We are committed to providing excellence in care, and recognise the fundamental role our staff play. For this reason we have implemented best-practice training and staff development strategies created by The Residential Forum.
The Residential Forum was founded in 1994 on the initiative of Dame Gillian Wagner and with the support of the National Institute for Social Work. Its purpose is to promote the achievement of high standards of care, residential homes and schools, and to contribute to improving the quality of service to the public. As members of the Forum we join people of standing and experience drawn from the public, private and voluntary sectors, as well as some who can speak for service users and carers.
Through our Training Time (TT) Policy we are dedicated to:
- Improving data collection for workforce analysis and planning;
- Identifying and meeting the training needs of residential staff, senior staff in homes, external managers. inspection and registration teams, committee members and volunteers;
- Promoting systematic approaches to staff development, supervision, appraisal and career planning;
- Involving service users and family carers in training and management development;
- Strengthening the knowledge-base of education, training and practice supervision.
Our members of staff each receive The Residential Forum’s recommended 2.4% of basic care hours for training. This equates to 18 hours, or 3 days, of paid training and development per year. We are incredibly proud of this, and our staff benefit immensely, enjoying an ongoing programme of courses, and having easy access to flexible, equal opportunity training and career development.
Staff each have an In-Service Training Schedule, and keep a record of their Self Directed Study; as well as all other training. They also maintain a portfolio profile of all of their learning for skills with recorded evidence relating to your roles and responsibilities. THIS IS A STATUTORY REQUIREMENTUNDER THE HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE ACT 2008.
To find out more about our Residential Forum approved training policy and the supportive, proactive approach we take to staff training please contact our Training Co-Ordinator, Lina Rungan.