• Workforce Development
  • Changing Lives
• Learning
  • Continuous Learning Framework
  • eLearning
  • Mental Health Officer Award
  • PLQ and PLQ (SS)
  • Education / Training Providers
• Knowledge
  • Centres for Excellence
  • Communities of Practice
  • Knowledge Management Strategy
  • Managed Knowledge Network
  • SSKS
• Registration
  • Registration Key Information
• Workforce Planning
  • Sector Skills Assessment

Knowledge Management Strategy

The Scottish Government has funded development of a knowledge management strategy for social services to support the goals of Changing Lives.

Sharing Knowledge, Improving Practice, Changing Lives: A Knowledge Management Strategy and Action Plan for Social Services in Scotland, 2009-2012 was launched on 17 March 2010 by the Minister for Children and Early Years, Adam Ingram MSP. The strategy was developed by NES and IRISS, with input from a variety of organisations in the sector, including the Learning Networks. The strategy is supported by a Managed Knowledge Network, of which the Learning Networks are members.

The aim of the strategy is to help enable the social services workforce to manage and share knowledge to improve outcomes for service users and carers. A key component of the strategy is the Social Services Knowledge Scotland (SSKS), which provides access to research and knowledge resources, which can help support evidence informed practice.

Some of the ways the Learning Networks actively support knowledge management include:

• encouraging our members to share practice through local learning networks, online portals and virtual communities of practice
• facilitating events on subjects where workforce development is required to help inform good practice, based on feedback from our members
• promoting and disseminating information on learning resources and key initiatives through our website
• providing access to news feeds from our website and pulling in feeds from other organisations and projects which support the learning and development of the sector
• providing access to learning opportunities about online communication to support the development of online learning communities.