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09 Feb 2013

If you need help or have a question about this website, please contact us by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The site meets World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) AA-level standard. You can read more about these standards at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) website.

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How do I increase the size of the text in this website?

You can click on the font resizing links at the top right of every page. Alternatively, select View then Text Size in your browser to adjust the size of the text. If you have a wheel mouse, hold down the Control key while rolling the wheel.

Which browsers can I use to access this website?

This website has been designed to support as wide a variety of browsers and operating system combinations as possible. Browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome or those from other suppliers will allow you access the site and use the pages but might not display the site as designed, nor provide you with the best experience of using the website.

Most browser suppliers will allow you to upgrade for free, either because they don‘t charge for their browser or because you have bought a previous version. To upgrade your browser go to the supplier‘s web site and follow the instructions provided.

Which screen resolution should I use for displaying this website?

We recommend the minimum display settings of 1024x768 and 16-bit colour.

What is a PDF file and how can I view them?

PDF is a file format that lets you view and print a document exactly as the author designed it. It is an Internet standard for electronic distribution that faithfully preserves the look and feel of the original document complete with fonts, colours, images, and layout. To view these documents you need to use a PDF file viewer such as Adobe Reader.

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Cookies and privacy

09 Feb 2013

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.

The table below explains the cookies we use on data.sssc.uk.com and why.

Cookie Name Purpose More information
Content Management System cookie

 

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These cookies are set by our content management system upon arrival to the website. They are not used for any other purpose.  
Surveys survey_id_last_visited These cookies are set by our surveys and are set only after someone has completed a survey. Their purpose is to detect if a user has already taken the survey.  
 AddThis  __atuvc Used by AddThis in order to make sure the user sees the updated count if they share a page and return to it before their share count cache is updated. This cookie is not sent back to AddThis.  
Google Analytics

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These collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the site, where vistors have come to the site from and the pages they visited.  

To delete cookies or reject cookies

We recommend you allow the cookies set by our websites as they help us provide you with a better service.

If you do not want to receive cookies from this website, select cookie settings under the privacy settings in your browser options, then add our domain to the list of websites you do not want to accept cookies from. Under settings you can also delete individual cookies or any cookies that your browser has stored.

You can find more information on how to delete and control cookies at the About Cookies website [http://www.aboutcookies.org/].

If you set your browser to refuse cookies, please be aware that some parts of this website will not work properly for you.

Links to other websites

This information does not cover links within this site pointing to other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit.

Giving us feedback

The information you provide when responding to the survey on this site is used to help us to improve our service to you. Each month, we download the data to Microsoft Private Cloud via SharePoint and delete it from the data site. We retain the downloaded data permanently in line with the retention schedule provisions for performance reports which are detailed here. For most respondents no personal information is gathered or stored by the survey or this site. If you choose to leave personal information, for example as part of a free-text response, the legal basis for the SSSC holding this information is consent, which you may withdraw at any time. The exception to the non-gathering of personal information applies only to the small number of data site users who may log into the site.  If you are logged into the site and complete the survey when logged in then the survey will record your name, email address and the local authority you work in, along with your response to the survey. 

 

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Terms and conditions

09 Feb 2013

The SSSC makes every effort to ensure that the information published on its website is accurate and up-to-date. The information contained on the website does not constitute legal or professional advice and should not be treated as a substitute for such advice.

The website contains links which are not under the control of and are not maintained by the SSSC. The SSSC gives no warranty or representation as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the websites referenced by external link.

Data Protection Act 1998

The SSSC is registered with the Information Commissioner. The data controller is the SSSC. Personal data collected through this site will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

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What we are working on

05 Feb 2013

 Here is what we've been working on during 2023/24:

The majority of our reports and data sets are published annually while a small number of our reports and data sets are published more frequently (e.g. quarterly SSSC registration data) or are just occasional publications (e.g. our workforce skills reports).

 

In June we published a report for the first time exploring the Movement of Day Care of Children Staff between different types of employers. The report was based on data from the SSSC Register for 2021/22 which has a unique identifier that allows us to see changes in registrants’ employment over time.

 

In August we published the annual National Statistics report on Mental Health Officers which is based on data collected directly by us from all local authorities in Scotland. As with all our reports we published the tables from it separately alongside the report. We also published MHO time series data set (2006-22). A further data set providing data on registrations and certifications for SVQs and modern apprenticeships in 2022-23 relevant to workforce registration was published in August.

 

Our annual Official Statistics report on the Scottish social service sector’s workforce in December 2022 was published in early September. And the Staff vacancies in Care Services report which we produce jointly with the Care Inspectorate was published at the end of the month.

 

In October we published what is expected to be the first mid-year report on the number of whole time equivalent (WTE) practising social workers and the number of WTE vacancies for them. The data were collected by us from local authorities as at 30 June. In addition to this report we also published two data sets on the local authority social work services workforce with data from December 2022. The local authority post types 2022 which provides information both at a Scotland level and individual authority level of all staff working within social work services broken down by the type of post. And the interactive social worker data tool, which provides time series data (2013-22) on the headcount, headcount per capita, WTE and WTE per capita of practising social workers within each local authority area. This can be further broken down by the type of social worker and type of fieldwork team they work in.

 

In November we published our annual detailed data set on the adults services workforce. This provides a more detailed breakdown of the data published in the annual workforce report. For example it looks at data on care homes for adults by the various sub-types (including care homes for older people and care homes for people with learning disabilities). It also looks in a similar way at housing support and care at home services.

 

In December we published our annual detailed data set on the children’s services workforce. This provides a more detailed breakdown of the data published in the annual workforce report. For example it looks at data on residential child care by its three sub-types namely, children’s homes, residential schools and secure accommodation. It also looks in a similar way at day care for children and funded early learning and childcare services.

 

In January we published the detailed annual data set on those working in the sector by individual local authorities. The data set includes information on the type of service, the type of employer, the age and gender profiles of the workforce and the job roles.

 

In February we published a report on the way that the workforce is distributed across employers of differing size and type. This report is under development as a set of official statistics and based on the feedback we receive we will decide whether and how to publish such data in the future.

 

In addition to the above workforce data publications we have also continued to publish data each quarter on the numbers of people registered with the SSSC, by category. We also published for the first time a report that looks in a more detail at those registered with the SSSC and a report that looks at Fitness to Practice cases. An explanation of the differences between the workforce data we collect and collate and SSSC registration data can be found here.

 

In 2024/25 we expect to publish all the workforce publications listed above using data from December 2023. In terms of our Official Statistics and National Statistics reports we expect them to be published as follows:

 

Official Statistics - Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2023 Workforce Data – August 2024

 

National Statistics - Mental Health Officers (Scotland) Report 2023 – August 2024

 

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What we do (2)

05 Feb 2013

Here is what we've been working on recently:

1) Workforce Data Report  – On 29th August 2018 we published the 2017 Workforce Data Report. This report gives a comprehensive picture of the paid workforce employed in the social service sector in Scotland at the end of 2017. The data published includes information on:
• The workforce size and the whole time equivalent (WTE) measure of the workforce.
• The stability index of the workforce (what percentage of people are in the same post as the previous year). 
• The employer types (Public, Private and Voluntary) and the percentages of each in local authority areas.
• The age and gender of workers in different roles and areas. 

2) Mental Health Officers report - On 31st August 2018 we published the 2017 Mental Health Officers Report.  This is the sixth statistical report on Mental Health Officers (MHOs) in Scotland to be produced by the SSSC. The data published includes information on:
• The number of practising MHOs.
• MHO trainees, leavers, vacancies and staffing shortfalls.
• The average hours worked by MHOs

3) Integration – Mike Docherty attends a sub-group of the National Workforce Planning Forum made up of representatives from NHS Scotland, Scottish Government and the SSSC. The aim of the forum is to facilitate and support the integration of health and social care workforce planning.

Part 1 of the National Workforce Plan covering NHS Scotland was published in June 2017 (available at: https://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/06/1354).

Part 2 of the plan covering Scottish social care was published in December 2017 (available at: https://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/12/2984).

Part 3 of the plan covering Scottish primary care was published in April 2018 (available at: https://beta.gov.scot/publications/national-health-social-care-workforce-plan-part-3-improving-workforce).

As part of the initiative to integrate health and social care workforce planning, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) are co-ordinating the creation of an online cross-sectoral workforce data platform. This ambitious project will face challenges with data comparability and governance. More information on this will be provided as it becomes available.

4) Detailed Data Publications -  We have published a number of detailed data files that allow you to explore our data in greater detail. These are: 

2017 Detailed Workforce Information.

Local Authority Post Types 2017

Interactive Social Worker Data Tool 2017

Here is what we'll be working on in the coming months:

1) Local Authority Social Work Services (LASWS) 2018 census data collection – The deadline for the submission of the 2018 LASWS data from Scotland’s 32 local authorities is 8th March 2019. 

During March, April and May 2019 the submitted data will undergo rigorous checking before being used in the 2018 Workforce Data Report (Official Statistics) and the 2018 MHO Report (National Statistics).

2) Data website upgrade plans – We are currently further developing our data website. We have reviewed the site in the light of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Open Data and integration. We plan to further enhance the “Explore the Data” section by extending the data available and improving how it can be shaped and presented. For example, we wish to provide separate data on Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) within the Day Care of Children sub-sector, provide percentages data in the ‘Compare data’.

3) The Adults' Services Workforce 2017 report and the Children's Services Workforce 2017 report - In January 2019 we intend to publish the above two reports. These reports go into more detail than the 2017 Workforce Data Report about the two services types. The data to be published will include information on:
• The Employer Types (Public, Private and Voluntary) and the percentage of each in the service type.
• The age and gender of workers in various roles within each service type.
• The percentage of staff by in each job function (Auxiliary, Care or Manager) in each service type.

 Forthcoming meeting dates:

 

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How this website can help you

24 Jan 2013

Scottish Social Services Workforce Data is a unique, free to use, online resource providing you with all the workforce data and reports that the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) publish on the social services sector in Scotland.

All our data publications in one place,,

You will find all our workforce information and intelligence publications as well as our workforce data releases on this website. These include:

The website holds data on the sector’s workforce from 2008 onwards.

Keeping you informed

 

Visit our news section for announcements about publication dates and updates about our work and the data revisions section to be aware of any revisions or corrections made to previously published data or reports.

Data by area

Download spreadsheets providing you with detailed information about the workforce. You will find more information here than is currently available in our workforce data reports.The spreadsheets allow you to interrogate the data further if you need to.

Interactive visualisations

Our interactive data visualisation tool allows you to create your own charts and tables using data we hold about those in paid employment in the sector. This is the same data used in the SSSC's annual reports on the social services workforce.

If you are involved in planning and delivering social services at a national or local level, then this flexible, easy-to-use tool can help you. You can identify gaps in supply, benchmark against other areas and improve your understanding and knowledge of your own and neighbouring areas.

Find out about our role and responsibilities

The SSSC has responsibilities as a producer of Official and National Statistics. You can read about our responsibilities under the Code of Practice for Statistics as well as information on how we are meeting these requirements. You can also find information about our regular meetings with stakeholders and minutes of those meetings here.

 

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