Training & development

Our homes are run on the fundamental promise of promoting independence, choice, dignity and respect for every person in our homes – staff, visitors and residents alike. We share our lives, and we share our experiences, and when selecting people to join our team they must demonstrate they possess the qualities to deliver on our promise.

Therefore, we not only look at qualifications and experience but we look for qualities such as kindness, patience and empathy.

Regardless of experience every new recruit will complete our 5-day induction training course, prior to them starting. This 5-day training programme has been developed to ensure that our staff have the necessary confidence and requisite skills to perform their job to the highest standard, and it includes mandatory training that staff working within the care sector must complete

 This includes:

• Health & Safety
• Fire Safety
• Manual Handling
• Food Hygiene
• Safe Guarding
• Dementia Awareness

In addition, staff new to the sector or those without sector specific qualifications, must complete the Care Certificate.

The Care Certificate is a set of standards that social care and health workers follow in their daily working life. It is the new minimum standards that should be covered as part of induction training of new care workers.

The Care Certificate is directed by the individual’s line manager and completed within the first 12 weeks of employment, and consists of both written work and observations.

We are extremely proud of our training culture and we understand that the success of our homes, and that of our care teams, is a result of investing in their training and support.

Going beyond the core requirements of the CQC (Care Quality Commission) is something we encourage all our staff to do.

Constant monitoring of training needs is carried out through monthly staff supervision sessions and as part of continuous development our staff are given the opportunity to complete a sector specific qualification, in the form of the QCF (Qualification Credit Framework).