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The Register opened for support workers in adult care in April 2009. There are approximately 26,966 of these workers and to support employers to phase their workforce development and training the date for required registration of these workers was set at September 2015.

On 1 April 2010, the establishment numbers for the Care Commission was 595.78 FTE, extracted from SCSWIS records.

The Social Work Inspection Agency was 40 FTE (full-time equivalent) and HM Inspectorate of Education was 210 FTE; the figures for SWIA and HMIE have been extracted from the Office of National Statistics published Civil Service Employment data for 31 March 2010.

Ultimately employers are responsible for the training and continuous learning of their employees. Employers must ensure that all staff not only have the appropriate skills and knowledge to carry out their role, but also ensure that these skills and knowledge are 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. Bodies such as Skills for Care and Development, the sector skills council for the social services sector; the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC); the Care Inspectorate (SCSWIS), and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) among others, support employers in training their workforce.

However, in line with the ambitions of Changing Lives, the Scottish Government has been driving forward a range of activities, particularly through the work of the Scottish Social Services Council, to ensure that Scotland has in place a competent, confident and valued social services workforce. The SSSC has only been in existence for 10 years but has already made significant progress from a baseline where around 80% of the care workforce did not have a relevant qualification. We will continue to focus on improvements. Scottish ministers, through the SSSC, regularly review the qualifications set for registration for each group of social service workers and can increase the rate of change and increase the levels and types of qualifications required. For example, the qualification requirements for managers of day care of children services have recently been raised and these managers are now required to gain the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework Level 9 qualification in Childhood Practice.

As part of the drive to raise standards in the social service workforce, all workers registered with the SSSC must undertake post registration training and learning (PRTL) to ensure they continue to develop and progress their skills throughout out their career in social care.

Registrants are personally responsible for ensuring that they meet PRTL requirements. Employers of registrants are expected under the SSSC’s Code of Practice for Employers to assist registered workers to continue their professional development.

Guidance and tools are available to all employers in the social services sector which support 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.

As indicated in the response to question S4W-02685 on 26 September 2011 registration of the social services workforce has been taken forward in a phased and clearly time-tabled way. Registration of these workers started at different times because of the agreement to phase registration of social care workers.

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/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

Registration of the social services workforce has been taken forward in a phased and clearly timetabled way to allow employers to strategically plan their workforce development to meet registration requirements. Phasing provides an affordable approach for employers, government and the regulatory body.

The SSSC Register opened for residential childcare workers in July 2006 and to enable employers to phase workforce training and development the phased date for required registration of these workers was set at September 2009. Residential childcare workers were amongst the first set of social care workers to be eligible to register and so were also amongst the first to become subject to required registration.

Differences in the qualification levels required for registration reflect the differences in the type of work and responsibilities held by workers. Before setting the qualification levels for each part of the register the SSSC consulted with a full range of stakeholders, including relevant workers, their employers and service user and carer groups, on the type and level of qualifications that should be set for each group of workers. Feedback from these consultations informed the setting of the qualification criteria for registration.

All the qualifications specified for registration are derived from the National Occupational Standards for the sector. These standards represent the skills, knowledge and competence that employers define as necessary for the workforce and they are reviewed and revised regularly to ensure continued relevance.

As noted in the response to question S4W-02683 on 26 September 2011, qualifications levels reflect the type of work and responsibilities held by workers. When the SSSC consulted on and set qualification requirements for residential childcare workers it was very conscious of the need to ensure that these workers have a level of academic ability that ensures they are able to support the children in their care to make the best use of their education and achieve qualifications which will increase their career and life opportunities.

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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government has made a commitment to introduce a minimum wage for all public sector bodies under our direct control.

We have made sure that from 1 April 2011, all NHS staff in Scotland earn above £7.15 per hour. All teachers, police officers and Fire Service personnel already earn above this level.

The Scottish Government’s Public sector pay policy, which applies to all pay settlement dates up to 31 March 2012, requires employers to introduce a Scottish Living Wage of £7.15 an hour and all public sector bodies will have met that requirement following implementation of their 2011-12 pay settlement. The policy covers the Scottish Government, its agencies, and the non-departmental public bodies for which we are responsible. It also covers the subsidiaries of these bodies. There may be a small number of staff in public bodies subject to minister’s pay policy still to benefit from the Scottish Living Wage, but this is due to the fact that these bodies are still to conclude pay negotiations with members of staff and their unions this year and Scottish ministers cannot intervene while these negotiations continue.

The Scottish Government’s public sector pay policy does not extend to local authorities. Local authorities are self-governing bodies and set the terms and conditions under which local government staff are employed. The Scottish Government does not hold information on individual local authority’s rates of pay. However, I welcome the fact that a number of local authorities have already introduced a living wage.

On 6 April a multi-agency meeting, including representatives from the City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian and the Care Inspectorate was held to discuss care arrangements within Elsie Inglis. Following that meeting it was agreed that the City of Edinburgh Council staff together with support from NHS Lothian staff would undertake a systematic review of all residents within the care home.

Between periods 6 April until the end of May, the City of Edinburgh Council social work staff together with nursing staff from NHS Lothian were regularly in attendance at the home to ensure that the residents' needs were being met and to make recommendations as appropriate. During this period regular multi-agency meetings were held as well as meetings with the owners of the care home.

On the 11 of May the City of Edinburgh Council approached the care home owners and informed them that it was felt necessary for the Council to have permanent presence within the home to observe practice and advise. The Council had no legal powers to undertake such an action, however consent was granted by the owners of the home.