20 Years of The SSSC - Your SVQ Stories - Paul Kuc

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) launched a year of celebrations in October 2021 to celebrate its 20 year anniversary.

During this time more than 160,000 workers across the country have joined the SSSC register and given a commitment to work to the values and behaviours in the Codes of Practice.

We want to do our bit at Inspire to celebrate the SSSC's anniversary and so in the coming weeks we will be running a regular feature focussing on some of our staff who have recently completed their Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) - a requirement of registration with the SSSC.

Name: Paul Kuc

Role: Support Worker

Service: Ellon Respite

Completed SVQ in December 2021.

I was asked by my Manager at Ellon Respite, Mary Robertson, last April if I would like to start my SVQ. I’d been keen to start it for about a year, so I was delighted to get my opportunity. By the time all the admin had been completed it was May 2021 when I got started.

Having not studied in any form for about 35 years, I was quite daunted by the thought of becoming a “student” again and wondered if I would be able to achieve the required standards and if I would be able to apply myself and buckle down and get my qualification. Fortunately the support and guidance that I received from my SVQ assessor, Ann Foster, and my manager Mary made the whole process run smoothly and I was quite surprised by my own determination to study on my days off.

I would usually have a meeting with Ann every two to three weeks, sometimes by phone, but usually face to face on WhatsApp. We initially discussed what the SQV was all about and why I needed to do it, and Ann then went through the options that I could choose to do in addition to the core modules.

I also had a chat with Mary to get advice on what would be the options that would be most relevant to me working at Ellon Respite, but ultimately it was my SVQ.

During my meetings with Ann, we would discuss the relevant module and consider what I would need to write about to cover all the points in the syllabus. I would usually have to answer some set questions that allowed me to show my knowledge or write about my practical experiences that I had undertaken during my daily work at Ellon Respite. Other times I would have to write a reflective account to illustrate how I had dealt with a particular situation - that’s the great thing, it is your SQV, so you write a lot about your own experiences and how you handle situations.

On other occasions Ann would observe me at work, to see what I did and how I did it. It’s all done very low key, so I never felt under pressure. There is also the e-portfolio, which allows you to upload your completed work, where your assessor can review what you’ve done and allows you to see how you are progressing - all very straightforward to use.

But it’s not always easy, the legal aspects of health and safety and matters of procedure are quite complex, but Ann was always there on the other end of a phone if I needed to go over anything or I could ask Mary a question if I needed to check out anything. I never felt I was on my own and the support from everyone at Inspire was brilliant.

I soon started to enjoy my study days and found it interesting gaining knowledge and very rewarding writing about my own experiences at work. It made me realise just how much that I actually knew. I also started to understand things better from the Management Team's point of view and would try to put myself in the position of the People We Support and do what’s best for them. I definitely feel that I have learned so much about myself and my suitability to do the job since I began doing my SVQ. I lacked confidence, but now I know that I can do my job as a support worker better than I could have ever dreamed.

After just seven months I achieved my goal and completed my SVQ. It’s a great relief because it means I can stay doing the job that I love, and make a positive difference to the lives of the People We Support.

I never thought that this time last year that I could have achieved so much so quickly. For anyone about to do their own SVQ, I would just say make sure that you can allocate some study time each week and make sure you keep in touch with your SVQ assessor, they are very knowledgeable and are there to help you achieve your qualification.

Remember it’s your SVQ; enjoy learning all about yourself and Inspire. If you work hard the rewards are immense and you will be a better support worker after completing your SVQ than you were before you started.