Training
Recruitment Stage
During the recruitment stage, everyone (registered and non-registered staff) is inducted onto the mandatory elements required for their role.
The practical training will take place at a local training venue where you will undertake elements such as basic life support and people moving and handling and some will be completed via our online learning management system.
NEW EMPLOYEES AND INDUCTION
As a new employee, you’ll first complete your training and paid induction. You’ll start building your own support network from day one – this will include your management team, colleagues, and departments at Group Support. For our carers and nurses in the community, building relationships with your team colleagues is important. It helps you stay connected and access resources that you’ll need to aid you in your role.
As part of your induction, you will shadow another member of your team. This helps you understand your new role and get to know people in your team. Your colleagues and management team will work with you during your induction to help put your training into practice and answer any questions you may have. You will be given an induction workbook to refer to and use as a guide throughout the process.
Following induction, further training will be undertaken in the following areas:
Specialist Clinical Training
Following induction, further training will be undertaken in the following areas:
- Catheter care
- Oxygen therapy
- Bowel care
- Patient conditions
- Dysphagia
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Enteral Feeding
- Tissue viability
- Epilepsy
- Tracheostomy care
- Learning disability & Autism
- Ventilation
- Medication
Competency Training
All of our care teams undertake competency training with the clients that they support, focussing on the client’s health and social needs so our teams can accurately care for them in their own home. These competencies are updated on an annual basis.
Care Certificate
The Care Certificate is an agreed set of standards that define the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of specific job roles in the health and social care sectors. You can read more about what this entails here.
LIFELONG LEARNING
On-going training opportunities are always available and our appraisal process looks at your performance and gives you the chance to speak to your manager and together decide on your personal development journey with us.
Our comprehensive training covers a range of conditions and needs that the people you’ll be supporting may have. Your training programme will focus on their specific support needs or clinical care requirements. This will build your confidence and empower you to give individualised care to the people you support.
E-LEARNING
We have an online training platform with our partner organisation called the Florence Academy
This technology-based system enables you to complete your e-learning at your own pace. Our e-courses are designed to suit different styles of learning and include videos, tutorials and downloadable resources.
E-learning modules cover many care and clinical courses. Courses include life support, communication, fire safety, medication and health care tasks and mental health awareness. These modules will help you in your new role.
If you are new to health and social care, you’ll also need to complete the care certificate, which can be completed online. This is your foundation of learning and the additional e-learning modules build on this knowledge. Sonderwell will fully support you with this and the costs will be covered by us. This is a qualification that will help you progress with your career in social care, aiding if you wish, with a move into a management role.
ENHANCED SKILL TRAINING
Our enhanced skills training courses are designed to teach and create a better understanding of the different types of conditions and needs some of the people you may be caring for have.
We have specific clinical courses to meet individual needs, such as PEG feeding, ventilator care, catheter care, diabetes and insulin support. We also have the training to support you in communicating with and working with people with learning disabilities, autism, neurological conditions and mental health needs.
All of this training will be provided free of charge at times to suit you and will only become relevant if you are working with people who have the specific needs and requirements that the training is matched to.
Sonderwell apprenticeships
The Sonderwell Apprenticeship Programme allows you the opportunity to earn whilst you learn. You can gain valuable experience, on the job training and nationally recognised qualifications. There is a range of opportunities to progress and develop your career in social care once you have qualified.