Summary
Knowledge Assistants contribute to building a culture where organisational knowledge, research evidence, external good practice, know-how of staff and patient experience of health and/or social care can be used daily to inform and improve strategic and operational decisions, policy and practice.
A Knowledge Assistant uses processes and systems to encourage the capture, sharing and re-use of knowledge. They help to develop a safe environment where knowledge exchange and learning can take place to discover tacit knowledge – knowledge that is not written down and is held by individual members of staff or patients.
Behavioural Skills
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Analytical Thinking | Acquiring a proper understanding of a problem or situation by breaking it down systematically into its component parts and identifying the relationships between these parts. Selecting the appropriate method/tool to resolve the problem and reflecting critically on the result, so that what is learnt is identified and assimilated. |
| Attention to Detail | Applying specific quality standards to all tasks undertaken to ensure that deliverables are accurate and complete. |
| Creativity | Taking innovative approaches to problem solving and/or devising inventive and creative solutions. |
| Critical Thinking | The ability to think clearly and rationally; review and evaluation of processes and outputs; the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking; reasoned thinking involving critique. |
| Cross-Functional and Inter-Disciplinary Awareness | Understanding the needs, objectives and constraints of those in other disciplines and functions. |
| Customer Focus | Understanding the needs of the internal or external customer and keeping these in mind when taking actions or making decisions. |
| Flexibility | Taking account of new information or changed circumstances and/or business requirements and modifying response to a problem or situation accordingly. |
| Goal Orientation | Maintaining focus on agreed objectives and deliverables. |
| Holistic Thinking | The ability to place problems in the context of the wider business landscape or area of interest. Understanding how different business functions work together to achieve shared goals. |
| Influence, Persuasion and Personal Impact | Conveying a level of confidence and professionalism when engaging with stakeholders, influencing positively and persuading others to take a specific course of action when not in a position of authority. |
| Information Acquisition | Identifying gaps in the available information required to understand a problem or situation and devising a means of resolving them. |
| Initiative | Being proactive, anticipating opportunities for systems, service or product improvement or development and taking appropriate action(s). |
| Interacting with People | Establishing relationships, contributing to an open culture and maintaining contacts with people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Effective, approachable and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures. Ability to adapt style and approach to meet the needs of different audiences. |
| Organisational Awareness | Understanding the hierarchy and culture of own, customer, supplier and partner organisations and being able to identify the decision makers and influencers. |
| Persistence | Meeting targets, acting and/or fulfilling agreements even when adverse circumstances prevail. |
| Planning and Organisation | Determining a course of action by breaking it down into smaller steps and by planning and resourcing each of these, making allowance for potential problems and escalating if necessary. |
| Resilience | Demonstrates resilience when working under pressure, displaying a calm and rational approach to the task at hand. |
| Stakeholder Focus | Understanding the needs of internal or external stakeholders and keeping these in mind when taking actions or making decisions. |
| Teamwork | Working collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal. |
| Verbal Expression | Communicating effectively using the spoken word. |
| Written Expression | Communicating effectively in writing, such as reports and via emails. |
Professional Development Activity (PDA)
| Title | Details | PDA Group |
|---|---|---|
| Community of Practice | Contributing to and leading communities of practice to enable the exchange of knowledge for healthcare knowledge and library staff with an interest in specific topics. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Ethics and Values | Underpinning healthcare ethics and values by providing the best available evidence at the right time, in the right place, to inform decision-making and enable better outcomes for patients and populations. | Developing Professional Skills |
| Evidence Based Practitioner | Keeping up to date with good practice, innovation and appropriate evidence. Ensuring changes to everyday knowledge and library practice are informed by appropriate evidence and professional knowledge. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Facilitation skills | Methods and techniques for managing (or facilitating) a meeting or group session (both face-to-face and online) and then through a series of planned activities. | Developing Professional Skills |
| Gaining Knowledge of Employing Organisation | Gaining basic knowledge of the employing organisation, its business, structure, culture, policies, products/services, operations and terminology. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Gaining Knowledge of the Technical Environment | Gaining knowledge of IT activities in the employing organisation. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Involvement in Professional Body Activities | Attending meetings, seminars and workshops organised by professional body and reading published material, such as journals and web content. | Participation in Professional Activities |
| Job Shadowing and Special Assignments | Undertaking temporary periods or secondments in other roles, particularly those that offer a new perspective on own function or exposure to other environments and cultures. | Broadening Activities |
| Organisational and environmental context | Understanding organisational priorities and challenges identified by the executive team. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Professional development and reflective practice | Reflecting on practice and being self-aware about performance. | Developing Professional Skills |
| Research Assignments | Exploring a topic which is not part of own normal responsibilities and presenting findings to colleagues and/or management | Increasing Knowledge |
| Team Working | Undertaking learning and practice in the techniques of team and collaborative working. Gaining an understanding of the underlying concepts. | Developing Professional Skills |
| Wider library, data, information and knowledge sector context | Networking across the healthcare economy, both information providers, data analysts and health informaticists, to support shared learning and joint working. | Participation in Professional Activities |
Qualification Components
| Title | Awarding Bodies |
|---|---|
| Apprenticeship Library, information and archive services assistant (Level 3 ST0664) | Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education |
| CILIP Certified (ACLIP) Member | CILIP |
| FEDIP Practitioner | The Federation for Informatics Professionals |
GKIM Skills Framework Skills
| Skill | Level |
|---|---|
|
OR10 | Risk management Understanding and mitigating risk (for example, as part of a project led by your team). |
OR10 | Awareness OR10 | Risk management 1.Understand departmental risk management processes and their relationship to GKIM. |
|
IT05 | Information security Developing a good understanding of information security principles. |
IT05 | Awareness IT05 | Information security 1.Develop a basic understanding of information security, including security classifications and sharing information with the right people. |
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework Skills
| Skill | Level |
|---|---|
|
Applying user-centred insights |
Awareness Applying user-centred insights You can:
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Knowledge, Library and Information Management Framework
| Skill | Level |
|---|---|
|
2.1 Data management |
2.1 Data management | Level 2 - Assist I can accurately enter and store data in digital systems. I can identify and retrieve data to answer enquiries. I can assist others to manage their research data. |
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2.9 AI and algorithmic literacy |
2.9 AI and algorithmic literacy | Level 2 - Assist I can use effective prompts to retrieve information using AI and critically evaluate the results to inform my own work. I can assist healthcare staff and learners on how to use AI effectively and highlight latest developments and potential risks from AI to the organisation. I can curate organisational information, knowledge assets and data sets for effective use by AI systems. |
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2.10 Data stewardship |
2.10 Data stewardship | Level 2 - Assist I can follow procedures to ensure the interoperability of data sets. I can assist healthcare staff and learners to understand and protect their data privacy. |
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3.3 Information retrieval |
3.3 Information retrieval | Level 2 - Assist I have an awareness of diverse purposes for which information is sought. I can develop a basic search strategy. I can apply skills to carry out basic searches using databases, library management systems, discovery tools and the intranet/internet. I can assist with the production of horizon scans, personalised alerts and current awareness bulletins to highlight the latest research and knowledge to healthcare and public health staff. |
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4.1 Information governance |
4.1 Information governance | Level 2 - Assist I can follow information governance processes to ensure compliance with organisational policies and legal requirements for the handling of data and information within the knowledge and library service. I can ensure knowledge and library systems are fully compliant with information governance requirements. This might include contributing to Data Protection Impact Assessments or having responsibiliteis as an Information Asset Administrator for the knwoledge and library service. |
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4.3 Copyright, intellectual property and licensing |
4.3 Copyright, intellectual property and licensing | Level 2 - Assist I can share information within and beyond organisational boundaries within the limits of licensing, regulation and guidance. |
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5.1 Information management |
5.1 Information management | Level 2 - Assist I can develop and apply processes to collect and store organisational information, knowledge assets, digital and print resources. I can use various systems to ensure information assets can be easily found and used in practice. |
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5.3 Information architecture |
5.3 Information architecture | Level 2 - Assist I can assist with maintaining structures and hierarchies to organise information and organisational knowledge assets. |
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5.4 Metadata |
5.4 Metadata | Level 2 - Assist I can help apply agreed metadata terms to organisational information and digital knowledge resources to make them easier for healthcare and public health staff and learners to find and use. |
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5.5 Classification schemes and taxonomies |
5.5 Classification schemes and taxonomies | Level 2 - Assist I can help classify digital and print resources and organisational knowledge using agreed schemes and terms, bringing related subjects together so that information is easier to find and use. |
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5.8 Subject indexing |
5.8 Subject indexing | Level 2 - Assist I can select and use pre-defined subject headings such as Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) to organise information, knowledge and resources to make them easier for people to locate. I can make suggestions, based on my interactions with healthcare and public health staff and learners, on how to improve pre-defined schemes such as Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) to ensure they remain relevant for use with local collections and reflect evolving language, culture, terminology and remain suited to local needs. |
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5.10 Cataloguing and resource description |
5.10 Cataloguing and resource description | Level 3 - Apply I can assist with cataloguing knowledge resources by applying rules and formats and resource description standards to add and amend basic records to maintain and improve the organisation and retrieval of knowledge resources. I can use advanced features within catalogues to effectively locate knowledge resources held in knowledge and library collections. I can demonstrate to a library user how to use advanced functions on catalogues to locate knowledge resources. |
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6.1 Knowledge management |
6.1 Knowledge management | Level 2 - Assist I can provide administrative support to establish and maintain activities to capture and share knowledge and know-how I can assist with the organisation of activities, such as Knowledge Cafes and Communities of Practice, for healthcare and public health staff, learners and the public to connect, collaborate and share their learning, explicit and tacit knowledge. I can organise knowledge captured from knowledge sharing events so that insights and learning can be easily accessed, shared and applied in policy and practice. |
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6.4 Knowledge transfer and organisational learning |
6.4 Knowledge transfer and organisational learning | Level 2 - Assist I can promote tools and techniques for teams to use to learn before, during and after all that they do so others in the organisation or healthcare system can apply that learning to inform and improve their own work. I can assist with facilitating knowledge mobilisation activities to capture lessons learned, maintain directories of expertise or assist with capturing and sharing knowledge before people move on to different roles, avoiding knowledge loss |
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6.5 Knowledge sharing and collaboration |
6.5 Knowledge sharing and collaboration | Level 2 - Assist I can assist with opportunities to encourage people to collaborate and share knowledge. I can follow guidance to set-up and assist with maintaining active Communities of Practice. I can provide administrative assistance to deliver knowledge sharing activities such as Knowledge Cafes and Randomised Coffee Trials I can respond to enquiries about knowledge sharing, highlighting collaboration tools and techniques, and referring enquiries about these to my team. |
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6.6 Organisational knowledge assets |
6.6 Organisational knowledge assets | Level 2 - Assist I can assist with processes to conduct knowledge audits, identify organisational knowledge assets and raise awareness of the value of knowledge. |
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7.1 Information literacy |
7.1 Information literacy | Level 2 - Assist I can assess the quality and validate information sources in my area of work. I can appraise and evaluate information when answering enquiries. I can provide basic assistance to healthcare and public health staff and learners on how to evaluate information and misinformation. |
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7.4 Health literacy |
7.4 Health literacy | Level 2 - Assist I can support delivery and promotion of health literacy awareness across the organisation. I can assist when working in partnership to raise health literacy awareness to patients and the public in my local community. |
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9.1 Research process |
9.1 Research process | Level 2 - Assist I can contribute to research by providing administrative support which might include contacting research subjects, distributing surveys, arranging focus groups and managing research responses. I can provide basic help to healthcare staff and learners to find literature and data to underpin their research. |
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9.7 Communication of research findings |
9.7 Communication of research findings | Level 2 - Assist I can assist with the production of engaging research outputs such as infographics and presentations. I can promote the research repository to help disseminate locally produced research findings. |
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9.9 Research support |
9.1 Research process | Level 2 - Assist I can contribute to research by providing administrative support which might include contacting research subjects, distributing surveys, arranging focus groups and managing research responses. I can provide basic help to healthcare staff and learners to find literature and data to underpin their research. |
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10.1 Customer service skills |
10.1 Customer service skills | Level 3 - Apply I can apply customer service skills in answering complex enquiries I can resolve conflicts and difficult situations whilst being mindful to retain a positive customer experience. I can apply my knowledge of customer service needs to deliver improvements to enquiry services and inform customer service standards. |
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10.8 Marketing |
10.8 Marketing | Level 2 - Assist I can be responsible for taking forward actions in the marketing plan to promote the knowledge service offer taking account of the user experience and needs. I can create targeted and themed marketing and promotion materia.l I an apply an understanding of a range of marketing techniques to identify user needs. |
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12.1 Strategic planning |
12.1 Strategic planning | Level 2 - Assist I can recognise how my role contributes to the organisational aims and priorities of my knowledge and library service, and organisational priorities. I can explain how performing my role contributes to the implementation of the knowledge and library service strategic plan. |
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12.2 Business planning |
12.2 Business planning | Level 2 - Assist I can assist my team by establishing processes to collect data about services, resources and space to inform strategic business planning. |
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12.3 Operational planning |
12.3 Operational planning | Level 2 - Assist I can implement local and national guidance to ensure the effective delivery of services. I can escalate and in some cases resolve issues with resources or facilities so they can be resolved quickly. I can manage risks and maintain continuity of service. |
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12.8 Financial management |
12.8 Financial management | Level 3 - Apply I can understand and apply knowledge and skills to perform a range of finance management techniques, budget planning, financial forecasting and business case development. I can oversee funding for delivery of knowledge and library services within my remit. I can understand and apply organisational financial operating procedures. |
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12.12 Change management |
12.12 Change Management | Level 2 - Assist
I can understand the reasons for change and can adapt to change. I can assist with the provision of evidence and knowledge to inform organisational transformation activities. |
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13.2 Exploiting technology |
13.2 Exploiting technology | Level 3 - Apply I can use existing digital technologies effectively to deliver knowledge and library services, find and distribute information and collaborate with colleagues. I can engage with emerging technologies and apply these to improve and streamline the delivery of knowledge and lirbary services. I can establish processes to use the most appropriate technological systems for the exploitation and use of organisational knowledge. This might include maintaining content management systems, knowledge repositories and use of digital resources and services. I can deliver basic training in digital skills an digital literacy in response to enquiries from healthcare and public health staff and learners. |
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13.3 Library, information and knowledge technologies |
13.3 Library, information and knowledge technologies | Level 2 - Assist I can use advanced features within a range of knowledge, information and library technologies to answer enquiries and deliver the knowledge and library service. I can select and recommend to healthcare and public health staff and learners the best knowledge, information and library technology to use for a particular task - e.g. a Discovery system to find published journal articles and books and a SharePoint site to locate organisational knowledge assets. I can follow system-standards to contribute data to a variety of knowledge, information and library systems. I can run reports and interrogate knowledge, information and library systems to locate data to drive service improvement. |
The Professional Body Responsible for this job family is CILIP. This job role profile was created in collaboration with BCS, using Role Model Plus.