Guidance: Enhanced dementia practice for social workers (Scotland)

New guidance is now available for trainers working with newly qualified social workers (NQSW), social workers and other professionals who work in adult care and community care settings, particularly as frontline practitioners and team managers.

The guidance shows you how you can use the online resource to enhance practice across your team or organisation. The online resource also provides valuable learning for other professionals including managers, social care and social work educators and assessors and allied health practitioners and can be used to evidence ongoing professional development.  NQSW, social workers and other social service professionals can use the online resource to evidence their Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) post registration training and learning (PRTL).

The SSSC recommend people using the online resource have experience of dementia care and support and hold the knowledge and skills set out at informed and skilled levels of the Promoting Excellence framework.  The aspiration is that in future, social workers, and other social service workers leaving higher and further education courses, will gain core dementia knowledge and skills when undertaking their qualification and if relevant to their role will progress through the skilled and enhanced levels of dementia practice in the workplace.

The enhanced dementia practice level

The enhanced dementia practice level outlines the knowledge and skills required by workers that have more regular and intense contact with people with dementia, provide specific interventions or manage services.

The Promoting Excellence learning framework

The Promoting Excellence learning framework defines the knowledge, skills and values workers must hold to improve the experience of care and support for people with dementia, their families and carers. Promoting Excellence has four levels of knowledge and skills – informed, skilled, enhanced and expertise.

Download the guidance here: Guidance for trainers: Enhanced dementia practice for social workers and other professionals: online resource