Care Watchdog Staff Celebrate RoCA Graduation

More than 40 staff from Scotland’s care watchdog are celebrating success in a pioneering new course designed to help drive up standards. The Care Commission officers have all gained a new academic qualification which puts them at the forefront of modern regulation for nurseries, care homes and other care services.

The group were presented with their Regulation of Care Awards (Scotland) by Care Commission Convenor Professor Frank Clark CBE at an official graduation ceremony in Dundee. Chief Executive Jacquie Roberts congratulated all 44 graduates and said their personal accomplishments would also yield important benefits for the people who actually use care services.

She said: “This is a real achievement and there is no doubt the Care Commission staff who have been through this course have got a lot out of it. All of them say it has been a highly positive experience and stimulated them to look at regulation in a new way.

“These are all people with huge experience and expertise in regulation, yet they all agree the process of achieving this qualification has made them better and gives them even greater credibility.

“The work of regulators is evolving and this course gives our people the confidence to face the challenges, like moving towards more proportionate and carefully targeted regulation.”

Ms Roberts stressed care providers would also benefit and added: “In a sense the people who provide services are being judged, so it is reassuring for them to have total confidence in the credibility and expertise of the people doing the judging.”

Professor Clark added: “The Care Commission exists to drive up standards of care and this qualification will help us achieve that. The people who really gain are those who use care services, their families and friends and people who work in the care sector.”

The award is the first ever professional qualification in regulation available to Care Commission experts, augmenting and enhancing their existing skills. As well as theory, it is also closely-linked to their practical, frontline duties.

The qualification has been developed in partnership with Cambridge-based Anglia Ruskin University, the Care Commission and the Scottish Social Services Council and is validated by Anglia Ruskin University.

The latest graduates are the second wave to complete the course. The next group of students are currently going through the qualification programme. Ultimately, all permanent Care Commission Officers will have the RoCA qualification.

The RoCA distance learning programme lasts for one year with candidates undertaking a range of modules and assessments alongside their work for the Care Commission.  The RoCA students learn through online discussions and group meetings. The programme leads to 60 credits at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) level 9.