Developing at level 3
All support workers have strong clinical practice pillars. The difference at Level 3 roles is that support workers are expected to apply these skills across the other three pillars, for example be involved in helping students learn or be involved in service improvement projects.
Level 3
It is the underpinning knowledge and skills which determine the level, not the list of skills people may have. The expectation at Level 3 is to use those clinical skills actively across the other three pillars and to have the underpinning knowledge and skills to take more responsibility and work safely in more complex situations.
We recommend that support workers at Level 3 undertake education at Level 7 of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), for example SVQ at Level 3 or HNC in Healthcare Practice. Find out more about qualifications and funding options in our Career pathways section.
More more in-depth information, take the time to explore the HCSW Development and Education Framework and review the level 3 overview and pillars of practice (pages 23-31).
Case study - Dave
The local HCSW development programme Dave Wynne-Jones attended in NHS Tayside gave him the confidence to develop his idea and to unlock his skills across all four pillars of practice, with some great person-centred results!
In Dave’s example he uses the HCSW Framework, applying all 4 pillars of practice to his role. His clinical skills and experience as a Senior Healthcare Support Worker in dementia care provided the baseline for the project idea, but to get the idea into practice good service improvement and leadership skills were needed. To ensure all team members were involved and to bring his colleagues on board he draws on his facilitating learning skills.