welcome

The North of Scotland Learning Network works with and provides services to stakeholders in the Shetland, Orkney, Western Isles, Highland, Moray, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire areas. This section provides introductory information on who we are and what we do.

lnnportal

Click here to access the lnnportal

The Learning Network North Portal is a communication and learning hub, which supports communities, networking and learning for use by those working in the Social Services sector across the North of Scotland. Click here for more information.

news | about us | our approach | our work | get involved | contacts

news

Our August e-bulletin is now available. Click here to access it (in PDF).

Practice Learning: In the North of Scotland we now have two organisations, RGU and UHI, who offer a PDA in Practice Learning at SCQF 10.  We now need to turn our attention to consider the other awards. The PLQ 2, Level 9 Award is designed to support learning across the whole of the social services workforce, be that social care, social services health care or any of a number of different ways people support learning.  The award is designed to give recognition and credit to those who support formal and informal learning and contribute to the development of learning cultures in organisations and also provide a high level of Continuous Professional Development.

Here in the north we are interested in identifying if individuals and organisations are interested in the PLQ 2 Award and would be grateful if you would indicate your interest by contacting the Learning Network North office in order that potential demand can be gauged. We do anticipate that interest in the Award will be high and, should this be the case, would like to facilitate a workshop for employers and training providers to consider delivery options, opportunities for partnership and sharing good practice.  Should expressions of interest warrant an event of this nature proceeding the workshop would take place on 30th September in Aberdeen with further details provided at a later stage . Click here for information on the award.

Event: CPD Opportunities for Social Work Managers at the Glasgow School of Social Work, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Given the focus on strengthening leadership and management in the 21st Century Review of Social Work and increased numbers of managers registering with the SSSC, the Glasgow School of Social Work are offering continuing professional development opportunities on their management programme. Click here for information on these CPD opportunities.

Course Information: Places are now available on a new course, the Professional Development Award in Practice Learning (SS) (PDA in Practice Learning), being offered by UHI. This new award is a qualification for those working within the field of social services and other related occupations.  The programme replaces the earlier Practice Teaching Award and has as its base eight units which have been approved by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and the Scottish Social Services Council. Click here for information on the course.

New information resource: Migrant Workers. Do you have an interest in the migrant workforce? We have gathered together a number of documents and links to websites that may be of benefit in this significant and topical area. Click here to access information relevant to migrant workers.

Access post-event information and presentations for the following events:

• Online Communication Course 26-05-08 to 13-06-08
• Learning Network North Online Access Audit - Results May 2008
• Recognition of Prior Informal Learning (RPL) 18-03-08 and 15-04-08
• Drop-in & Mental Health Social Support Services - Meeting the Challenges 04-03-08
• Partnership in Practice Learning Workshop 13-02-08
• Community Justice Services, Level of Service - Case Management Inventory 25/28-01-08
• E-moderating Online Communications Course 17-04-07 to 04-05-07
• The Challenge of Change 02-03-08
• Information and presentations from Network meetings

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about us

Our mission is to improve the quality of service to all users and carers by establishing a partnership which will make learning a high priority and to create an environment where learning needs are identified and learning is shared. We intend to meet the national aims through implementation of the following strategic objectives:

• Develop and sustain a learning culture across the care sector that will
  • Emphasise learning for practice as everyone’s responsibility
  • Increase confidence and competence through embedding continuous professional development across the entire workforce
• Increase the quantity, quality and diversity of practice learning opportunities
• Develop and implement a strategy for involving users of services and informal carers
• Promote effective arrangements for learning for collaborative practice by
  • Encouraging innovative collaboration between all potential practice settings and academic providers
  • Enabling a broader range of staff from all relevant disciplines to contribute to practice learning and assessment
• Contribute to the development of a Scottish database of learning opportunities through mapping activities
• Collaborate to maximise the integration of existing learning and development activity including use of the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework
• Maximise the funding for learning available to the sector through collaborative work
• Ensure evidence based practice solutions, eg the outcome of the respective SIESWE projects, are accessible to all
• Contribute to the development, collation and dissemination of accessible learning resources
• Integrate into the operation of the Learning Centres the work emanating from the National Workforce Group on:
  • Human Resource and Organisational Development
  • Workforce Intelligence and Information
• Education and Training

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our approach

Our vision is of a core and cluster model drawn from social work, social care and education/training institutions. We will build existing partnerships and develop new ones. We will consult partner about how they most usefully would wish to be integrated into the work of the network. Examples of current partnership activity include:

• user and carer groups taking part in higher education institutions developmental work at Robert Gordon University and the Open University.
• user and carer groups providing similar input to local authorities.
• local established learning networks, eg. Moray and Orkney.
• local partnerships, eg. in integrated childrens’ services, community justice, criminal justice, Joint Futures.
• private sector and voluntary sector partnerships with local authorities to ensure the development of high quality service provision.
• partnerships between further and higer education sectors and social work organisations to develop training opportunities at a range of levels.

This is developmental, not prescriptive. We believe we should not replicate these arrangements, but should draw on them to disseminate examples of best practice.

Click here for our constitution.

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our work

Click here to access our business plan, 2005-2008 (PDF).

Go to the events calendar to find out about forthcoming events in the north.

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get involved

Are you interested in becoming part of our Network?

Complete our simple online membership form.

Access presentations and information from Network meetings.

If you want to unsubscribe from the Network or from our e-bulletin, please complete our simple unsubscribe form.

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contacts

Scottish Social Services Learning Network - North
Flat 313, Dawson Court
Victoria Terrace
TURRIFF
Aberdeenshire
AB53 4FP

T. 01888 569 200
F. 01888 569 207
E. learningnetworknorth@aberdeenshire.gov.uk