Care ScotlandCare ScotlandSVQ Qualifications Development

Eleanor Ramsay

The Origin of SVQsThe Origin of SVQs

National Occupational Standards (NOS), assessment strategy and the qualification structure are devised by the standard setting body. In the case of Health and Social Care NOS the Sector Skills Council is Skills For Care and Development.

Standard setting bodies have a responsibility to represent the current and future skills needs of the workforce they represent.

The Origin of SVQsThe Origin of SVQs

Skills for Care and Development are managed by and accountable to the Skills for Business network (SSDA).

Key areas of work that they undertake include NOS and competence development and workforce planning and support.

Skills for Care and Development are set up in a unique way. Each country in the UK having a significant presence.

The Accreditation ProcessThe Accreditation Process

SQA Awarding Body have to be approved by a regulator to offer Scottish Vocational Qualifications.

The regulator in Scotland is SQA Accreditation unit which sit separately from the Awarding Body

There are five principles of good regulation which guides the work of the Regulator in Scotland

Five Principles of Good RegulationFive Principles of Good Regulation

Transparency Accountability Proportionality Consistency Targeting

The Accreditation Process (cont.)The Accreditation Process (cont.)

Adopt the general principles for assessment specified by the Sector Skills Council

Maintain and Monitor the quality and consistency of assessment of accredited qualifications and units.

Ensure rigorous external verification of assessment decisions

Ensure rigorous recruitment and monitoring of External Verifiers for accredited qualifications.

The Accreditation Process (cont.)The Accreditation Process (cont.)

Advise on the occupational expertise required by trainers, assessors and verifiers based on the general principles specified by the Sector Skills Council

Administer accredited qualifications, including approving and monitoring centres, and issuing certificates

Provide appropriate advice and guidance on the implementation of qualifications for customers

Market the accredited qualification to ensure optimum

Monitoring of Approved Awarding BodiesMonitoring of Approved Awarding Bodies

SQA Accreditation monitors and evaluates approved Awarding Bodies via a quality assurance system that is supported by a number of related processes.– Systems Audits– Desk Audits– Self Assessment– Centre Monitoring

This is underpinned by Risk Assessment.

Reporting Back to Sector Skills CouncilReporting Back to Sector Skills Council

The Awarding body is also required to participate in regular dialogue with the Sector Skills Council

Formally Via the Awarding Body Forum Informally via regular meeting with the Sector Skills

Council Manager in Scotland SQA feels that it is important to share a good

relationship with the SSC.

Relationship between SSC and the Regulator of the Care WorkforceRelationship between SSC and the Regulator of the Care Workforce

The Scottish Social Services Council is both the Sector Skills Council and the regulator of the Care workforce in Scotland

This has particular importance for the delivery and quality of delivery of Scottish Vocational Qualifications

The SVQs in Health and Social Care form the basis for the qualifications based register that gives holders of this qualification “licence to practice”

Uptake and demandUptake and demand

Health and Social Care suite of SVQs have the highest uptake of SVQ qualifications in SQA

Poses a challenge to meet the requirements of the regulator in terms of quality assurance and consistency

SQA is taking a positive approach to this challenge with a restructuring of the External Verification team and dedicated Senior EVs for both SVQ and HN

Key IssuesKey Issues

Interpretation of Assessment strategy and units Appropriate models of Assessor and Internal Verifiers Centre understanding of the role of the External Verifier Appropriate support for Centres to develop good practice SVQs are now credit rated and levelled against SCQF