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SSSC CPL+ April 2025
This badge is awarded to people who successfully complete SSSC CPL+ activity in April 2025. Participants in the CPL+ programme demonstrate commitment to their Continuous Professional Learning (CPL).
This Open Badge recognises SSSC registrants, Personal Assistants (PA) and childminders registered with the Care Inspectorate who have demonstrated a commitment to self-directed learning and professional growth. The CPL+ badge series complements the core learning elements by allowing you to explore topics tailored to your specific role, interests, or developmental needs.
You can apply for a CPL+ badge once per month, allowing you to build a comprehensive learning portfolio throughout the year. By pursuing this badge, you’re not just fulfilling CPL requirements, but actively engaging in a programme of open recognition that values initiative, adaptability, and continuous improvement in the social services sector.
If you haven’t successfully achieved a CPL+ badge before, we recommend watching our introductory tutorial to familiarise yourself with the process and get the most out of recognition through these badges.
You can download a handout with the slides and notes from the presentation. There is also an audio described version of the video.
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To achieve this badge, you must:
- put your SSSC registration number at the top of your evidence submission, your Care Inspectorate service number if you are a childminder or state you are a Personal Assistant (PA) to prove your eligibility for this badge (Required)
- tell us about the topic and learning activity you have chosen (25 words minimum)
- explain why this learning activity is relevant to your professional development (50 words minimum)
- tell us about three things you learned and why each of these is important to (a) you and (b) people who use your service (150 words minimum)
- explain how you will apply what you’ve learned to improve the quality of care or support you provide in your day-to-day work (150 words minimum)
- reflect on how this learning experience has increased your confidence. (75 words minimum)
There is a maximum word count for this badge of 900 words.
To help write your submission, you can download a template with these questions in Open Document Format (ODT) and open it in a word processor like Microsoft Word, Open Office or Apple Pages.
Your application will be returned to you with a request for further evidence if it does not meet all the above criteria or is unclear which of these questions you are answering within your evidence.
You must successfully achieve the Writing evidence for Open Badges badge before applying for this one.
You must also be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council and in employment, be a Personal Assistant (PA) or be a childminder registered with the Care Inspectorate at the time of your application.
You will need to submit a written statement of at least 450 but no more than 900 words in response to the questions asked in the criteria. You can write your statement directly on the badge application form or paste a link to your own blog or portfolio.
When preparing your evidence, consider the following guidance for each question:
Topic and learning activity (25 words minimum)
- Be specific about the topic you focused on.
- Describe the format of your learning (eg workshop, online course, book, webinar etc).
- Mention any resources or materials you used during this learning activity.
Relevance to professional development (50 words minimum)
- Connect the learning to your current role or future career aspirations.
- Consider how this learning addresses any gaps in your knowledge or skills.
- Reflect on how this learning aligns with the needs of the individuals you support or your service area.
Three key learnings (150 words minimum)
- Be specific about each learning point, avoiding vague statements.
- For each point, explain its relevance to your professional practice.
- Describe how each learning point can directly benefit the individuals you support or improve your service delivery.
- Consider both immediate and long-term impacts of applying this learning.
Applying learning to improve care (150 words minimum)
- Provide concrete examples of how you’ll implement your learning in your role.
- Describe any changes you plan to make in your approaches or practices.
- Explain how these changes will lead to better outcomes for the people you support or improve your practice.
- Consider any potential challenges in applying your learning and how you’ll address them.
Reflection on increased confidence (75 words minimum)
- Describe how this learning has enhanced your understanding of the topic in relation to your role.
- Explain how this new knowledge or skill makes you feel more prepared for your responsibilities.
- Reflect on any aspects of your work that you now feel more capable of handling.
- Consider how this increased confidence might positively impact your interactions with colleagues and service users.
We will also accept an audio or video submission if you prefer.
The evidence you submit will be viewable by anyone who you show your badge to. Do not include confidential or private information within your submission.
Badge issuer
Scottish Social Services Council
Our work means the people of Scotland can count on social work, social care and children and young people services being provided by a trusted, skilled, confident and valued workforce.
Badge standards
Use of knowledge, research and evidence in practice
CPL core learning element for Social workers (including NQSW) and Care Inspectorate authorised officersKnowledge for your role
CPL core learning element for Social care and children and young people workforceSubmit your application
Terms and conditions
1. I have read, understood and completed all activities listed in the badge criteria. The evidence I have provided answers each question from the criteria.
2. I confirm that the evidence I have submitted is free from personally identifiable information of others. Nobody can be identified, directly or indirectly, from any examples I provide.
3. I wrote or recorded my evidence, and I have not copied it from anywhere else. The core content, ideas and examples are my own original work. I agree that I will only use AI tools under the rules outlined by the SSSC, and if I do so, I will explicitly declare this use in my submission and provide a valid link to the chat history for the assessor to review.
4. I give consent for the SSSC and the people I share this badge with to use plagiarism and AI detection tools to validate the authenticity of the evidence I have submitted.
5. I understand that it may take up to 28 days to assess my application and that feedback cannot always be provided if it is unsuccessful.
Your evidence, name, and email address will be sent to the organisation who issue this badge