BSL:UPTAKE » Blog Archive » Scoping Study, Part 7: Role definition among professionals

Scoping Study, Part 7: Role definition among professionals

There are complications and lack of clarity around the specific functions of different categories of staff – for example Learning Support Assistants in secondary school settings and staff known as ‘Communication Support Workers’ ( CSWs), ‘Communicators’, or other equivalent title, across all sectors.

There can be tensions between the demand for one professional to flexibly provide a wide range of access and support tasks and the demand for high professional standards needed to fulfil the required tasks. It was reported that F& HE employers across Scotland demonstrate arbitrary differences in expectation of BSL qualifications required by staff known as ‘CSWs’, ‘Communicators’ and ‘Interpreters’. The proposed survey of staff roles and qualifications in F& HE will provide additional data in this area but, in the meanwhile, evidence from key informants suggested that it is common for standards to be compromised.

The notion of professional registration for professional notetakers, and for those providing BSL/English interpretation specifically within educational settings, may provide a way forward – particularly alongside: moves to establish Scottish ‘mix and match’ training pathways for linguistic access staff, within the Professional Development Award scheme; the impact of the recent Training of the Trainers (‘ToTs’) course, and proposals for degree-level BSL at Heriot Watt.