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Social care and health training success stories

Adult social care worker and man laughing

Training and skills development not only helps staff update their care giving skills but contributes to a safe, high-quality and person-centred care.  

For workforce members, training is an invaluable experience which increases their knowledge and gives them opportunity to develop their skills. Our evaluation partner Healthwatch Suffolk found that training increased participants' confidence and improved the quality of care provided. 

For employers, training is important:

  • To ensure a workforce with the right skills and knowledge
  • To support colleagues in their development
  • To make colleagues feel valued
  • To boost morale and job satisfaction

Training also leads employees to feel able to take on more responsibility.

The Skills for Care report 'State of the adult social care sector and workforce', highlights that staff turnover rates are nearly 10% lower for staff who receive training. 

 

Training success stories

Christies Care develop their staff and reap rewards

Christies Care is a family run business, based in Suffolk with its head office in Saxmundham. The company has many clients and over 600 carers on its books offering a mixture of live in and pop-in domiciliary care service to clients with a wide range of needs, from mobility issues to those living with dementia.

"I first started working for Christies in a Care Co-ordinator role, arranging bookings and working with clients and their families as well as dealing with any issues that might arise. I was in that role for two and a half years, working with both carers and clients. However recently, I started a new role as Community Engagement Officer which I love as it means I am getting out and about meeting people in the community and making connections. It's very important to the company that we are seen as part of the local community and we're always looking for ways to do that" says Matt.

"As a local Suffolk employer, we are offering a service to a largely rural community. This can present some recruiting issues for us. It does mean our employees are a diverse group of carers, coming from a range of backgrounds. They can also change on a regular basis or be new to role so might not have had the opportunity yet to complete a Behaviours that Challenge course themselves, so with myself and the team personally signing up, we can be on hand to support them with any challenging behaviour they might experience. We are one phone call away, offering professional support and advice."

Matt continues,
"The course was a one-day workshop, with follow-up work on a second day. It was relevant to the sector, as challenging behaviour is a big part of the role. One day you might be dealing with a client who has learning difficulties, the next a client with dementia or a Urinary Tract Infection, which can cause some aggression.

"The training has helped me perform my role better. When you are in a role every day, you don't really stop and question yourself and how you do things. When you do something like a course it allows you to stop and think about how to react and what to do. It allows you the opportunity to reflect and consider why you do certain things and put new knowledge into practice.

"I've been inspired to do more training. I think the autism training you offer sounds particularly interesting. Christies is very supportive of its staff taking up continual personal development. The courses are a great for care providers. The only cost to the business is time. There are no fees to pay which is brilliant and Christies have benefited from the project multiple times."

"Lynn Thorrington, the project's Employer Engagement Officer is well known at Christies. She told us about the Behaviours that Challenge course which sounded really interesting. She's great because she helps co-ordinate everything for us, including signposting to further opportunities. I know a group of colleagues who recently attended the Level 2 Parkinson's Disease course as a result of Lynn's support, so it really is helping our business grow."

 

Norfolk County Council employee benefits from fully-funded management training programme

Josh Townsend is a Quality Monitoring Officer, supporting and auditing care homes on behalf of Norfolk County Council. He recently completed a Level 4 Empowering Aspiring Future Managers in Adult Care course via City College Norwich. Josh told us how he benefited from accessing this free training and how it has positively impacted his career as a result.

In my role as Quality Monitoring Officer, I was already aware of the Developing Skills project, promoting it to care homes in Norfolk. But it wasn't until my Line Manager suggested that I sign up for the course, as part of my personal development plan that I considered it as an option for me. 2020 had been a difficult year personally, with regards to my confidence and mental health, so I thought 'why not give it a go?'. This was something that I could do for myself. For me, the Level 4 Empowering Aspiring Future Managers course, felt like the closest fit to where I wanted to progress in my career.

The course has been really useful, my understanding and development has grown. To understand the management theories better has felt quite empowering. It has helped me develop a deeper understanding of care home management. As I spend my days speaking to management and those with management responsibility, it was certainly worthwhile doing. It has boosted my confidence and provided me with the tools to engage with care home management in a more effective way.

I received mentoring support as part of the programme, and it was fantastic. My mentor Ceri was really helpful, particularly considering the place I was coming from. In the beginning, I had quite a few wobbles, and asked myself 'can I do this?'. Midway through the course I came down with COVID and took three weeks off. The support that Ceri provided got me back on track, which was hugely beneficial. Those moments when you think I don't know if I can do this, let alone complete a course, that engagement, that half an hour to talk things through and get you back on track was what I needed.

For me, the key outcomes have been my level of understanding of management theories, and how to engage with individuals across the sector. I think as well, for me, it's been worth doing because I was promoting the training opportunities to the sector. Now I've done it, I can say to care providers, I've done it, I know it helps. Originally, I thought the training was only for people who worked in care homes, but that's not the case. It's also for people like me who support the sector in some way.

Since the course, my mentor Ceri has sent loads of info on additional things I could do. For example, she has helped me identify opportunities for further development in 2023. I want to complete a British Sign Language (BSL) course. I was in a care home the other week, and the chap was signing. In that moment, I could see how completing a BSL course would be empowering for me, something I could use in the future.

To be honest, I didn't know what to expect. I hadn't done any learning, since I went to university so for me it was strange stepping back into the classroom. But it helped me re-engage with that element of my learning - and the fact that it was free, at the end of the day it is a factor. To access something that was free and meaningful was great.

I would recommend this course to others. It is free and accessible, and you get supported via the mentoring scheme. If you find yourself in a situation where you want to try something new, there's that support to get you through. To anyone thinking of doing the training, do it. It's a worthwhile experience.

I would totally recommend the mentoring support to others. We're all so busy, those of us who work in adult social care. The mentoring really helps with planning and time management, figuring out when to fit your learning into your working week. Simply having the voice of someone saying 'you're busy and it's OK - we get it' is invaluable. I put pressure on myself, so having someone breaking it down for me, who was in my corner was brilliant.

 

Support Worker looks to the future after successfully completing management training

Jade has worked as a Support Worker in Norfolk for over 10 years, providing respite day care to older people living with dementia and mental health issues. She recently completed the Level 4 Empowering Aspiring Future Managers in Adult Care course online via Norwich City College. She shares her experiences of completing the course.

I found out about the course from an email at work. I had previously completed a Level 3 Health and Social Care course about three or four years ago, which I really enjoyed. I wanted to continue studying, but life got in the way and there weren't any further free courses available at the time. Timing is so important. When this fully funded opportunity came through, I decided to sign up.

The course wasn't at all what I expected. I was expecting the course content to be more about business and management processes, data input, budgeting etc. But there was a real emphasis on the psychology of teams - how to build and motivate them, what methods to implement to increase productivity. This was so interesting to me and I was really happy to be learning about this aspect of management practice.

I found the mentoring support to be really good, really helpful. After an initial group meeting I was given the option to tap into the mentoring support which I did as I hadn't done any training for a number of years. It's a real benefit of distance learning, having someone to guide you and keep you on track.

I was apprehensive about the IT side of things at the beginning. I struggled a little bit with the onboarding experience, but with support from my Mentor I was able to get the hang of things pretty quickly. My Mentor discussed options with me and even provided some technical advice and support. Once I got over those initials worries and IT hurdles, I then had regular fortnightly one-to-ones with Gary, my mentor. The focus of our meetings changed. We focused on the future and what I wanted to achieve after the course ended.

It was great to have the opportunity to think about what direction I'd like to take my career. I live with a condition called fibromyalgia which can affect my capacity to carry out physical tasks. I need to take this into consideration when making choices about what Level 5 course to study, whether to continue down the management path within adult care or consider a change of career and study to become a Social Worker. Mentoring has given me the confidence to consider my options.

The training has helped me to think outside the box, to take a step back. We're a small team of nine. You think of yourself or of a few of the team with the service users as the priority, but it helped to think of the team as a whole and how to maintain or promote a positive work culture going forward - to give the best possible service. The course was really good and I have already suggested to my colleagues that they should sign up for the next cohort.

 

Leadership and Management training helps Pharmacy Technician gain essential Adult Care knowledge

Lindsay Wortley is a Medicine Optimisation Pharmacy Technician, working within Norfolk and Waveney's Integrated Care Board (ICB). She recently completed a Level 4 certificate in Principles of Leadership and Management for Adult Care (RQF) via West Suffolk College. Lindsay told us how she benefited from accessing this free online training and how it has positively impacted her career to date.

My key outcome has been learning more about Leadership and Management. The course was aimed at adult care, but in my varied role as a Pharmacy Technician with the Norfolk and Waveney ICB (CCG) this has been of paramount importance. This course has covered the essential knowledge I need to help me in the future.

I have a greater understanding and feel more confident in how I approach all aspects of my role. From care homes, to service users such as GP Surgeries, care home residents to also dealing with CQC, which I have been doing more recently as I am often supporting failing care homes and surgeries.

I have a greater understanding and have implemented my knowledge around supporting surgeries with their policies and procedures following on from recent CQC inspections. I have attended more commissioning meetings recently - where we discuss surgeries that have had recent CQC inspections - and this is where my leadership skills have come into effect, as I have been leading on one of our failing surgeries and have been managing a piece of work related to this. I have to give regular feedback on how they are doing and if they have actioned the piece of work expected by CQC to complete listed in their report.

Within my care home work, I am now confident as I understand the systems and requirements for the regulation of adult services. Again with my role, I have supported care homes with their medicine management but now I am moving into more of the inspection side so having knowledge and skills around legislations etc really is key. Plus, knowing the inspection process helps so I can inform and educate both care homes and surgeries before an impending inspection.

Information governance has always been a minefield for me but now I am more confident within this section and feel I have more knowledge on how to keep information safe and secure.

At present I am a Band 5, but if I get the chance to move to a Band 6 I feel this is where my management skills would come in as I would then become a team leader. I now have this course and the skills to undertake the role. In particular I have more skills in dealing with difficult situations and the potential to de-escalate problems, and as a Line Manager supporting others within their roles. I now have the skills to undertake 1-1s, appraisals and training with the help of the management tools I have learnt.

I feel more confident in my role and now have a better understanding of other roles within adult care, as well as the systems and requirements for the regulations of adult care services. I also have a better understanding of the inspection process and feel this is a great skill to have with my current role. I work with other agencies on a daily basis and I now feel I can work even more effectively and positively with these agencies as a result of this training.

 

Suffolk Care Assistant gets confidence boost thanks to fully funded training programme

Hellen is a Care Assistant for a care home in Ipswich. She recently completed a Level 4 Empowering Aspiring Future Managers in Adult Care (Level 4) course via West Suffolk College. Hellen has been working in social care for almost two years, having previously completed a Masters in Tourism and Hospitality. She discusses how accessing the Developing Skills training has empowered her to think about her future career in adult care.

My line manager suggested the Level 4 course to me. Having recently completed a number of courses including the care certificate, I decided to attend an open workshop which Christian Seymour - Programme Tutor at West Suffolk College - was running. It was after attending that workshop that I decided, 'I can actually do this' and signed up on the spot.

Mentoring support was always available. My mentor worked around my availability. I found Ceri, my mentor to be on hand whenever I needed her. She was very helpful and provided lots of links to information. I only had one session, a catch-up to see how I was getting on, but I knew if I needed more I could go to her.

I have expanded my knowledge and learned about the real value of working as part of a team. The course has helped fill in the gaps in relation to the value of team work. For instance, the 'team' goes beyond working with staff. The team also includes other staff and external providers, such as chiropodists, doctors and nurses, but also relatives and the residents themselves. Our residents are members of the team. You cannot give them high quality care unless you all share the same values and objectives. You work together hand in hand.

I found all the units to be relevant. It provides the resources you need as a manager. I hope to progress into a leadership role in the future and am working towards becoming an assistant manager. The course has helped me on that journey. It's not about today, but tomorrow. I am investing my time at the moment for the future. I feel confident because I have been given industry relevant tools to help me progress. I'm so glad I did it. You need commitment and dedication. Not everyone can do it unless you have confidence in yourself. I am confident now. I know what to do now and how to do it.

 

Functional Skills training helps Primary Care staff develop their careers

Rhiannon Edwards and Charlotte Mercer-Hughes are Workforce Transformation Project Officers within Primary Care for the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board. Rhiannon leads on apprenticeships, supporting those already employed within Primary Care or looking to start, whilst Charlotte leads on upskilling current Primary Care staff members through a number of training opportunities.

When Rhiannon and Charlotte heard that the Developing Skills project had opened up its offering to support those working in Primary Care, they could see the potential straight away.

"One of the challenges of working in an organisation with such a diverse workforce is that the training needs can be quite complex. We have members of staff who are interested in developing themselves, are already employed with us, but in order to complete a particular Level 4, 5 or 6 course, a degree apprenticeship in nursing for example, they have to provide evidence of completing functional skills training in either Maths or English." says Rhiannon.

"This can be a real barrier as people don't realise that this is a requirement of enrolment." adds Charlotte.

Since April 2022, Developing Skills has been able to support 22 clinical staff members in Primary Care access non-clinical training, particularly the Functional Skills qualification.

"Sometimes we have employees who studied abroad who need to retrain in the UK. They might be staff who didn't achieve a grade C or above first time round, or they have simply misplaced their GCSE certificate. That's where the Developing Skills project has been so beneficial. We are able to send our members of staff on the fully funded Functional Skills training and give them the opportunity to build on their existing knowledge and progress their careers." Charlotte continues.

"Another great benefit of this project has been the funded aspect. In our role we have access to plenty of fully funded clinical training options, but not as many non-clinical training options. Health Education England do not fund Level 4 leadership training courses. So to be able to access fully funded training opportunities like the Aspiring Managers Level 4 programme and the Functional Skills courses we've managed to support staff, like Healthcare Assistants, Phlebotomists and those in General Practice to develop and progress their careers, commencing on higher levels of training such as degrees and degree apprenticeships.

Another key feature of the project is access to a dedicated Employer Engagement Officer.

"The support we have received from our Employer Engagement Officer Carley has also been a real benefit to us too. We identify members of staff and refer them on to her. She then manages the entire referral and enrolment process. She's been helpful and responsive. If we have an issue, we know we can go to Carley." says Rhiannon.

"We have many new roles such as Social Prescribers and Care Co-Ordinators which require both clinical and non-clinical training, so to know we can come to Developing Skills to access this non-clinical training in the future is good news for us and for the sector.

 

Autism is no barrier to professional development

Celia has been working within care for over 18 years and currently works as a helpline operator supporting those living with dementia.  When given the opportunity to take on further learning, she took the chance to be enrolled onto our Level 2 unit in Dementia with West Suffolk College.  

"As I was already experienced within my role regarding dementia support, my main aim was to have a qualification within this area."  But Celia didn't just walk away from the course with a qualification she also gained confidence thanks to our mentoring service.  

"Joining the project has benefited me enormously.  It has given me self-confidence and self-belief that I can do this course with the mentoring support."  

During her first mentor session Celia was open regarding her diagnosis of autism being a barrier to her learning.  She shared with her mentor Carol that she has no issues with her educational attainment.  However, she can easily feel an 'overload' in unfamiliar situations and when feeling outside her 'comfort zone'. 

Through discussions with her mentor, Celia postponed the start date for her course whilst they worked on building her confidence.  Focusing on developing her IT skills in Team/Zoom calls, Word and using emails to make sure she felt comfortable joining online sessions and accessing course work.  

Within their mentoring sessions Celia and Carol used reflective practice to explore how she reacted when speaking to unfamiliar people and in unfamiliar situations, particularly when she feels under pressure.  Celia was able to identify her own requirements when managing new situations and together with Carol they explored strategies and methods of support to resolve these.  

Celia attended her course sessions in full and felt confident enough to contributed within the discussions.  Coming away from these sessions feeling happy she had been able to share her own work experiences in relation to her new learning.   

Within her last mentoring session Celia rated her confidence, on a scale of 1 - 10 with one being the lowest, and ten being the highest.  When she first started on the project Celia rated her confidence a zero but upon leaving, she rated her confidence 9/10.  

Since leaving the project Celia has continued using the skills, she learnt within her mentor meetings.  "I now have all the 'add-ons; from the mentoring support, like my 'Tool Box', which I now use on a day to day basis within all areas of my life as well as supporting me with my work." 

As well as her newfound confidence and skills Celia has used this opportunity to think about the next steps in her career.  "I now recognise that my forte is within the mental health and learning disability practice area, because of the mentoring reminding me of my previous skills and experience in this area of care.  I am now open minded exploring various options which may include a professional qualification in the future." 

Celia's is a very determined person and wants to make sure that others with her diagnosis have educational rights and life chances.