NHS Education for Scotland
A skilled and sustainable workforce for a healthier Scotland
NHS Education for Scotland
A skilled and sustainable workforce for a healthier Scotland
The NES Board, supported by the Scottish Government, has established a Social Care Directorate to extend to the social care workforce the range of education, training, workforce development resources and digital solutions that have traditionally been provided to employees of the NHS and independent healthcare providers in Scotland.
This recognises the value and contribution of the social care workforce in Scotland, and the opportunities to improve quality, professional standards and sustainability of services, while anticipating the proposed National Care Service for Scotland.
Social care means all forms of personal and practical support for children, young people and adults who need extra support. It describes services and other types of help, including care homes and supporting unpaid carers to help them continue in their caring role.
Social care is an investment in Scotland’s people, society and economy. Many of us, or many of our family members or friends, will already use social care. Most of us will need to use social care at some point in our lives.
Social care support is about supporting people to:
Areas of work the Social Care Directorate are currently involved in:
Social care staff in Scotland now have access to The Knowledge Network, which is the national digital library for books, journals, articles and other resources relating to health and social care. It provides access to a range of resources including:
Staff working for NHS boards can access the Knowledge Network using their single-sign on details, and staff in partner organisations can sign up via this short registration form. For further information about eligibility, see here or contact the helpdesk team at knowledge@nes.scot.nhs.uk
If you were previously familiar with the SSKS, this service is now provided by the Knowledge Network. The SKSS newsletter is no longer active, though you can still view archived copies of this newsletter here.
For further information and support about knowledge management and discovery services available for social care, see the links below:
Further information on Social Care in Scotland can be found at the following websites.
Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) are the regulator for the social work, social care and early years workforce in Scotland.
Their work means the people of Scotland can count on social work, social care and early years services being provided by a trusted, skilled and confident workforce.
SSSC protect the public by registering social workers, social care and early years workers, setting standards for their practice, conduct, training and education and by supporting their professional development. Where people fall below the standards of practice and conduct, SSSC can investigate and take action.
Scottish Care is a membership organisation representing the independent social care sector in Scotland. They work with members and stakeholders in social care to create conditions for sustainable human-rights-based care and support.
The mission of the Coalition of care and Support providers in Scotland (CCPS) is to identify, represent, promote and safeguard the interests of third sector and not-for-profit social care and support providers in Scotland, so that they can maximise the impact they have on meeting social need.
The Care Inspectorate is a scrutiny body which supports improvement. That means they look at the quality of care in Scotland to ensure it meets high standards. Where they find that improvement is needed, they support services to make positive changes.
The Care Inspectorates vision is that everyone experiences safe, high-quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.
Approximately 600 staff work across Scotland, specialising in health and social care, early learning and childcare, social work, children’s services, and community justice.
Contact the NES Social Care Directorate
Get in touchLast updated: 04/08/2023