Continuous professional learning
We are reviewing our post registration training and learning (PRTL) process.
We want to support individual registrants and their employers with their registration and PRTL requirements and the feedback on the current process and experience of registrants will help us design a new approach that meets the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce. It’s the first time we’ve reviewed it since our Register for social workers opened in 2003.
How we are carrying out the review?
We have set up a project group to develop a new continuous learning standard to provide clear expectations for continuous professional development for the social service workforce. This includes a new approach to recording, submitting and monitoring PRTL.
We are gathering views and ideas from across social services to inform the new PRTL process.
- In 2018/19 we worked with pilot test sites across private, voluntary and local authority services with different registrant groups. Together we tested a range of different approaches to continuous professional development. You can read a summary of the evaluation of this work.
- Over 1300 people gave their views on the proposed changes to PRTL in our survey in summer 2019.
The current PRTL system will remain in place during the review so all registrants need to keep on completing their PRTL.
What do we want it to achieve?
For the PRTL process to work effectively, it is important that there are benefits for employers, workers and us. We expect the new PRTL will be:
- simple, easy to update, fair and proportionate
- a useful tool for registrants and employers
- clearly linked to the SSSC registration process.
It will offer a range of ways to record information, recognising that registrants have different preferences for how they learn and record their learning. We want the social service sector to have confidence in our quality assurance role for continuous professional learning and to support the workforce to demonstrate their continuous learning in a positive meaningful way.
For details on the current PRTL process please go here.
How you can get involved
We will share regular updates from the PRTL review on SSSC News.
Reports from the 2018-19 PRTL Review
You can access the reports from the PRTL review we’ve carried out during 2018-19 below.
Summary report - Evaluation of post registration training and learning test sites
Survey report - Developing a new continuous learning requirement
Learning Zone
Find lots of free learning resources to support your learning and development on our Learning Zone.
Post registration training and learning (PRTL)
Post registration training and learning (PRTL) is about ongoing learning and development.
Everyone on our Register has to meet PRTL requirements as part of their registration.
Open Badges
Get recognition of your informal learning by claiming Open Badges. There are lots of topics to choose from to support your development.
