SOSCN New LOGO Launch

The Minister for Children and Young People, Aileen Campbell, launched our brand new logo at our Play and Creativity event in Glasgow in the 25th November 2015.

Nick Dodd, a recently qualified Graphic Designer, created the new look and the team of quirky characters to illustrate the benefits of out of school care, in a recent three month paid internship with SOSCN.

Our Annual review for 2014 to 2015 provides an introduction poster to some of the characters you will get to know more about as SOSCN switches over to using the new materials in all of our media.

Meet some of the characters!

I represent children's rights

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an international treaty which states how children should be supported, protected and nurtured. Amongst others, all children have a right to play culture, leisure and rest; a right to be consulted & listened to, and disabled children have a right to extra support.

I represent care

Every child's individual wellbeing needs are understood and met with warm, supportive and caring staff who build up long term, nurturing and positive relationships with children in their care. These social and personal attachments help children develop and are especially crucial to their emotional resilience when they are in need of extra support.

We represent play

Children's Rights to Play are central to out of school care and children have told us that the play provided in out of school care is immensely valuable and makes them happy. We also understand the many different types of play and how essential it is to all aspects of children's learning, development and overall wellbeing.

I represent learning

Active Learning is based on the actions of the learner and what they themselves bring to the learning situation. Through freely chosen purposeful activities in out of school care, the learner is engaged in a discovery process. Observation, reflection, and sensitive intervention to extent their thinking and practical skills is a key part of this process, as is learning through different types of peer interactions.

We represent friends

Children have told us that for them the most important aspect of out of school care are the opportunities to be with their friends and to make new friends. Building up and maintaining healthy social relationships are essential to child development and for children's enjoyment of life in the moment.

'Play & Creativity in Out of School Care' Seminar & AGM, 25th November Glasgow

This day-long seminar was also fully booked and was held in partnership with Starcatchers, as a 'taster' of their creative skills training for early years practitioners.

Andrew Shoolbread, SOSCN Policy and Research Manager provided an overview of how play and creativity are central to children's rights, in particular, article 31 of the UNCRC, and that OSC workers are key to ensuring that children experience their rights.

We were delighted that Aileen Campbell MSP, Minister for Children and Young People, was able to give a keynote presentation in which she acknowledged the vital role that OSC services play in supporting children and families; and how play and creativity are key to supporting child development. We were also pleased that Ms Campbell was able to unveil our new logo and rebranding.

Heather Armstrong, Programme Manager for Starcatchers' Creative Skills Programme Manager addressed the need for professionals working with children to support children's development through a greater repertoire of creative and playful experiences. Heather stressed that the focus should not be on the product but rather the process, and “if you are human, then you are creative”. If you don't feel creative, you just need to unlock the creativity within.

Elisabeth Gibson, Director of Project Ability, talked about the work of her organisation which supports the development and self-expression of disabled children and young people through various artistic and creative methods. Elisabeth also highlighted the importance of process over product.

Picture courtesy of Brian Hartely

Practical workshops on storytelling, visual art and music were delivered respectively by Andy Cannon, Brian Hartely and Rachel Drury; these were extremely popular. A discussion workshop delivered by Andrew and Heather further looked at the idea of creativity and how this related to play.

After lunch all delegates participated in a creative challenge - to create a 'super hero costume' for out of school care workers. With only 15 minutes, brown paper, tape, pipe cleaners and straws it was amazing how quickly everyone rose to the challenge- a lot of fantastic superhero costumes!

Here are some of the fantastic super heroes

Feedback from the event:

• "Very well organised and informative. Lots of fun. Well done to all."
• "Workshops were great. Would love to attend more of them."
• "It was very good having workshops. What a great informative, fun day."

Creative skills training feedback:

We asked delegates if they would be interested in participating in future creative skills training- the overwhelming answer was 'yes'. Key an eye on our website and bulletins in the new year as we shall be announcing a pilot session for the creative skills training.

SOSCN AGM

At the AGM we welcomed a new member onto the board: Caroline McGrory who works at Whiteinch Community Centre; we would also like to thank Drew Young who officially retired from the board after a good number of years service.

Thanks also to our members who attended on the day.

Meet the Regulators Events- Feedback from Aberdeen & Glasgow

We have held the first of our events in Aberdeen and Glasgow- both events were fully booked and a total of over 60 delegates attended the two days; overall feedback has been very positive about the format of the day.

The events provide delegates with the opportunity to hear about recent changes and updates to various aspects of the regulators' work; delegates also have the opportunity to ask questions and raise issues with the SSSC, Care Inspectorate and Disclosure Scotland.

Delegate feedback:

• "Really great insight into all 3 orgs. The open session with the Care Inspectorate was of great value and encouraged all of our participation."
• "It was a very useful morning- look forward to your return. Great support!"
• "All parts of the day were very informative."
• "Good mixture of topics."

There are still limited places available for the events in Irvine (26th January); Edinburgh (9th February) and Perth (1st March); for further information, please visit: soscn.org/services/news/meet_the_regulators

Training Sessions in Partnership with Glasgow Clyde College

SOSCN has entered into partnership with Glasgow Clyde College to deliver training sessions across Scotland; although there will be a charge for these sessions, participants will be able to use their ILA accounts to pay for them. (For further information about how to apply for ILAs see information below.)

The results from a recent Training Needs Survey show the most requested training sessions to be 'Managing challenging behavior - children', 'Tips for positive behaviour', 'Allergy awareness' and 'Moving and handling for childcare'- all of which can be delivered by the college. We shall be setting up dates across the country for these courses in the new year but please let us know in advance if these training sessions would be of interest to you.

Easy Guide to applying for an Individual Learning Account

Skills Development Scotland Individual Learning Accounts mean you can get up to £200 towards the costs of learning or training, but not everyone is eligible. Before you apply, check that you meet the criteria below.

What if I already have an ILA?

If you have previously opened an Individual Learning Account and wish to renew it, we will need to confirm your continued eligibility. To do this please contact us on 0800 917 8000.

What criteria do I need to meet to be eligible?

To apply you must be either:

• a British citizen
• a national of a member state of the European Economic Area who has utilised their 'right of residence';
• settled within the United Kingdom within the meaning of section 33(2A) of the Immigration Act 1971. You are only eligible for support if you are 'settled within the UK'. If you are in Scotland on a temporary student or work visa then you are not entitled to SDS Individual Learning Account funding

and:

• you must be ordinarily resident* in Scotland.
• aged 16 years or over
• have an income of £22,000 or less, or be in receipt of a qualifying benefit
• not hold a UK degree or postgraduate qualification or overseas equivalent
• not enrolled in any form of secondary, further or higher education.
• You are considered to be in secondary education until the date you leave school.
• You are considered to be in further or higher education from the date you enrol on your course.
• If you're a part-time student, who is not formally enrolled on any further or higher education, you would be eligible for ILA as long as you meet the remaining eligibility criteria.

moreover:

• If you're participating in training through the Employability Fund** or Modern Apprenticeship, or participating on the Community Jobs Scotland programme you're not eligible for ILA.

Steps to applying for an ILA?

Remember, you need to set up your ILA before you sign up for a course. The funds can't be used for courses that have already been booked.

How do I apply?

Step 1

You can apply online at: http://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/content/ready-to-apply-for-an-ila or You can apply by phone, call the ILA helpline on 0800 917 8000

Step 2

ILA Application pack. Once your ILA is set up, we'll send you an Application pack to tell you how to use it.

Step 3

Complete and return the application pack and return to SDS Scotland, in the envelope provided.

Step 4

You will then receive an ILA Account number.

Step 5

Complete your course.

Step 6 - ILA Voucher

Before the course starts you will receive a paper token for the course. Sign and date this and return to your course coordinator. This is the PAYMENT for the course. If you don't return this we will send you a bill for the cost of the course.

Expired token ?

If your token has expired, you can ring the ILA helpline on 0800 917 8000 and get the token reissued. Remember the token is the PAYMENT for your course.

For more information contact: http://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/section/funding

New funding opportunity from the Big Lottery

Last month the Big Lottery Fund, Scotland opened a new five-year £250 million funding scheme. With a focus on helping people and communities most in need, groups across the country can share these life changing funds.

Between now and 2020 groups across Scotland can apply for grants from £10,000 to £1 million to help finance projects which are community led or will improve lives.

Activity that can be funded:

• supports children, young people and families currently experiencing challenging circumstances
• supports people that have experienced abuse
• tackles loss, isolation and loneliness
• challenges discrimination and supports people affected by it

They will consider activity which aims to prevent as well as respond to these issues.

Please follow this link for further information:
https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/global-content/press-releases/scotland/261115_sco_new-funding-launch

A reminder from the Care Inspectorate

Each year, the Care Inspectorate asks services to complete an annual return questionnaire. This tells the Care Inspectorate about the structure and operation of services and helps it to plan, inform and carry out inspections. The questionnaire also gives valuable insight into the overall state of care in Scotland, which the Care Inspectorate shares with other organisations, such as the Scottish Government and the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

Annual returns will be available online at eforms.careinspectorate.com between 6 January and 16 February 2016.

The Care Inspectorate's website careinspectorate.com has important information about the annual returns and answers for frequently asked questions under 'Annual returns' in the 'Professionals' section. If an answer to a question can't be found there, services can call the eForms helpdesk on 0345 603 0890.

If a service was registered on or after 1 October 2015, they should try to complete an annual return this year. Although it's not mandatory for these services, any information supplied will be used by the Care Inspectorate and Scottish Government, etc. The information they put in will automatically appear in the 2017 annual return and they will only need to enter any information that has changed.

Please note that inactive services must submit an annual return.

Services can log in to their Care Inspectorate eForms account from any computer connected to the internet. If they need help accessing their annual return, they can call the eForms helpdesk on 0345 603 0890.

further information can be found here: www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/annual-returns

ACAS information updates

The acas website has some updated factsheets or employers on topics such as:
Disciplinary and grievance procedures, Bullying and harassment guidance
Bullying and harassment guidance
Challenging conversations and how to have them

Moreover, they have produced a number of handy guidance leaflets for the christmas period, including:
Forms for managing absence
Holidays and holiday pay

Living Wage update

£8.25 is the new UK Living Wage hourly rate

• Employers accredited prior to November 2nd 2015 have 6 months to implement the rate.
• Employers accredited after November 2nd 2015 have to pay the new rate from the outset.

Play this way book

In November the Scottish Government and Aileen Campbell MSP launched a new book called Play This Way

Play This Way, that has been coproduced by children, will be given to every child in Scotland aged 8 and under.

The book is all about play and comes with education packs that will accompany the books going to all Primary 4/5 teachers in Scotland, "to encourage a fun and interactive approach" to reading the book.

Download the play this way book: Play this way book.

Scottish Social Services Council. Care In Scotland Campaign

The SSSC have just launched a new campaign, 'Care in Scotland - it's life changing work'. They want to hear the many voices of the Scottish social services workforce. This campaign aims to let people hear what working in social services involves from real workers. The SSSC hope that this will increase awareness of the different types of social service roles and encourage people to consider a career in care. For further information: http://ssscnews.uk.com/2015/12/08/care-scotland-life-changing-work/

Recent Publications

Please follow the link below to the Review of the Scottish Early Learning and Childcare Workforce and Out of School Care Workforce:
http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0047/00477419.pdf
and the Scottish Government's response to it: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0049/00490358.pdf

Of particular interest is the government's response to recommendation no 9 (p11) “We will build on initial work undertaken in 2014 to investigate the existing evidence on OOSC to understand the characteristics of high quality care; and we will assess the viability for ongoing monitoring of OOSC in Scotland through our data collections for the future. We will work with key stakeholders to scope and produce an updated Framework for all forms of out of school care, including childminding.”

Furthermore, recommendation no 30 (p25) “the Scottish Government will explore the scope to commission further academic research on the impact of OSC and childminding on children, linked to the scoping exercise of existing evidence we will undertake on OSC, set out in the response to recommendation 9.”

Physical Activity Training

SOSCN is now offering free physical activity training to single services. This allows rural or large urban out of school care services to benefit from the training on offer. Training content would be similar to larger training sessions and the recommended number of participants is preferably around 8-10 in order or participants to experience the full benefit of the games being demonstrated. Smaller participant numbers would be considered in rural areas. Please email Greig about this.

The training sessions were originally delivered to clusters of out of school care services: local networks, local forums or services with multiple sites and is targeting approximately 2 members of staff from each service, this can still be done. We are looking for services who are interested in receiving the training to get in touch with other local services to arrange a suitable venue, participants numbers (of no less than 10 and no more than 20 per session) and some potential dates.

The training will last for a total of 2 hours and will consist of a short information session followed by a practical workshop which will involve physical activity participation of moderate intensity. The venue therefore must be able to accommodate for this. Participants do not need any prior experience or skills and the activities are suitable for different ages and levels of fitness.

How to book

If you are interested in having the physical activity training session delivered locally (single service or multiple services) then please contact Greig Cavanagh via email: greig.cavanagh@soscn.org or by phone: 0141 564 1284