DEPARTMENT OF ADULT SOCIAL SERVICES
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN
2011/12
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
“I forget what I was taught, I only remember
what I have learnt”
Patrick White 1912 – 1990,
Australian Novelist
Learning and Development Plan 2011 - 2012
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Service Principles
3. Key Themes
4. Qualification Targets
4.1 Skills for Care / CQC Minimum Requirements
4.2 Departmental Requirements
5. Key Employee Development Issues Driving Learning and Development Available
5.1 Personal Assessment and Planning Branch
5.2 Personal Support Branch
5.3 Community Services Branch
5.4 Finance and Performance Branch
5.5 Safeguarding Adults and Children Branch
6. Identifying Need and Applying for Learning and Development Programmes
6.1 How to Identify a Learning and Development Need
6.2 Guidance When Applying for a Learning and Development Activity (Internal and External)
7. Conclusion
1. Introduction
In line with Wirral Council’s People Strategy and the Department of Adult Social Services (DASS) Workforce Strategy; the Department of Adult Social Services realises that its employees are its greatest resource in order to provide high quality, cost effective services to the people of Wirral that achieve positive outcomes for people. To demonstrate this, the department is committed to providing learning and development opportunities as detailed within this document.
As an organisation, we must ensure that individuals have the knowledge and skills required to help enable them to achieve the required standard. Also as individuals, we all have a responsibility to ensure we maintain and enhance our skill base by continuous development through any number of formal and informal methods.
This plan details the overall strategy for learning and development activities with Adult Social Services which supports the Departmental Business Plan 2011 / 2012 to be realised.
2. Service Principles
· Learning and Development activities will assist the organisation in developing a flexible, skilled and competent workforce equipped to deliver high quality services to meet the transformation agenda.
· By supporting skill development the Department will ‘grow its own‘ staff to meet the changing needs of the Social Care Sector.
· Learning and Development activities will be linked to the principles of Investors in People and underpinned by national and regional occupational standards and associated targets.
· Joint Learning and Development opportunities with partners will be explored and accessed to promote efficiencies.
· Learning and Development activities will promote equality of opportunity in terms of access and delivery.
· Learning and Development will be delivered within a framework of high quality assurance and monitoring systems.
· Learning and Development will be responsive to the changing needs of the business and changes in Government guidance and legislation.
· Organisational wide Learning and Development opportunities will be promoted to Departmental colleagues.
3. Key Themes
3.1 The Learning and Development Plan for 2011 / 2012 confirms our intentions to continue to meet the challenges of the Transformation Agenda, and the key projects and activities as identified in the Departmental Plan as well as supporting the aims and purpose of the Corporate Plan 2011 - 2014.
The central theme of this plan is how we are ‘Putting People First’ in our work. We need to feel confident that the Department, contracted providers and partners have a workforce equipped with the knowledge, skills and ability to work in a personalised way with individuals and the confidence and ability to deliver the Departmental Business Plan. It will also contribute to the corporate key theme Your Council, which states, ‘We will invest to ensure Council staff are supported at a time of rapid organisational change, well led and provided with the professional and personal development required to deliver outstanding customer service and the priorities outlined in this plan’.
3.2 The plan has been created acknowledging and utilising:
· National, Regional and Local requirements.
· Learning and Development priorities identified by the Department of Health and linked to funding source criteria.
· Current and forthcoming legislation.
· General Social Care Council, Care Quality Commission Requirements and targets set out within the Essential Standards of Quality and Safety.
· Performance Indicator targets including those reflected within the Performance Assessment Framework.
· The Integrated Local Area Workforce Strategy (InLAWS) project between Skills for Care and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS).
· Corporate and Departmental policies and procedures including the People Strategy.
· Senior Leadership Teams.
· Learning outcomes as a result of training needs analyses and skills and competency audits.
· Wirral Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board Business Plan 2011 – 2012
· Recommendations of the Social Work Task Force
3.3 The plan reflects the objectives and targets set for the social care workforce, funded via the workforce development element of the area based grant. Workforce Development Funding (WDF) which is funding made available by Skills for Care, is for use by independent social care providers and micro employers to assist them in achieving their qualification targets in relation to Qualification Credit Framework (QCF) units.
3.4 The plan is key to the Departments Workforce Strategy ensuring learning and development is high on the agenda alongside Recruitment and Retention, Workforce Planning and Employee Support.
3.5 The transformation agenda including the changing role of Adult Social Services from that of a provider to a commissioner of services is challenging and requires us to work in ever-greater partnership with other statutory, business, voluntary, community and faith organisations in Wirral. Personalisation requires healthy and creative partnerships, revisions in skill mix and leadership and fundamental changes in the way we think and act in our engagement with people. Employers will need to re-evaluate their services in light of this agenda making sure that services are what people want. Partners will need to engage in collaboration at a local, regional and national level. Employers need to feel challenged in ensuring that they have a robust qualifications / careers framework matched to competencies and job roles.
3.6 The Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) has replaced the National Qualifications Framework and presents qualifications in a much simpler way. It will lead to qualifications that are flexible and meet the demands of a rapidly changing workforce and demography. There is recognition that some employees may need support in acquiring basic skills including literacy, numeracy and ICT, if they are to be successful in obtaining the required qualifications. A number of flexible opportunities are available for staff, using a variety of routes and personnel including Trade Union Representatives.
3.7 The department needs to continue to meet the requirements of the General Social Care Council Code of Practice and individuals registered must demonstrate Continuous Professional Development (CPD). Additionally, Approved Mental Health Practitioners (AMHP’s) and Best Interest Assessors (BIA’s) must equally demonstrate their CPD as defined by local agreements.
3.8 Members of the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) are committed to ensuring that staff are equipped with the appropriate leadership competencies that drive the delivery of a transformed Adult Social Services. In addition, employees who wish to develop their careers to a management or leadership level can access a suite of learning programmes. These programmes include Skills for Wirral - Managers, compiled of a number of individual workshops, Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Level 3 Award and Level 5 Award and Certificate , the Platinum Leadership Progamme, provided through the Merseyside Capacity Building and Learning Group and the Masters in Business Administration (MBA). Wirral Council is an accredited centre for ILM qualifications at Levels 3- 5 supporting the organisation to continue to develop its leaders and managers. The on line Key Issues system provides an excellent opportunity for managers to assess themselves against the corporate leadership behaviours and identify learning solutions as required.
3.9 The department is responding to staff needs to offer alternative means of undertaking learning and development activities, therefore a range of e learning is being developed across the Council as a whole and with partners. This includes a suite of safeguarding activities. This provides people with access to learning and development 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is more supportive of people working shifts than traditional face-to-face learning and development opportunities.
3.10 The Social Work Reform Board has made a series of recommendations relating to social work practice, employers responsibilities and front line management and leadership.
“Continuing professional Development: the creation of a more coherent and effective national framework fro the continuing professional development of social workers, along with mechanisms to encourage a shift in culture which raises expectations of an entitlement to ongoing learning and development.” Recommendation 9.
The new framework for CPD will continue to build on existing programmes and support careers development and progression from point of entry through to more experienced workers. This will create a clear career structure with clear expectations at key points.
3.11 It is anticipated that the current Adult PQ Framework will be subjected to review following the change of social work regulation from GSCC to the newly formed Health and Care Professions Council and a s a result of the Social Work Taskforce Report. The proposed Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Workers will inform the direction of travel.
4. Partnership
“Over 1.6 million people provide vital services…working alongside carers to help people live more independently and play a fuller role in our communities. Often working closely with people from other agencies, including the NHS, they have a huge variety of jobs and careers – from senior managers and professionals in social work, nursing and occupational therapy to people of all ages with practical skills in care, catering and other essential support roles.” – A Vision for Adult Social Care: Capable Communities and Active Citizens (2010).
DASS Learning and Development team supports Wirral Social Care Partnership, and employer led partnership. This partnership is supported through the Sector Skills Council: Skills for Care and is resourced through the Workforce Development Fund (WDF) which supports a range of QCF units linked to Essential Standards of Quality and Safety.. There are currently over 40 social care providers who access the WDF. Access is conditional upon compliance with the providers completing their organisational and individual NMDS returns.
DASS Learning and Development team support social care organisations across Wirral in accessing a range of learning and development activities. These activities are aimed at improving and sustaining high quality practice outcomes for people who use services.
5. Qualification Targets
A range of statutory and organisational qualification targets, standards and expectations are in place, which DASS as an employer and partner organisations must adhere to. Details of these are provided below.
5.1 Skills for Care / Essential Standards of Quality and the Professional Capabilities Framework and Standards of Proficiency
· Employers must ensure that there is sufficient staff with the right knowledge, experience, qualifications and skills to support people. The QCF came into force in January 2011, when it replaced National Vocational Qualification’s (NVQ’s) with new Diplomas and smaller Awards and Certificates for continuous professional development. The new qualifications replace the previous NVQ’s and Vocationally Recognised Qualifications (VRQ’s) and offer a new way of recognising skills and qualifications.
· The Registered Manager / Person must have the qualifications, skills and experience, which are necessary for the work to be performed. These qualifications include the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care or equivalent, including the Registered Manager’s Award (RMA), an NVQ level 4 in Leadership and Management for Care Services (LMCS). Additionally, Registered Managers should have the right skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to their job role and care setting. In addition to the RMA or LMCS, this could include the following care qualifications, Level 4 NVA in Health and Social Care, relevant nursing, physiotherapy or occupational therapy and registration or relevant social work qualification and registration with the General Social Care Council (GSCC).
· The National Occupational Standards for Social Workers (NOS) have been replaced by The Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) for Social Workers in England. The framework will set out, for the first time, consistent expectations of social workers at every point of their career and will be used to inform the design and implementation of education and training and the national career structure.
· With the transfer of regulation of social work to the Health Professions Council (HPC), registration as a social worker will be subject to meeting their Standards of Proficiency for Social Work (currently under consultation). Together with the HPC’s standards of conduct, performance and ethics, the Standards of Proficiency will pay a central role in determining a registrant’s fitness to practice.
5.2 Departmental Requirements
· Adhere to qualification and capabilities targets and framework as detailed above.
· Confirm management competences through the Skills for Wirral, ILM programme/s, Skills Audit assessment on corporate leadership behavioural competencies and Access and Assessment Skills and Competencies Audit.
· Identify and promote career pathways for staff using the Professional Capabilities Framework and Skills for Care Career Pathway e-tool
· Newly qualified social workers (NQSW’s) must complete the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE). The aim of the ASYE is to ensure that newly qualified social workers receive consistent support in their first year of practiceso they can become confident, competent professionals. The ASYE will include a number of components including support for professional development, standards that align with the PCF and guidance for employers on their responsibilities to support NQSW’s.
· Qualifications, including QCF units and Diploma’s and other related qualifications will be made available to support relevant employees to meet competencies identified in job descriptions and person specifications.
· Promote and deliver the Wirral Safeguarding Multi Agency Development Plan, recognising and supporting the overarching principle that everyone ha a responsibility for safeguarding. The aim of the plan is to enable learning and development opportunities to be delivered across Wirral, engaging all agencies, providing consistency, and improving monitoring.
Learning and development activity is linked to a pyramidal structure that aims to encompass all learning and development activities.