Podcast Possibilities

Making use of podcasts is the topic for SSSC23Things 'Thing 10'. Podcasts are very versatile as the listener can access them at a time that suits them. This could be a good use of travel time. During normal (non pandemic) circumstances I have quite a bit of alone travel time to and from work. Using podcasts could be a way of filling that time more productively. There are loads of topics out there once you look for them which is great for leisure but also for work.

For my own work related learning there are many out there that have content related to social care whether it be topics related to mental health, disability, Scottish policy etc. This is really useful medium for me to add to my knowledge on topics on social care and my ability to share that knowledge with staff but to also support them to translate it into skills that develop practice positively for the benefit of people who use the service. My role includes supporting staff with their learning and development so I need to keep myself up to date and be able to sign post colleagues to relevant resources. What is also useful to me is the ability to rewind and re-listen to a podcast as it helps embed learning by repetition. I can also clarify I heard the content correctly. A bit like re-reading a hand-out or an article. With hand-outs and articles I can make my own notes on the page but I cant do that with a podcast (as far as I know!) so have had to make notes on a pad making sure I take a note of the link and title. The other work side that is useful to me is practice based for learning and development. Being able to hear from professionals outwith my organisation supports my practice development in L & D. Others who have tried different delivery methods  or who are more experienced in those delivery methods would particularly useful for me to understand the benefits and challenges with those ways of working. We are living in a fast paced world and change in the delivery of knowledge and skills practice is being dictated by the external environment-including using digital methods. It is interesting that a crises on this scale is pushing creativity and openness to new ways of working towards outcomes.

As part of the 'Thing' I listened to a couple of blogs. The first one I picked from the SSSC list was poor on audio so I gave up after 2 or 3 minutes unfortunately. There were several speaker sand it was difficult to know who was speaking. Despite having the sound on my device turned right up I could hardly hear them and there was background noise-sounded like a phone was ringing in the room for quite a period of time-which no-one dealt with. This was so off-putting I switched it off and picked another from the SSSC list.

The podcast from the list that I did listen to was https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-future-of-learning-and-development/id1433606460?i=1000428930322. (The Future of Learning & Development) This is from the SSSC's own digital team interviewing Donald Taylor the Chairman of LPI. What I found interesting was the discussion about the changing perception of the role of L & D-the move from getting information to people to helping people do their job better. I liked the quote that L & D function should not just be a "conduit for content". I agreed with the discussion that L & D is about transformation and using facilitation to that end.  The idea that organisations can see L & D as somewhere to get problems solved rung a bell which shows L & D needs to market better. The whole idea of sense making really resonated with me. This podcasts helped me articulate in my own head some concepts.

I also sought out a podcast that was not on the list. The one I happened upon was https://soundcloud.com/rip-ripfa which was entitled 'Person-centred approaches to adult mental health'. This was an interview by Lydia Guthrie with Katy Shorten who is a research and development manager at Research in Practice who recently wrote a 'Frontline Briefing' of the same title. This was an interesting discussion on how people have different relationships with their mental ill health diagnoses. There was focus on how the person's perspective on their diagnosis is meaningful to them and how workers should extend understanding and respect when listening to a person they are working with.

There was also discussion of issues such as ethnicity and gender-thinking about how these factors can affect a person's experience within the mental health system. Another key one for me was the mention of Attachment Theory when working with people who are using the service. I think this another useful framework when working in a person-centred way and understanding the person's experience and perspective of the diagnosis they have been given and their wider experience of the mental health system. For me this also links in with considering people's trauma experience-this includes the worker as well as the person using the service. We all bring our histories to each interaction with people we support and we can only work mindfully with that if we acknowledge it.

Going forward I will use podcasts more now as a way of learning and developing my practice (and that of others)  as well as for leisure.

 

 

Capacious Cloud

I am being a rebel today and jumping forward to 'Thing 9-the cloud'.

I had somewhat of an idea about what the cloud is but was a bit wary of backing up on it as I knew I was not familiar enough with it. As suggested I checked my phone to see if I was unwittingly backing up photos on it and I am not. This is something I can now consider doing.

 

I read the article on Mashable which was a beginners guide. There is a much longer history to the cloud than I thought-stretching back to the 1950s. I now understand there is not just one cloud but several such as Google drive or Dropbox. I also know that the cloud is a network of servers and each server has a different function such as providing an online service or storing data. I was led to believe that the cloud was something different than servers so was surprised that this is how it functions. Previously I thought the cloud was only for storing data so I now realise I may have been accessing the cloud without realising it. I wonder how many people do? It is really important that people know and have control over these matters. In social care we often talk about supporting people who use the service to make informed choices. Perhaps when it comes to digital decisions such as backing up data we are not all making informed choices. This is something in future I will be more able to discuss with people confidently in work. In terms of safeguarding people who use the service and supporting them to make informed choices about their digital activity it is important that workers are educated in this area.

 

For organisations like mine I can see the attraction of moving to using the cloud as with other voluntary sector organisations we always have to think about husbanding the budget. The outlay and ongoing expense is less with the cloud and the ability to be flexible is really helpful too. In my role the ability to be mobile and still have access to data in different locations is great as I can be in different services and different office bases. I have this facility to an extent with my remote desktop although I understand it is not really the same as a cloud and there seems to be some limitations with it.

 

My main concern about the cloud is the security. Again not only for myself and other staff but for supported people using it. I would be slightly concerned about saving support plans with all the personal and private information contained within them. The article advised the cloud was great for storing 'non sensitive' information. This is a bit of a concern, but on reflection is it still not more protected than a support plan locked in an office cupboard that if someone really wanted to they could break into or get a copy of the key? I suppose password strength is paramount too. I had been advised before that the cloud is more secure than having server hardware. I did a quick google of this and the hits I had a look at were all of the opinion that that cloud is more secure or as secure as a server. I read in the article that Google will now automatically encrypt data for paid cloud storage service users. This could be good news for organisations like mine because I was starting to wonder where is it safe for sensitive data to be stored?

 

Putting knowledge and skills into practice is important. If I have to show someone else in work how to use the cloud to store data I need to be able to do it myself. I therefore used Google drive to store a word document. I was mindful as directed in 'Thing 9' not to use anything organisational, confidential or sensitive. I therefor created a test word document once I logged into Google drive. I did this on my laptop. I logged out and then logged into Google drive on my ipad and hey presto there it was. Really easy. This demonstrated to me the flexibility of using the cloud and I wouldn't have to necessarily carry a laptop around which would be great. For my own learning as well any material I am using for CPD or undertaking any courses I can then back up to the cloud and can access from any device at anytime and I wont lose it either. I do have a habit of saving materials for reading etc and then cannot locate them. Perhaps this will help me going forward. Also if I save them in a folder in work then I don't always have access to them out of work-which maybe when I have time to concentrate on reading them.

 

I feel that now I have consciously carried out this task for this 'thing' and have found it so straightforward I would be really confident in support others in work to do so to. So thank you SSSC for making me do it!

Fun 'Finding Resources' Repertoire

Today I have been working on SSSC 23 Things Digital 'Thing 7' which is entitled 'Finding Resources'.

This has been my most fun 'thing' yet. Being given keys to a library is heaven sent. I can easily get lost in a rabbit warren of research and reading and be more than happy.

 

This 'thing' firstly tasked me with going onto SSKS (Social Services Knowledge Scotland) and creating an Athens account so that I can access all the goodies within. Now in the back of my mind I had a sneaking suspicion that at some point in the dim and distant past I had made an account. This did turn out to be true and I was very quickly up and running again with a new password-no hassle. It is really super easy. This then was my keys to the library and somewhere I suspect I am going to spend a lot of time. Why I had not been using it for so long I don't know.

 

I had a peruse of the Criminal Justice portal as suggested and found great links to other sites that will be helpful for me. Part of my role is developing and delivering learning to operational colleagues on this topic area. This also gives me good and reliable sites to signpost colleagues to.

This 'thing' next tasked me with using the site to perform a search for a document that I can use. I used the search function to look for articles in English containing specific terms (related to criminal justice and trauma) and published in the last 5 years. I got a good load of results from this and I then had the option to 'tweak' these results further. I made preferences on my subject list-just the same as applying filters when online shopping!-and  selected an article that caught my interest in the field of criminal justice and trauma about screening for PTSD in incarcerated men. I then discovered I can also look to see 'sources citing this' and 'sources cited in this'  which is a real boon and will make this much quicker. I also had the option to email, print etc so I selected email. This worked to an extent but the hyperlink would not open. I suspected that this was because I was on work email and there may be some restrictions but on sending this to my own email it still did not work. I will need to pursue this with IT department. I then went back and saved the article in my Athens account and learned I can save searches as well as documents-this will be a really useful feature for me because I do make searches in my role and select a specific document but at later date the same search criteria can be useful for me. After saving the article I clicked on it as it said the full text was accessible-I had two options one was to click onto Sage journals-I followed instructions there to view the text however despite saying and Athens account holder could view by signing when I clicked to sign in it kept taking back to the initial page. So not to be put off I tried another option which was viewing on open access. This worked and I was able to save the PDF of the article. This was quite an academic article but will be useful for me in my role as I am taking a lead in reviewing and updating a course that my organisation runs which I am a mentor for. I mentor staff through the course who provide direct support and manage services for this client group. Using SSKS will be really useful for me in making specific searches and being confident in the quality of the documents that  I am reading and citing-for example the article I saved today was peer reviewed. I will be able to use this process for work on new and reviewed courses but also in my role supporting managers and teams who support people with very specific issues who need a bespoke service from myself to help them gain skills, knowledge and confidence.

 

I also had to perform an advanced google search. This was really simple too. I launched a normal search in google and then accessed settings to gain access to an advanced search. From there I was able to whittle down my search by' language', 'last update a year ago', 'terms in title' and usage rights as 'free to use and share'. From this I was dismayed to see three results and they were all adverts! However I then clicked for scholarly articles and got a page full of results.  So I will remember this in future. I selected a result and ended up on a website  called 'Springer Link' and found out that this website provides researchers access to millions of scientific documents. This is reassuring.

 

I found both processes really straightforward to use and will definitely be useful to me in my role regarding learning materials. For topics that I am already familiar with it will support me to update my knowledge and be confident in what I am supporting staff with. For new topics I will know where to go to find good, reliable information. I appreciate that the Google search function does not guarantee quality, reliability and provenance however it is a useful additional search process and with a bit of digging I think I could sort the wheat from the chaff.

Digital Security Scams and Sensitivities

Thing 6 on SSSC's 23 Things Digital concerns digital security. This is an area I am naturally nervous about and my children do laugh when I get nervous about an unexpected email or push notification and tell me 'don't worry you have not been hacked!'

 

The first area to consider was passwords. This is a difficult area because trying to remember which password belongs to which account-especially as I get older-is a feat in itself. I know when prompted by my work account for example to change my password I often feel I have just got to grips with the present one and now I am going to have figure out something I haven't used before, that is strong and memorable for me. aaargh!! The splashdata 'worst passwords list' is a good resource for starting to think about the passwords you use and may have used in the past. I certainly made some of the mistakes mentioned in this list and in the SSSC info on Thing 6 in the past. When I first had to set up passwords for digital devices and accounts-possibly about 20 years ago now!- I had had no education or training in this area and was just picking things up as I went along. I suppose I also felt embarrassed at the time to ask for help. I am more confident now about the strength and security of my passwords but I will be extra vigilant when changing or setting up new ones and will look at the advice and tips again when doing so. I did not know about password manager apps so this will be something else to add to my repertoire of security measures if I can get over the worry that the password manager app itself may be compromised! I do think that password management is a challenging area for a variety of people using services. There can be cognitive issues such as memory which may make it more difficult for people to keep changing passwords. We need to be creative in helping people come up with aide memoirs that are also secure from staff and others who may know a lot about a person.

 

App permissions is another area about which I knew little. I duly had a look at my phone to see which permissions apps had on my device. I don't think this is something I have ever done before. I was relieved to see that many had no permissions and some had a few like access to camera and location.  I did change some. With some apps I found that changing any of the permissions on the app meant that basic features would not work.

 

Updates on your device turning your preferences off was another interesting piece of learning from Thing 6. I was aware- and have made staff colleagues aware-that updates on platforms such as Facebook can mean an individual users privacy settings may be changed, but I had not really thought of this on a device like a smart phone where my preferences can be returned to default without my knowledge. This is information I will be sure to tell colleagues. I think information such as this is also crucial for supporting people who use services to operate their digital devices safely. I think if staff have a good standard of knowledge then great, they will probably already be advising service users accordingly, but I think we have to be aware of the range of knowledge and skills in the staff group and ensure all of us are up to speed with things like digital security in line with our duty of care-safeguarding nowadays also means online as well in the real world. I am becoming more and more aware of that.

 

I was amazed to hear that on some platforms users may be prompted to play games to get to know each other where typical account security questions may be asked and answered. I think this is quite frightening as if you are not really on your guard you could easily provide information about yourself that puts personal information out there for others to use. This makes me concerned about not only staff colleagues but also younger people and vulnerable people who use our services who may be more trusting or less wary. It would be good if perhaps SSSC or Care Inspectorate did a campaign to reach all services-users and staff, to make them more digital security aware.

 

Wi fi security is also a big area for concern. I feel there have been some awareness raising campaigns from time to time over the years in the media about this. However like lots of things if people are not reminded about it they can easily forget and slip into habits of old where they may access wi fi in a café and then do some online banking or email a report to a work colleague containing sensitive information. Maybe public places that offer wi fi should also have signs up reminding people not to carry out any personal transactions over their wi fi. I learned that using a VPN can scramble your personal information over wi fi. I did not know this before and this is something I will do and encourage others to do.

 

Reflecting on all of my learning above I think making changes for myself to be more safe and secure digitally may be relatively easy and advising people I see. Getting the information to lots of staff colleagues and people who use services may be more challenging. I think it is important that '23 Things Digital' is promoted to more of my organisations workforce. At the moment we are dealing with a pandemic and I know that direct support and care is priority, however it can mean that we are all more digitally vulnerable at the moment as criminals will be taking advantage of the fact that around the world we are all distracted by the pandemic. I think as well as myself updating the information I give to new staff colleagues perhaps as an organisation we can make this vital information more readily accessible to all. We could do that through an update to safeguarding training materials, through our own digital learning resources, using the Learning Management System , through the intranet and through the use of push notifications.

Savvy Social Media Manoeuvres

I've been looking at the Scottish Social Services Council's 23 Things Digital 'Thing 5' which is about Social Media. I watched the clip, read the guidance and articles and my own organisations policy and have been having a think about the ramifications of workers social media use in a social care context. This is something I do already talk about when inducting new staff and I have mentioned in a previous post some issues I have come across for folks not exercising judgement. Looking at the items I mentioned above has made me think a bit more about this.

 

I thought the video was really straightforward and easy to follow but something did jump out at me. (and also when looking at the guidance again) It was the bit about not being social media friends with a person only if you know them as a service user. This is a sentence I am really familiar with but there was something about the way it came across in the video that made me rewind and listen again.

So, if you are already a friend with someone and then they come and use the service that's fine-as long as you don't blur the professional and the personal.Hhmmm. A lot of boundaries guidance and support is needed here-I am going on many years experience and this is an issue I still come  up against even IRL. It is still a really sticky area for some staff to navigate.

There is also a part of the SSSC full guidance on social media which says "Think carefully before accepting friend requests from people who use your service". I have always advised staff colleagues not to accept friends requests from service users and to report such a request to their line manager asap. 

I know I wasn't asked to critique the SSSC's own guidance as such-only our organisations- but I don't think there is clear enough instruction. My opinion is this is not sufficient to support workers to make good decisions and protect the interests of themselves and people who use the service. In real life I have only heard of this type of situation infrequently, however I know that doesn't mean it is not more of an issue than my own experience.

 In recall one time a new worker told me that they were aware that their service was already supporting someone they knew personaly and had a connection with on social media. I advised them to report this to their line manager so they could get support with it - be up front and honest so they could discuss a way round it. The supported person may also require support to understand the boundaries. It was likely in this instance that the worker could avoid providing a direct service to the person but I still think both they and the person who used the service needed support and guidance to manage their relationship and boundaries. I feel that to say 'there is nothing to say you cannot be friends on social media' is not enough guidance. I feel as a sector we should be advising workers that where this happens (and I understand it is less easy to avoid in small rural communities), then we need to follow that up with much clearer instruction. This could be along the lines of you must declare it and seek support and guidance from your line manager. The rest of the information from the council in all formats is really clear about the issues related to having social media contact with service users so I think this message is incongruent with the rest of the guidance.

 

One of the articles I had to read was about how to separate the personal and professional on social media. For me this article didn't really work in a social care context. There was discussion of various strategies such as 'open' , 'content' etc. but for me it didn't really hit on the type of issues that social care workers will generally come up against-to be honest some of it was just lost on me. I felt it was really for people working in corporate environments such as those providing financial services or something similar. Perhaps it worked for other folk with a better understanding than me. For me the strategy is simple-don't have social media, or if you do, be very strict about privacy, friends requests and just don't talk about work or the sector. It is about boundaries that look after yourself as much as anything else. Reading this back it sounds really righteous, illiberal and conservative, however I suppose I have never really got into social media that much-I don't use twitter, Facebook, instagram or anything like that and I don't have FOMO. A bit boring really.

 

Another article I read for this 'Thing' was entitled 'Social Workers cannot ignore the role of social media in the profession'. I am not a Social Worker so I can only reflect on the article which I felt made a relevant point about the benefits of online activity such as networking, communication and inclusiveness/I did feel it rather sensationalised the whole 'climate of fear around social media' aspect when mentioning the sanctions that some social workers have received for inappropriate online conduct. The linked case in this paragraph was about a social worker who posted online personal information about clients she was involved with. It was entirely appropriate that the worker was sanctioned. For responsible social workers such cases should be a reassurance rather than contributing to a climate of fear. I don't think anyone coming into the profession of social care or social work should believe they can publish what they like online about their work, role or people who use the service with impunity. I do however get the bit about the benefits for the profession, individual workers and service users. Absolutely it is the way of the world now and has become really important for mental and emotional well being during lockdown.

 

So, considering my own organisation's Social Media Policy I felt in re-reading it that it is fairly comprehensive-it  defines what we mean by Social Media, clear instruction about not using company equipment to access social media, only use your own device to do so when off duty or on designated official breaks etc. All the basics are there and very clear. I also feel there is a clear link between the policy and the SSSC codes as it reminds the reader about these explicitly and discusses what is acceptable/unacceptable behaviour is online. It discusses the organisation's own social media use and clarifies that there are certain employees who have explicit permissions to access and update this as part of their role. It is explicit these staff are exceptions to some aspects of the policy and that they will welcome any ideas. materials etc. from colleagues about what could be posted online from the company. What I also appreciate is that the policy is upfront about the fact that organisation is monitoring activity on its devices and the number of ways they can and will do that. I think that is fair and transparent. Is there anything missing, anything I think we can do better in this policy? It does say you should not be social media friends with service users or their family/carers, but it does not say anything about what to do if you already are. I think this is an area that our policy should give instruction/guidance on. Also we need to be saying more in this policy (or perhaps producing a procedure)to support workers to safely assist service users to use Social Media where required. This can really help people who use the service to build a network, skills, confidence and grow their opportunities and chance to achieve. We need to make sure staff also have the skills and confidence to provide support in this area of everyday life too. SSSC 23 things Digital is a great place to start. I think it needs more publicity to do this.

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So reflecting on what I have read and viewed for this 'thing' I feel generally confident in the approach that I have within my role with staff and being able to provide them with information and guidance. What I feel I could do differently is reiterate where they already know someone who uses the service or who is being referred to it (or their family) to bring this it to the attention of  their manager as soon as they can- to get both practical support and guidance on managing the situation. I can also bring this to the attention of the group responsible for the policy and ask them to consider addressing this within the document when they review it. 

 I can also promote the building of digital skills, knowledge and confidence of the workforce by talking about the benefits to individual staff and service users. I can do this in the first instance by promoting 23 Things Digital to staff and colleagues. If I am managing it anyone can.

Onwards and upwards.

Footprints in the ether............

This blog is about Thing 4 from SSSC 23 Things Digital. Digital footprint.

I watched the clip by Orange about the young woman at an interview for a part time job in a fashion wear shop whose 'Brenda hating' online antics came back to bite her. Although short, I thought this was quite powerful and is a really good way of making the issue real. I feel this should be shown in schools, colleges and universities so that young people about to enter the world of work are aware of the consequences of online behaviour. I have seen people's online behaviour come back to haunt them with disastrous consequences for them-not least politicians who then lose their post and are also open then to trolling and public opprobrium about their past behaviour. This must have not only career consequences, but also mental and emotional health consequences for them and those close to them.

In social care I am also aware of cases where workers have been subject to disciplinary proceedings, lost their jobs, been sanctioned by the SSSC and had their case  covered in the paper due to inappropriate online behaviour. I think this is so reckless must be really humiliating for all involved. I always make a point of making new starts aware of this and pointing out that the SSSC codes apply to online behaviour as well as IRL behaviour- I think for some folk online is where they let their frustrations spill over, especially if they have had one too many drinks.

The 8 Tips article also mentions that once you put something out on the internet it is there forever. This is another message I have put across to new colleagues. As the article says social media platforms do updates potentially changing their privacy settings so we should double check from time to time- I previously learned this from a SSSC article about online behaviour and point this out to new colleagues.

 

As for myself, I have always been naturally cautious about my digital footprint. That said, for this 4th Thing I had to google myself and was slightly concerned that there may be more information about me online than I thought. Thankfully I was practically invisible. I eventually found myself on about the 3rd or 4th page and was only mentioned as having attended a course several years ago. The spelling of my name is quite unusual so I only came across two other people-neither in this country-whose first and last names are spelled exactly the same as mine and they have very little information about themselves available online either. That is the way I hope to keep it for myself.

I liked the 8 tips article as it was concise and had not too much jargon in it. Most of the information was familiar however one piece of information that did strike me was that apps are collecting information about you even if you don't use them. I didn't really expect that and it is something I will be aware of now and will check which I can get rid of.

In social care all of this information and tips about digital footprint is important not only for staff but also for the people we support. If I am supporting someone with using digital technology then part of that must also be about how they keep themselves and their information safe online. This may have to be reflected in a risk assessment about how I and others should support the person with this area of their knowledge and skills. This is part of my duty of care when supporting the person.

Why digital?

Well it's time for thing 3. Why digital? I suppose you could say in this day and age 'why ever not?'

With my non-work head on I would say the same, but having been in and around the social care workforce for a long time I feel that it had not been particularly an area of focus. I appreciate I am only going on my own experience.

 

When I looked at the Skills for Care Info graphic containing the results from their survey of staff and managers I was pretty surprised. The fact that 90% of staff reported being confident in their digital skills-albeit basic skills-was a number far higher than I would have expected. This made me analyse my experience more-why did I have the assumption that more of the workforce would feel that they were not confident in their digital skills? I think a reason could be that I am mainly hearing people's opinions on their digital skills when they are not feeling confident and this has skewed my perception. I know that in my organisation we have been carrying out a digital skills survey so I will be interested to see what the results are closer to home as it were, and compare them where possible with the Skills for Care survey.

 I would have been interested to see further interrogation of the results-if 90% of staff were confident in their skills but 52% of their managers were not confident in their staff's skills, why is that? Why the gap in perceptions? I wonder what managers are looking for staff to be able to do that they are not seeing? What type/range of digital skills were people thinking of? If I am providing direct support to people who use the service and I feel that I can use my smartphone confidently to check bus times or swimming pool opening times to provide a direct benefit to someone during support that may be an example of my digital practice at work that I am basing my answer on.  I think it is a really valid one and directly linked to the work I am doing and something that provides tangible benefit to the person using the service.  However it may not be one that is directly visible to my supervisor. My manager may be basing their perception on how confidently or how often I use the office PC for admin-another important part of my role (maybe not my favourite work task) and more visible to my manager if not to people I support. 

I was also interested to find out what the survey had to say about what stops use of tech in social care. I noticed that managers had more practical concerns and I was unsurprised that staff having access was mentioned. Working in a care home I think can increase the chances that staff have access and time to develop work related digital skills however organisations such as mine have more staff who are working in people's own homes in dispersed services-care at home/housing support. Working in these types of teams makes it more difficult as time in the office base is precious and team meetings, supervisions and essential admin tasks are priority.  I have worked in both types of support service so I know the differences. I don't have an answer to this, but writing this during the pandemic I do wonder if the outpouring of media led appreciation for social care (along with the NHS) will result in increased funding and an overhaul in how services work. Will funding of services in the future consider not only prioritising paying for direct care and support contact time? Will there be an appreciation that providing supernumerary time and funding for digital equipment and training is absolutely essential for our workforce and ultimately for people who use services?

 

When I looked at what concerns staff had re use of digital technology in social care I was unsurprised to see that along with a small amount of concern about security (which may be partly about the safeguarding of people we support) that the main concern that came out was the worry that use of technology reduces staff contact time with people who use the service. I think this speaks volumes about the vocational nature of this job. Ultimately in social care we know that people need people and technology should not ever replace people in care and support. I have had these worries in the past too especially around about assistive technology-and selfishly you do worry about your job, like everyone else I have mouths to feed-but it did also cause me worry about the folk using the services and would they have less human contact. I think we all need reassured about this and to see a focus on how digital technology can assist us to be more efficient, improve the service and spend more meaningful time with people we support.

On reflection I know that I need to be more open to people who use the services getting support to be digitally skilled and safe. I think the safeguarding bit can be a real barrier to being open to supporting people to use digital technology. Like all colleagues I am very aware of confidentiality; data protection; GDPR and SSSC codes as well as the very specific risks that some people who use services pose to themselves and others at times. I believe all of these things do need to be given careful consideration before embarking on providing support and guidance to people who use the service in accessing digital technology and getting new skills. I do think there can be potentially lots of benefits to supporting people who use services to be skilled and confident in the digital arena as it can open up the world for them-meeting new people, learning, leisure, work opportunities.

  

As for me...I undertook the '23Things Digital' self-assessment and scored myself 3-average for capability, 3-average for confidence and 2-low for relevance. Previously I would have scored myself higher for relevance but recent experience has made me aware that there is so much more I could be doing digitally in my role if I had the skills and knowledge. So, I have been making inroads with this and am grateful for the framework of the SSSC 23 Things Digital to support me in developing. I am looking forward to doing the self assessment at the end of the process and seeing an increase in my scores across the board. Fingers crossed, watch this space.

Brilliant Badging Beyond Borders!

Well I have made it to blog item 2. Phew!

This time I am considering Open Badges. This is something I kinda thought I knew about. On reflection I was aware of Open Badges but really knew nothing about the history of them or how they worked. It's just as well I have now embarked on a digital learning journey. I watched the SSSC video on Open Badges and read an article on the site too and discovered a much longer history for Open Badges than I suspected. It turns out the history goes back ten years and is international in its scope.

So what about badging in social care-I suppose I thought that Open Badges were a nice idea but they didn't really represent that much-someone has a badge-cute.  But what does it mean? Finding out that there are technical specifications that define the requirements for what a badge represents for both issuers and earners is a revelation to me and a reassurance. Here is something that is worth something and it is a definable something that employers can quantify and understand. If I recruit this worker it means they have verifiable knowledge and skills and I know there is effort and commitment behind the achievement. More than cute.

I had never considered before that earning Open Badges was something that would translate internationally but I am now aware of 'Badge the World'-cool slogan, but it does really mean something useful and tangible-a global skills currency. This is significant for social care because our workforce is truly international, now more than ever. For workers from around the world to be able to carry a virtual backpack of academic and skills assessment with them to a new employer in a different country could be a game changer. In terms of learning and development time and how quickly someone can be operational I believe this is a real boon. It also means that learning programmes for workers can be more personalised as we are building on the skills and knowledge that folk already have. I suppose that poses the question do we have to slavishly following a pre ordained organisational programme of learning? A certain amount of mandatory learning and development activity will always be a good thing, but maximising the credit for prior learning and attainment I think can only be the way forward.

Welcome to Digital Dance or Dunce!

This is the very first post-will there be more who knows....The reason I am here?

I have worked in social care for many a long year in a variety of roles e.g. direct care and support, management and staff development . I remain very motivated to support the drive for developing the best service we can.For the moment we are in lockdown and learning digital skills very very quickly for personal and professional reasons!! The change in working environment has it's upsides and downsides and the opportunity to learn new skills must be grabbed in order to make it work. The next step in this quest for me is the Scottish Social Services Council's '23 things Digital' which  begins now.

If you haven't already, please do take a look at SSSC website and have a look at 23 Things Digital for yourself. We all need to adapt to the environment around us and make our knowledge and skills current  and flexible to provide the best service for those who access it. 

I have worked in social care more years than I wish to admit to and have seen so much change in terms of policy and practice in support and care. I have always been up for change, innovation and developing my practice but the older I get the more challenged I am by it if I am absolutely truthful-which I am for the avoidance of doubt! so what I have learned in the process of doing my first blog today? I can procrastinate with the best of them....but I can push myself too. Will I be able to digitally dance or will I be the digital dunce? Time will tell I suppose, but just now I'm jus

So, be brave.......