Anyone who has a role in social work or health care knows just how important it is to ensure the highest standards are always maintained.
Whether daily tasks involve assisting the ill or the elderly, arranging financial or emotional support for those in need, or helping to house the homeless, this is much more than a job: it’s a vocation and it helps to transform lives.
It’s no surprise then that this month sees the launch of revised Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers, published by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
The Codes, first introduced in 2003, give workers and employers in social services set standards of behaviour and practice.
Revised after a major consultation exercise, the Codes also now take into account the SSSC’s move to a ‘fitness to practise’ model of regulation, which also came into effect on November 1.
Having such a precise and robust rulebook means we can be even more confident Scotland’s social services will be delivered by a skilled and trusted workforce.
The good news gets better, however: November also sees the launch of a new supervision resource to help employers make sure people working in social services are well supported.
While the industry as a whole certainly looks to be in good hands, individual bodies have been celebrated for their amazing work at the Herald Society Awards 2016.
Refuweegee, the charity that provides welcome packs to help recently arrived refugees settle in Scotland, won the top gong for Campaigner of the Year.
Dr Charlotte McCarroll, of Glasgow University, meanwhile, has been busy working to boost a greater understanding of transgender issues on campus. For this she was named Worker of the Year, supported by Social Work Scotland (SWS).
Raza Sadiq helped set up an Active Life Club in Glasgow’s southside. Not only has his hard graft helped build better community relations, it landed him the Unsung Hero Award.
Teamwork was also recognised with The Herald Society Team of the Year award going to the volunteer executive committee of Strathclyde University Law Clinic, and Community Project of the Year won by The Atlantic Islands Centre.
The Young People’s Project was won by Aberdeen City and Aberdeen Permanence and Care Excellence teams, while the Older People’s Project prize went to Contact the Elderly.
If you’d like to make a difference – and even be among next year’s Herald Society Awards winners – why not take a look at the latest Social Services, Housing and Childcare vacancies on s1jobs?