Staff Training and Development Policy
Principles
Woodlands & Hill brow Ltd believes that its employees represent its greatest asset. By providing opportunities, facilities and financial support for training the company aims to ensure that all of its employees are in possession of the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to perform their jobs to the highest standard.
To this end, the company is committed to functioning as a learning organisation, providing all of its employees with the opportunity for training and re-training in accordance with their own needs and those of our residents.
The company achieves compliance with Outcome 14: Supporting Workers of the Care Quality Commission’s Guidance about Compliance: Essential Standards of Quality and Safety in respect of staff training and development. The guidance requires the service to make sure that our residents’ needs are met by having appropriately trained staff.
The company works to the following principles concerning staff training.
- Training can be defined as the process of developing staff to an agreed standard of competency so that they have the knowledge and skills to carry out their role and tasks.
- A planned programme for the training and development of staff is essential to ensure good practice and the provision of a quality service for residents.
- Without a skilled, committed and well-trained staff team the company cannot possibly succeed in its aim is to provide high-quality care.
- We believe our staff group is the most significant of our investments in achieving our purpose. Once we have recruited competent, experienced and qualified staff it is also essential to keep their skills up to date.
- Training should not only motivate staff, but also encourage their co-operation, imagination and personal development. Without being stimulated by new learning, staff can become bored, take shortcuts, lapse into bad habits or feel undervalued and under-used.
Policy Statement
The company’s staff development and training programme is aimed at ensuring compliance with the Essential Standards of Quality and Safety, which require staff working in any care service to be trained and competent to do their jobs. It is developed in line with health education England, Skills for Care and Skills for Health 2014.
The service’s induction training programme conforms to the 2014 Skills for Care Care Certificate which replaces the Common Induction Standards (CIS). All staff completes their induction training within 12 weeks of their starting work with the company.
All staff receive appropriate training to equip them to meet the assessed needs of the residents accommodated in this care service, as defined in their individual plan of care. All training is regularly updated and staff receive refresher training so that their working practices are kept up to date.
Staff are enabled to take part in all the training that is essential to perform their roles effectively and competently. This includes full-time, part-time and temporary staff and staff recruited from overseas. The training is delivered in different ways in line with individuals’ training assessments, which indicate their preferred and most effective ways of learning.
Training is provided to comply with statutory requirements in respect of:
- safe working practices to ensure that the health, safety and welfare of residents and staff are promoted and protected; this includes moving and handling, fire safety, first aid, food hygiene and infection control
- enabling staff to achieve relevant qualifications in health and social care
- all aspects of abuse and protection of vulnerable people
- risk assessments and management of risk.
In addition the company trains senior staff as in-house assessors ensuring any staff employed by the company are able to registered as a matter of course on a nationally accredited Diploma (formally NVQ) training programme and be fully supported with this.
Key Features
In this company the following applies.
- A training noticeboard is situated outside the manager’s office where all relevant training information, forthcoming courses and training opportunities are posted.
- All new members of staff receive induction training using the 2014 Skills for Care, Care Certificate (formally known as CIS) and other training to make sure they can carry out their jobs competently.
- All new staff can expect to undertake a learning styles questionnaire which will be used to plan training sessions and staff development plans.
- All care staff receive a minimum of 9 paid training sessions per year. These training sessions cover the mandatory training undertaken annually in the areas of:
- Health and Safety
- Safeguarding and MCA
- Dignity and Diversity
- Infection Control
- First Aid
- Dementia
- Food Hygiene
- Manual Handling
- Fire Training and Evacuation
- All staff are expected to evidence and achieve competencies relevant to their grade of staff, following the Induction period.
- Staff are expected to be as flexible as possible with training as this may also be provided outside of the normal working hours throughout the year.
- Staff wishing to attend external training sessions should discuss this with their Homes Manager and the company Training Manager.
- There is a programme of in-house training over and above mandatory training. Homes managers will manage a training matrix and book staff onto appropriate training ensuring a breadth and depth of training is available for all levels of staff. Details of dates and topics are posted on the training noticeboard. It is the responsibility of staff to ensure they check the notice board and attend the appropriate training.
- All staff are provided with a supervisor to help them progress and develop within the homes environment.
- All staff have an annual appraisal in which the outcomes from any training the staff member has had and their future needs are discussed and evaluated.
- All staff have a personal training file which acts as a record of the training they undertake. They should record details of all training sessions that they attend and have these signed off by a responsible person. The file also contains a personal development plan in the form of SMART objectives, which is developed from the person’s supervision sessions and annual appraisal. The personal development plan contains information about any training opportunities that the member of staff seeks to pursue during the next year.
- All staff are encouraged to apply to undertake a recognized qualification in health and social care that is relevant to their work and at the appropriate level. Diploma training will be payable by the employee by way of a set amount that will be agreed and deducted each month with the amount shown. Six months after completing the course, half the cost of the diploma will be repaid to the employee. Eighteen months after completion the second half will be repaid in full to the employee.
- Employees that leave within two years of completing the Diploma should be aware that the second half will be repaid in full on termination of their Contract of Employment.
- Senior staffs receive training to keep them up to date with changes in the care industry set by the Care Act 2014 and to share this knowledge.
- Managers and Deputy Managers receive monthly supervisions with the General manager and bi-monthly with the owner to discuss issues within the homes and look at new areas for improvement.
Training Personnel
The Training Manager Teresa Field is responsible for the organisation of induction programmes for new staff,
for the planning and organisation of in-house training.
The Homes Manager in collaboration with the Training Manager is responsible for assessing workplace competencies and training linked to qualifications in health and social care.
Training Needs Assessments
Staff can expect their individual training needs to be discussed in their supervision sessions and annual appraisal.
The service also carries out training reviews, which is made the responsibility of the training manager. This takes the form of post training evaluation which every member of staff is requested to complete on the training they have received and their recommendations for future training.
These evaluations form part of the company’s quality assurance strategy. The results are combined with the company’s business plan, with individual staff personal development plans and make a major contribution to the planning of the next annual training programme.
| Signed: | ________________________________ |
| Date: | ________________________________ |
| Policy review date: | ________________________________ |