21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy SISCo Project Integrating basic skills in social care induction Alexander Braddell SISCo Consultant

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy Work relevant to embedding  SISCo Project: support for managers  Skills Escalator Centre: support for departments  Learning through Work: on-the-job basic skills learning

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy Lessons from Learning through Work  Basic skills matter at work for safety, quality and flexibility  Organisations lack skills and development strategies  Work practices reinforce low skills problems, despite investment in off-the-job training  Work activity offers development opportunities  Systematic support for on-the-job learning could –Support work teams to apply basic skills more effectively –Enable individuals to develop stronger basic skills –Support better people / performance management

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy SISCo – Supporting Induction in Social Care Project partners: SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence), Skills for Care (Sector Skills Council), SEEDA (SE RDA)  Integrate basic skills with induction  ‘Proof of concept’ 18 month pilot project; began March 06  Nationally representative sample of 20 SE employers  Facilitated by workplace basic skills learning providers

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy SISCo aim Motivate and enable employers, managers to take action on basic skills Question 1. Why don’t employers, managers already take effective action on basic skills?

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy Basic skills in social care workplace “Literacy, language and numeracy skills are essential skills for social care. Substitute the words ‘communication’ and ‘measuring and calculation’, and the message becomes clear. All staff, whatever their role in the organisation, need those skills to understand and follow procedures, interpret the needs of service users, convey information to and about them.” ‘Essential Skills for Health and Social Care’ (UNISON report 2005)

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy SISCo research findings Managers… 1.Acknowledge basic skills issues in their workplaces 2.Lack confidence, expertise, resources to take action 3.Are only willing to address basic skills issues within existing constraints (time, resources)

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy Basic skills in the workplace  Little specification of any kind of skills; focus on evidencing competency against occupational standards  Most skills assessment done during induction period  Basic skills = ‘Can or can’t read / write / speak English’ (broad brush stroke approach)  Basic skills issue = individual skills deficit = ‘difficult issue’  Area for specialist intervention, outside of work

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy Help for managers  Definition of basic skills that managers can work with  Safe, practical way to check if employees have basic skills required for their jobs  Practical guidance to specify, communicate, monitor and support the application of basic skills  Help to make it easier to compare key occupational standards

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy SISCo basic skills definition Basic skills = social care skills = ability to  process (i.e. use and understand) information and  communicate as required by the job, defined by the manager, to work safely and meet quality standards Issues for managers: risk management, quality assurance Focus on collective competence, not individual deficits

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy SISCo tools  User-friendly assessments to make skills visible  Practical action plans to specify, communicate, monitor and support the application of basic skills  ‘Compare standards’ tool to make relevant occupational standards more accessible

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy Assessments  Paper-based for flexibility (downloadable pdfs)  Bank of 15 minute job-related ‘skills checks’  Explains skill requirement to member of staff  Guides manager through ‘safe’ discussion of basic skills with member of staff  Provides structure for manager to check skills  Presented in language managers (and staff) can relate to

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy Action Plans  Paper-based for flexibility (downloadable pdfs)  Short, practical step-by-step plans for managers to take action on basic skills issues, within existing constraints  Dual orientation: organisational and individual  Focus: effective collective application of skills  Priority: risk management, quality assurance  Presented in language managers (and staff) can relate to

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy What’s different about SISCo?  Aimed at employers, not SfL providers  ‘Basic skills’ defined as ability to process information and communicate as required by job role  Grounded in social care standards, not educational standards  Prioritises risk management, not individual progression  Focused on skill application to work safely, meet quality standards  ‘Assessments’ administered by managers, offer staff genuine learning about job and skills required  Action plans oriented to collective competence, respect constraints managers operate under

21 March 2007 Alexander Braddell Consultancy SISCo Project Integrating basic skills in social care induction Alexander Braddell SISCo Consultant