Induction standards training for care workers to be made available on-line

New legislation introduced on 1 April this year means that any new employee coming into the care sector must meet specific induction standards. These induction standards have been introduced to establish an agreed and effective minimum standard for the induction of new staff across the care sector in England.

The induction standards build on best practice and are intended to provide a structured approach to support managers in their responsibility to ensure the quality of staff performance and service provision.

Working in Care - Induction Standards is an innovative on-line course from learndirect which guides learners through all the key areas of skills and knowledge they need to be able to meet the standards.

The course content is based on original materials provided by MENCAP and it has been further developed in association with TOPSS England - the National Training Organisation (NTO) for the care sector.

Delivery of the course will be primarily through the UNISON hub, which will also organise learner assessment - a key part of the course.

Course details

The whole course will take around 10 hours to complete. In many cases the course encourages learners to think about certain topics themselves.

It also prompts learners to talk to their care centre manager to make sure they gain specific knowledge of their place of employment and any particular policies or procedures that may relate to it.

It is aimed at all people who are new to working in the care sector, which covers:

• Local authorities responsible for social services
• Hospitals
• Private companies running day centres and homes for the elderly

The course comprises the following modules:

• Introduction

This module looks at the people learners could be caring for when they begin their jobs - people with a learning disability, a physical impairment, elderly people, those with a mental illness and children and young people. It also looks at the expectations the different service users will have of their carers.

• The Principles of Care

Outlines the values at the heart of the care sector, issues surrounding prejudice and equal opportunities, how to communicate with service users and the nature and extent of client confidentiality.

• Your Organisation and Role

Looks at access to policies and procedures, using those policies and procedures and the learnerís role as a worker.

• Experience and Need of Service Users

This module details some of the issues learners may come across in their day-to-day working environment including societyís attitude; supporting people on medication; involving people in their environment; death, dying and bereavement; and confusion and dementia.

• Safety at Work

Covers those areas where learners will need to be aware of safety issues. These include moving and handling people, heath and safety, fire safety, emergency first aid, infection control and safe food handling.

• Effect of the Service Setting on Service Provision

This last module gives learners an insight into the experience of service users and the experience of workers to give them a real feel for working in the care sector.

The course - which uses a mixture of audio, text and visuals - features cartoon characters to illustrate particular situations rather than photographs because of the sensitive nature of many of the issues being dealt with.

Further details

Carl Fritchley, Commissioning Manager for Ufi/learndirect, said: "This new legislation means every new worker in the care sector will have to reach set standards within the first six weeks of their employment as part of their induction.

"This course takes individuals through the whole range of issues in a concise and interesting way. Using the very latest in e-learning technology we have been able to develop a comprehensive course that covers the whole knowledge element of the induction standards. "Already we have been approached by a number of organisations interested in piloting and using the course. I am expecting a huge demand for the course when it is launched." Working in Care - Induction Standards is eligible for LSC funding and will be available via the UNISON Hub.

For more information about the course contact cfritchley@ufi.com