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Chapter 2: Effective Workforce Development
in an environment that is changing as rapidly and as frequently as the social service sector, care needs to be delivered through a team-working approach, which simplifies the service user's path through the social service maze. this means forging multi-disciplinary, multi-skilled and multi-professional working stretching acrosss the health, education, justice and housing sectors as well as the social service sector.
The vision of a competent, confident and valued workforce delivering high quality, person-centred services is rightly ambitious. Stakeholders will need to put in place, if not already available, a range of structures and processes to support the development of the workforce we need now and for the future.
The Role of the Organisation - A Learning Culture
To meet these responsibilities and to develop successfully the workforce for the future, it is vital that organisations show commitment at all levels. Learning needs to be part of the experience of all staff. To achieve this, organisations must have systems and processes in place to help the workforce to continually improve what they do. There is a culture of learning in organisations where there are shared beliefs, values and objectives. Employees can share information, be creative, be open, take risks and learn from their mistakes. Good management structures, information systems, staffing practices and leadership are also essential.
Spotlight on Practice: Learning Organisation
Tesco
As an innovative and energetic company in a highly competitive retail environment, Tesco invests in education to reflect their top line commitment to be a learning organisation. Tesco offers an extensive programme of learning opportunities for all their staff, developed and delivered through the Tesco Academy. Through the Academy everyone in Tesco is able to access learning tailored to their own personal development needs - from induction and core skills to operating and leadership skills. Developed jointly with trade union Usdaw, the Tesco learning centres offer services to distribution centre and store staff, their families and friends. This is part of Tesco's commitment to lifelong learning.
To make sure that learning and development are given the priority they need, organisations must make sure that:
- learning and development feature in the roles of managers at all levels in the organisation;
- learning and development are part of the main functions of the organisation;
- commissioning agencies and service providers should work towards identifying 3% of service costs as a commitment to training and development;
- policies on staff development include systems that allow organisations to assess how effective learning and development is in maintaining and improving standards of practice in the organisation; and
- employers value and invest in learning and development as key features of their strategies that support employees and their future development. This will in turn make a positive contribution to staff retention strategies put in place by the organisation.
The Social Care Institute for Excellence21 ( SCIE) has developed a set of learning organisation cards. These cards are designed to help people understand what a learning organisation is and can be used to assess how far an organisation is working as a learning organisation. The Scottish Practice Learning Project22 is tasked with promoting this with organisations to help them use the pack as a self assessment tool.
Spotlight on Practice: Investing in staff development
Oracle UK
Ian A. Smith, Managing Director, Oracle UK has been quoted in the Financial Times on 22 September 2005 as stating:
'There is a myth in certain quarters within business that if you train your staff they will leave once they have gained experience and find a better job elsewhere. It is about time this myth was consigned to the rubbish bin. Employees recognise there is no such thing as a "job for life" and see continuous learning as the route to sustained employability throughout their working lives. It is about time more companies recognised this and accepted their role in the professional development of their staff. Successful companies, whether large or small, invest in their staff, and that is no myth.'
Investing in improving the skills levels of the workforce is essential for improving the quality of services for service users. Organisations with clear links between employee development and service outcomes will make sure learning is seen as vital and resources for learning are built into budgets for services.
To continue to deliver services which meet the expectations of the Scottish public, we need a social service workforce which is flexible and responds positively to change. Both staff and their employers need to continue to make sure they are committed to employee development. For staff to continue to reach their full potential through continuous learning and development, opportunities have to be available in an environment where learning and development is supported.
This, in turn, benefits the employer by producing a very flexible organisation where the workforce can adapt to new ideas and demands.
The Role of the Manager
To be successful in having the kind of organisation which recruits, keeps and develops staff, managers should:
- provide positive leadership;
- promote and meet service aims and goals;
- develop joint working partnerships that are purposeful and effective;
- allow staff and service users and carers to develop services that people want;
- value people by recognising and actively developing potential;
- develop and maintain awareness of learning and development and make sure that time is allowed and processes are in place, for listening to staff, service users and carers;
- provide an environment that allows time to reflect upon practice, develop professional skills and the ability to make judgements in complex situations, making sure staff have access to professional consultation, support and advice;
- support changes that result from critical evaluation of practice and regular performance appraisals; and
- take responsibility for the continuing development of staff.
Spotlight on Practice: Supporting others to develop
Aberdeenshire Council
The Senior Practitioner Scheme offers a way for staff with valued experience to provide professional advice and expertise to other staff members. They may become a mentor or coach, help develop a learning culture or play a key role in the provision of student placements, all while working across disciplines.
Leadership and Management
The quality of services depends on enabling leadership and effective management skills. Identifying and developing managers who are skilled in leadership is a priority. Managers at all levels are vital to the success of this strategy. Offering joint leadership and management training to managers from different professions and services will help to close the gap between policies and practice and improve services delivered jointly.
The 21st Century Social Work Review has recognised the role that enabling leadership and effective management, at all levels of the organisation, plays in the quality of services, as well as the complexities of the context in which people are now being asked to lead and manage services. As a result the Review is considering the development of a leadership and management development framework for the sector.
Spotlight on Practice: Leadership and Management
Scottish Training in Drugs and Alcohol ( STRADA)
STRADA has developed a post-graduate Certificate in Business Administration - Developing Competencies in Managing Drug and Alcohol Services in conjunction with the University of Glasgow School of Business and Management. The practical approach of the course means participants gain core management skills in five key areas while also learning how to flexibly adapt to the ever changing operational and organisational needs.
Such a leadership and management framework would build on the experiences and findings of the Leading to Deliver programme funded by the Scottish Executive and targeted at first line and middle managers across social services. It would also be essential to bring together the widest range of learning, development and qualifications into one framework, creating career pathways which allow those who have the potential to be leaders and managers to take the first steps towards achieving this.
Career pathways should allow articulation between different types of qualifications ( e.g. Scottish Vocational Qualifications - SVQs for Registered Managers and taught certificate and diploma programmes, etc.). Pathways should also prepare senior managers for the demands of leadership in the 21st century.
Spotlight on Practice: Cross Sector Learning
Leading to Deliver
The Leading to Deliver programme is aimed at first line and middle managers in local authorities and the independent sector. It is for those who are working across professional and organisational boundaries with partners such as health, education, housing, and justice.
The Role of Human Resources Services
Managers cannot be expected to be the only ones responsible for creating a learning organisation. Service providers' human resources services ( HR) also play an important role in establishing the full range of policies and procedures needed to create a positive environment for learning.
At its simplest, an organisation's HR policies must allow the provision of learning and development opportunities to be provided to all staff, whether these opportunities are provided directly by the employer or by specialist providers. These policies should also identify the organisation's role in helping staff to get the qualifications they need to be registered with the SSSC and other regulatory bodies recognised by the SSSC.
Spotlight on Practice: supporting work based learning
Step by Step Private Nurseries
A key objective in performance reviews states that all staff have a responsibility to keep abreast of current research and thinking. This objective helps build a knowledgeable and educated workforce. Therefore, all staff are involved in VQ training either as a candidate, assessor, mentor or internal verifier. This approach has meant staff have opportunities to gain qualifications and to reach their full potential. Step by Step has been able to expand due to the success of their Modern Apprenticeships, and this has allowed career progression opportunities for those who chose to pursue them internally.
Individual Responsibility for Learning and Development
It is easy to lose sight of each individual staff member's responsibility for their own learning and development. This responsibility is crucial to make long term improvements in services and to develop the social service workforce as a whole. The Codes of Practice for social service workers reinforce the need for individuals to take responsibility for maintaining and improving their knowledge and skills. It states that workers must undertake relevant training to maintain and improve their knowledge and skills and should contribute to the learning and development of others.
Spotlight on Practice: Lifelong Learning
WEA-Unison Return to Learn Partnership
The (Workers Educational Association) WEA-Unison Return to Learn Partnership was first established in 2002. The Return to Learn Partnership has been funded by the Scottish Executive to organise and deliver Return to Learn courses.
It provides a 'Skills Escalator' of learning supports to enable social service staff, at all levels, to access the necessary help to participate in vocational, academic and personal development. All courses are delivered in the workplace, in working time and with the support of the relevant employers, across local authority and independent sectors.
In practice, social service workers should be expected to take responsibility for reviewing their own practice and identifying their development needs on a regular basis. This can be supported by making effective use of staff development time, as well as contributing to the organisation's systems for appraisal. However, it will also mean staff investing in their own learning.
Since the introduction of SVQs in Care, staff in social care roles have helped to increase the learning opportunities provided to underpin SVQs. These opportunities are provided by the employer directly or through the college sector and training providers. The Scottish Qualifications Agency ( SQA) report that staff completing SVQs are generally very motivated to continue their learning once they have achieved their qualification. Higher National qualifications have been developed that embed the SVQ elements allowing candidates to move quickly through vocational and academic routes. A framework of SQA Scottish Progression Awards exist to support candidates in a range of specialist areas.
Organisations can benefit by supporting and building on these developments and increased staff motivation by making sure there are clear career pathways in place for all their staff.
It is important that employers help those who have previously had poor experiences of formal learning to gain confidence and be encouraged to take the first steps in learning and development and in turn to gain qualifications. The experiences of staff that have already gained qualifications and are motivated to continue can be useful in showing others the benefits that such learning can bring.
Spotlight on Practice: support for learning
Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care ( SIRCC)
SIRCC's Core Skills Appraisal Project assesses residential childcare staff's literacy and communication skills to identify any learning support needs they may have before starting the HNC in Social Care. They have developed a 5 day Core Skills Communication course and made the curriculum available free of charge to organisations for their own delivery of the course.
To make sure that people can make the most of opportunities for lifelong learning, systems for recognising prior informal learning will help individual learners to plan their career development (formative recognition) and to claim credit (summative recognition) within the context of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework ( SCQF). 22 The SCQF Guidelines for the Recognition of Prior Informal Learning ( RPL) 23 will provide a set of principles to help make sure RPL is consistent. The credit rating and levelling in SCQF of quality assured, assessed short courses and work based learning programmes will also maximise the use of credit towards qualifications and hence enable career pathways.
This can be used for career planning and personal/professional development. It will enable a clear understanding of the learner's knowledge and skills and an informed awareness of the direction in which they wish to progress. Confidence building and the promotion of self-knowledge are key outcomes of the RPL process.
Role of Service Users and Carers
Users and carers need to be considered as key partners in helping to develop a successful workforce. They should be involved in recruiting and developing staff to make sure the purpose and quality of services remain focused on improving the lives of service users. Training provided by users and carers and the use of learning materials such as DVDs produced by user and carer groups can help to highlight the importance of good relationships and communication between staff and the people they support.
Spotlight on Practice: Involving Service Users
Hearing Voices Network of Dundee
This user-run network creates training for organisations such as Penumbra. They put the user experience at the centre of the training, highlighting what it is like to be a 'voice hearer'. Their training raises awareness of the user experience based on first hand knowledge.
Users and carers also have an important role to play in developing a culture of mutual respect where there is less fear of mistakes. Involving users and carers can be very positive for staff by showing how they can make a real difference to people's lives by gaining new knowledge and skills. Feedback from users and carers should routinely be used to assess learning at every level.
Spotlight on Practice: Involving Service Users
Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability ( SCLD)
SCLD's goal is to change the attitudes of professionals and to increase respect for people with learning disabilities. All SCLD courses are based in the principles of The same as you? and aim to encourage all staff to feel competent and confident in working with people with learning disabilities.
A key principle of SCLD training is that courses are developed and delivered in partnership with people with learning disabilities and family carers. SCLD co-trainers get involved in developing course material, they co-deliver sessions and some have taken part in assessing work. The benefits to users from participating in this way are:
- Staff report that they learn best by hearing directly from people with learning disabilities and family carers about their experiences.
- Trainers gain from working alongside people with learning disabilities and preparing their materials in an accessible way.
- Training provides an opportunity for people with learning disabilities to demonstrate and enhance their skills and often improve their confidence.
The potential for service users to themselves become service providers should not be underestimated. Through volunteer roles, service users can develop self-esteem, confidence and skills, as well as providing a valuable resource to organisations in the care and other sectors. For this reason, understanding the benefits of volunteering and skills in supporting users into volunteer roles can be an essential element of skills development.
However, it is acknowledged that in certain areas of work, such as criminal justice, more training will be required for staff, to address some of the tensions that can arise when service users are actively involved. Social work and social care is complex and in some cases service users are reluctant participants such as in child protection or working with offenders. Involving such service users in planning the shape of services has to be undertaken sensitively, as well as raising issues in relation to the development of the necessary skills of the workforce.
Role of Trade Unions - Learning Representatives and Advisors
The Employment Act 2002 extends the rights and recognition of Trade Union Representatives and Stewards to include Union appointed Learning Representatives and Learning Advisors. Learning Representatives and Advisors can help employers and managers to develop employees.
Learning representatives can play an important role in raising awareness and giving staff information about learning opportunities. They can also provide advice, support and encouragement to learners within the workforce, in particular to those who may have little confidence about taking their first steps in learning and development.
KEY MESSAGES
- To be successful in developing a learning culture, everyone must play their part.
- Opportunities and choices for staff to choose how to progress in their careers must be developed.
- Users and carers must be involved in workforce development to make sure that we are able to offer services that are suited to their needs.
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