Knowledge services social care partnership working and integrated services
NES Knowledge Services has provided a digital library service for all health and social care staff in the NHS and Scottish local authorities, as well as those working in partnership in the third and independent sectors in Scotland, since it was first launched in 2005.
The Social Services Knowledge Scotland (SSKS) Library Search is part of The Knowledge Network developed by NES. With financial support from the Office of the Chief Social Work Adviser, Knowledge Services ensures equity of access to all staff and partners to support people to make informed decisions about their health and care.
Knowledge Services promote the complementary resources of our partners, the Care Inspectorate and IRISS. We have a page linking to the SSKS library on the Care Inspectorate Hub. The Hub provides access to local improvement guidance and national policy and legislation. IRISS develop tools and resources to support social care staff including their evidence summaries and regular podcasts.
In partnership with IRISS, we offer training to social work teams in Scotland, newly qualified social workers and social care staff in third sector organisations. This is to increase their confidence in searching online for trusted health information sources.
Many organisations and local authorities do not have their own library and knowledge services, so we offer training and materials for continuing professional development as well as general advice and support from NES and local NHSScotland Library Services.
It’s important that staff can record their learning – we created a range of Open Badges which are hosted on the SSSC Open Badge platform. Staff on the SSSC register need to complete set hours of Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) and Open Badges are a flexible way of recording both formal and informal learning. We currently have 16 Open Badges including badges which promote the use of health literacy tools and techniques to support people with self managing health conditions. We have awarded over 300 badges in the last six months, demonstrating their popularity and value in introducing SSKS and developing digital information literacy skills in the workforce.
We provide tailored content for social care staff groups where appropriate, including Literature Searching eLearning modules specific to the sector (available on Turas Learn), an SSKS Spotlights newsletter and @SSKS_online Twitter account.
Visit SSKS Library Search or check out our help to improve your skills. Staff, local authorities and organisations should not hesitate to contact NES Knowledge Services for help to use SSKS or request training from our team.
October, 21 2021