perspective on the challenges of developing career structures