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CPL 2025 Critical thinking, professional judgement and decision making
This badge is awarded to SSSC registered social workers who successfully record any learning activity relating to the critical thinking, professional judgement and decision making core learning element of their Continuous Professional Learning (CPL).
This Open Badge recognises Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) registered social workers, including Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs), who have demonstrated a commitment to developing their skills in the crucial area of critical thinking, professional judgement, and decision making. This badge focuses on one of the core learning elements of Continuous Professional Learning (CPL), which is fundamental to enhancing analytical skills, promoting sound professional judgement and ensuring effective decision-making in social work practice.
While this badge is not a mandatory part of your CPL requirements, it offers several benefits for those who choose to pursue it.
- Recognition of your extra effort: This badge acknowledges your dedication to going above and beyond in your professional development.
- Tangible proof of learning: It provides concrete evidence of your learning which you can showcase to employers, colleagues and others.
- Reflection and growth: The process of earning this badge encourages deeper reflection on your learning, helping you to better integrate new knowledge into your practice.
- Career development: Demonstrating your commitment to ongoing learning can support your career progression and professional goals.
- Improved services: By focusing on critical thinking, professional judgement, and decision making, you’re investing in skills that directly impact the quality of your practice.
By pursuing this badge, you’re not just fulfilling CPL requirements, but actively engaging in a programme of open recognition that values lifelong learning and continuous improvement in social work.
You can apply for this badge once per year. If you need to record further learning under the same core learning element within the same year, you can apply for a CPL+ badge.
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To achieve this badge you must:
- put your SSSC registration number, register part and name of your employer (if any) at the top of your evidence submission (Required)
- tell us about the topic and learning activity you have chosen (50 words minimum)
- explain why this learning activity is relevant to your development under the critical thinking, professional judgement and decision making core learning element of your CPL (25 words minimum)
- tell us about three things you learned and why each of these is important to (a) you as a social worker and (b) the individuals, families, or communities you work with (150 words minimum)
- explain how you will apply what you’ve learned to improve the quality of your social work practice and decision-making 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 be registered with the SSSC under the Social Worker part of the Register 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 (50 words minimum)
- Be specific about the critical thinking, professional judgement, or decision-making topic you focused on.
- Describe the format of your learning (eg workshop, journal article, online course, reflective practice session).
- Mention any resources or materials you used during this learning activity (eg decision-making models, critical reflection tools, professional judgement frameworks).
Relevance to CPL (25 words minimum)
- Connect the learning to your current social work role or future career aspirations.
- Consider how this learning addresses any gaps in your critical thinking or decision-making skills.
- Reflect on how this learning aligns with the complex decisions you face in your practice.
Three key learnings (150 words minimum)
- Be specific about each learning point, avoiding vague statements.
- For each point, explain its relevance to your professional social work practice.
- Describe how each learning point can directly benefit your ability to make sound decisions for individuals, families or communities.
- Consider both immediate and long-term impacts of applying this learning to your critical thinking and decision-making processes.
Applying learning to improve your practice (150 words minimum)
- Provide concrete examples of how you’ll implement your learning in your social work role.
- Describe any changes you plan to make in your approach to critical thinking, professional judgement, or decision-making processes.
- Explain how these changes will lead to better outcomes for the people you work with.
- 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 critical thinking, professional judgement and decision-making in your social work role.
- Explain how this new knowledge or skill makes you feel more prepared to handle complex situations and make difficult decisions.
- Reflect on any aspects of your work that you now feel more capable of approaching with critical thought and sound judgement.
- Consider how this increased confidence might positively impact your practice, interactions with service users, and collaborations with other professionals.
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
Critical thinking, professional judgement and decision making
CPL core learning element for Social workers (including NQSW) and Care Inspectorate authorised officersSubmit 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