1.8.2 Learning and Development |
Contents
- Learning and Development in Children's Social Care
- General Principles
- Training Administration
- Training Available
- Performance Appraisal and Development Scheme (PADS)
- Evaluation of Training and Development Activities
- Travel and Parking Guidance Notes - LBB Staff
- Contact Details
1. Learning and Development in Children's Social Care
Our aim is to provide a quality service to all our customers, by creating a learning
culture that keeps you up to date, skilled and stretched, to assist you in 'achieving excellence' in whatever service you provide.
In line with the GSCC Code of Practice for employers, Learning and Development will work together with the Children's Social Care Training Panel and managers, and the Bromley Social Care Practice Board, to provide training and development opportunities which enable all staff to strengthen and develop their skills and knowledge. L and D will also ensure that staff development is strengthened through integrated working with the Bromley Children and Young People's Learning and Development Forum and the Children's Workforce Strategy Group. Regional and national policy developments will be integrated through L and D partnership with bodies such as the Children's Workforce Development Council.
The Performance Appraisal and Development (PADS) reviews with your line manager will identify your key training needs. These can be met in a variety of ways including training, shadowing, visits to other agencies to see good practice at first hand, keeping up to date with the latest findings and research and mentoring. The Learning and Development team are able to provide you with advice and support in these areas, alongside your line manager.
2. General Principles
All learning and development activities will incorporate the council's equal opportunities policy and promote issues of anti-discriminatory practice. Learning and Development opportunities will be available to all the department's staff regardless of grade or level of responsibility.
The manager's role of staff developer and performance monitor is acknowledged. They will be involved in all stages of identifying the training and development needs of staff and highlighting service delivery requirements.
It is recognised that different people learn in different ways. Training and development opportunities will therefore be provided through a range of learning methods, in-house and external training, E-Learning, distance learning and others.
3. Training Administration
- All training needs to be approved by the line manager.
- Course booking forms for all training listed in this procedure document must be submitted to L and D otherwise staff training profiles/histories will be incomplete, which can cause problems at the time of GSCC re-registration.
- All training is promoted through e-mail (except where a nomination/selection procedure is in place) so staff are encouraged to pay attention to L and D e-mails.
3.1 Course Booking Forms
If you wish to attend a course, talk it through with your manager and if agreed, fill in the relevant course booking form (internal or external training form). All booking forms need to be sent through to L and D at least one month prior to the training date. Once you have sent in your booking form, the following takes place:
- if there is a place on the course, an L and D administrator will hold your booking form until 4 weeks before the course date and then issue joining instructions to you confirming your place.
This process cannot take place earlier than 4 weeks because 5 weeks before the course date, L and D reviews whether there are sufficient numbers on the course for it to proceed. - if there is no place on the course, an L and D administrator will notify you straight away and offer alternative dates if available, or add you to a waiting list
Information regarding training and course booking forms are available via this link: "onebromley"
3.2 Joining Instructions
Joining instructions will inform you of the date, venue and time of the course. The joining instructions are usually issued four weeks before the date of the course and will also include any pre-course work that may need to be completed. Please check your joining instructions carefully.
3.3 Cancellation
It is essential that the manager (or if this is not possible, the staff member) informs Learning and Development if a staff member is unable to attend a course.
CSC may soon be introducing a charging policy for delegates who fail to attend a course without sending their apologies.
Currently, only IT training courses incur a cancellation charge. £130.00 is charged to the delegates budget code if they cancel within 2 weeks of the course date, unless they can send someone else in their place.
3.4 Certificates
All participants receive a certificate at the end of all training programmes.
3.5 L and D Standards
What we expect from participants in conjunction with their line manager:
- The manager/staff member will inform us about non attendance with as much notice as possible so that we may be able to offer the place to someone else;
- If no-one informs us about this, it will be classed as absent and noted as such in the training records, and the manager will be informed about this
- You will arrange to be there for the duration of the course; where this is not possible, attendance is at the discretion of the trainer in conjunction with the learning and development section.
What we expect from participants:
- You will arrive on time to enable a prompt start;
- You will complete the course attendance register each day;
- You will not smoke in the training venue (except where a specific smoking
- area has been designated);
- You will tidy up after your self in the training room and leave it, as you would like to find it.
4. Training Available
4.1 In-house training
As a member of Children's Social Care, you will have access to a range of in-house training programmes. These include practice based training which can be found in the Social Care Learning and Development Brochure, and corporate training courses which are advertised in the Corporate Training Brochure. Both brochures are released annually in April of each year.
4.2 External training - Short Courses
CSC staff can also access short course external training, which requires staff to complete the external course booking form. Once completed this form should be submitted to Julie Daly (Head of Service) for approval. You will then be notified of the decision and booked onto the training, if approval is given.
4.3 Bromley Safeguarding Children's Board (BSCB)
All CSC staff can also access the BSCB training programme, which is administered at the Education Development Centre in Princes Plain.
4.4 Making Research Count
CSC is a member of the Making Research Count consortium. This allows staff to access a series of in-house seminars on specialist topics. To attend these sessions, staff are again required to submit the in-house course booking form into Learning and Development.
Staff can also access free external MRC seminars and conferences in London. In this case, staff must in the first instance e-mail Vanisha Jassal (L and D Consultant) expressing their wish to attend. If places are still available, they will then be asked to submit the external course booking form into L and D. Please ignore the section relating to external budget as MRC external seminars are available at no cost but come as part of our membership. Therefore, the external course booking form in this case should not be sent to Julie Daly. Staff will receive joining instructions for MRC external events from MRC directly and not from L and D.
4.5 Post Qualifying Training Programmes
There is a Post Qualifying Frameworks established within Bromley, which allows you to access relevant PQ programmes. These are accessed through a nomination and selection process.
4.6 Social Work Degree Scheme
The Social Care Practice Board, which includes Adults and Children's Social Care representation, annually supports non qualified staff within CSC (and Adults Social Care) to qualify as social workers, through the Social Work Degree Scheme. This process is through application and selection.
4.7 Post Entry Training Programmes
You will also be able to access external courses of your choice, which are related to the needs of the business, which are of a longer duration and lead to a qualification. These would need to be accessed through the Post Entry Training Scheme (PETS), for which there is an application and selection process.
4.8 National Vocational Qualifications
Non qualified staff are supported to obtain NVQs.
4.9 Career Pathways
Career pathways are being developed for staff across CSC, which will help staff career progression and help managers decide on appropriate training for their staff.
4.10 Awards Ceremony
L and D hosts an annual Awards Ceremony in recognition of all staff who have achieved qualifications throughout the year. This takes place each Spring and is promoted through e-mail.
5. Performance Appraisal and Development Scheme (PADS)
It is mandatory that all staff receive an annual appraisal. This is called PADS.
Managers complete staff PADS between April-May of each year, and review them six months later. There is then an end of year review in March the following year, when staff are rated against the objectives they were initially set. PADS allows staff and managers to identify key responsibilities and objectives, and outline what learning and development needs staff may have.
6. Evaluation of Training and Development Activities
All courses have an evaluation sheet. Feedback provided is monitored and acted on as appropriate. Please ensure that you complete the evaluation form before leaving the course. The Learning and Development team will also be evaluating the longer terms impact of training, so staff are encouraged to participate in this, as are managers, where possible. Your views are important to us and we welcome feedback on the events you attend. If we have done something well, tell us. If there are areas we need to improve, let us know.
7. Travel and Parking Guidance Notes - LBB Staff
Guidance on the payment of expenses for staff located other than at the Civic Centre when attending training events at the Civic Centre.
Travelling expenses are payable for all approved courses. The amount claimed should be the additional costs incurred in excess of your normal travelling expenses to and from your place of work. All claims should be at second class public transport rates, weekly season ticket or capital card if appropriate. If you are claiming the cost of travelling from home to the training venue, the normal cost of your journey to work must be deducted from the claim and clearly shown as a deduction on the claim form. In the event of the cost from home to the course venue being less than the cost of your normal journey to work (calculated at second class public transport rates) you will not be entitled to claim travel expenses.
When attending the Civic Centre for training events staff should, wherever possible travel to the Civic Centre by public transport. There are good train links into Bromley South and Bromley North and very good bus links. For further information on timings and routes please visit the National Rail website or the Transport for London website. If for some reason you choose to travel by car as an alternative to public transport you will be reimbursed for the difference between the cost less 2nd class public transport cost.
Courses are held at various locations throughout the Borough. For courses at the Civic Centre there are no parking facilities on site, however, There are a number of places to park within the vicinity of the Civic Centre and costs for a day's parking range from £3 - £10. In consideration of the costs involved you will be reimbursed for parking fees up to a maximum of £3.50 per day, £1.75 per half day (this amount may change in the future). Special arrangements can be made for individuals with disabilities.
All claims for reimbursement of travel/parking costs for training should be made on the travel expenses form. The completed form should be forwarded, together with proof of payment, to Lesley Ward in the Learning & Development Section, Room A27, Ann Springman Building, Civic Centre. If you have any queries please contact the Learning & Development section on 020 8313 4788.
8. Contact Details
| Children's Social Care training administration |
Theresa Johncock T: 020 8461 7972 |
| CSC Learning and Development Consultant |
Vanisha Jassal T: 020 8313 4207 |
| Adult's Social Care training administration |
Seran Yusuf T: 020 8461 7693 |
| Corporate training administration |
Wendy Johnson T: 020 8461 7596 |
| PQ and Practice Learning Consultant |
Susan Hanks T: 020 8461 7586 |
| NVQ Programmes |
Jean Hall T: 020 8461 7967 |
| Bromley Safeguarding Children's Board training administration |
Samantha May T: 0208 462 8911 |
| The L and D Team |
| Are based in Room A24, Ann Springman Building, Civic Centre, Bromley, BR1 3UH |
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