This section contains professional development resources to help you to reflect and use learning in your practice.
Capabilities
In 2011, NHS Education for Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Social Services Council produced a framework that sets out levels of knowledge, skills and behaviours for practitioners working with people with dementia.
The levels are concerned with levels of responsibility in relation to working with people with dementia which will vary greatly across organisations and sectors. Each level defines the expertise, specific to their role in relation to dementia, that a worker must have
- The ‘Dementia Informed Practice Level’ provides the baseline knowledge and skills required by all staff working in health and social care settings including a person’s own home – this corresponds to the pre-qualification level of the Professional Capabilities Framework
- The ‘Dementia Skilled Practice Level’ describes the knowledge and skills required by all staff that have direct and/or substantial contact with people with dementia and their families and carers – this corresponds to the social worker level of the Professional Capabilities Framework
- The ‘Enhanced Dementia Practice Level’ outlines the knowledge and skills required by health and social services staff that have more regular and intense contact with people with dementia, provide specific interventions, and/or direct/manage care and services – this corresponds to the experienced social worker level of the Professional Capabilities Framework
The Knowledge and Skills Statement for Social Workers in Adult Services, which sets out what social workers need to know and do when they have completed their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment includes:
Direct work with individuals and families
Social workers need to be able to work directly with individuals and their families through the professional use of self, using interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence to create relationships based on openness, transparency and empathy. They should know how to build purposeful, effective relationships underpinned by reciprocity. They should be able to communicate clearly, sensitively and effectively, applying a range of best evidence-based methods of written, oral and non-verbal communication and adapt these methods to match the person’s age, comprehension and culture. Social workers should be capable of communicating effectively with people with specific communication needs, including those with learning disabilities, dementia, people who lack mental capacity and people with sensory impairment. They should do this in ways that are engaging, respectful, motivating and effective, even when dealing with conflict – whether perceived or actual – anger and resistance to change. Social workers should have a high level of skill in applying evidence-based, effective social work approaches to help service users and families handle change, especially where individuals and families are in transition, including young people moving to adulthood, supporting them to move to different living arrangements and understanding the impact of loss and change.
We have created a document for social workers working with people with dementia. This document outlines how the social work practice with carers resources can be used to evidence learning and development to satisfy the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF).
Action planning tool
The Action Planning tool enables you to identify actions to use learning to make a difference in your practice.
CPD record
This example CPD record can be used to record your Continuous Professional Development activities and may be used as your record of evidence of CPD for re-registration with your regulatory body.
