Kindred's Training Programme

BOOKINGS NOW BEING TAKEN FOR

'TRAINING FOR TRAINERS - KEY WORKING COURSE'

AUTUMN 2011.

For more information, click here

Introduction to Kindred’s training approach

The Trainers

The training programme

The two-day Key Worker/Lead Professional for Disabled Children Training Course

The ‘Training for Trainers – Key working/Lead Professional’ Course

Examples of training in action (Videos)

Training News

Enquiry form

Contact e-mail

Introduction

Providing training for practitioners and parents is part of Kindred’s educative remit. An essential aspect of our training philosophy is that the parental perspective must be central to all sessions, workshops and courses.  This perspective is informed by the organisation’s wider work with literally thousands of parents over the years. What they have shared with us has enabled us to identify areas of commonality between parents’ experiences, whilst recognising the uniqueness of each family’s circumstances.  Acknowledgement of these common experiences has allowed us to shape our training to promote and encourage practice that families tell us is effective and supportive.

Kindred’s approach has been to use parent trainers and with specific courses, we make a strong case for a parent/practitioner co-training relationship.  Feedback has told us that having parent trainers greatly enhances practitioners’ learning experience and is vital when running parent workshops.

 
 ‘Made me stop and think about topics I had never considered.’ Parent

‘Very fulfilling and thought provoking – I think this training has been well thought out and well delivered. I would recommend it to others.’ Practitioner on ‘Training for Trainers – Key working’ Course

‘All content has been extremely well presented and the exercises good in supporting knowledge and skills.’  Practitioner on Key working course

Kindred’s Training Programme 

Training and education is recognised as an essential element in challenging the context in which families of disabled children and young people live. Many families experience discrimination and insensitivity largely through a lack of awareness and understanding amongst practitioners and society in general. Even in today’s society the majority of the population have little exposure to disabled people. This means that myths and prejudices can go unchecked and their perpetuation adds to the stress on families caring for a disabled child or young person. 

Kindred’s training programme, therefore, has been explicitly developed to address a range of topics. All training takes full account of the current policy and legislative environment within each of the four UK nations including Every Child Matters, Early Support, Getting it Right for Every Child and Additional Support for Learning.

Training topics include:

• The emotional and psychological impact that having a disabled child has on parents
• The impact and long term implications for siblings and other family members
• The tensions inherent in parenting a disabled child within a discriminatory societal and cultural context
• The historical and cultural explanations for discrimination
• The differences between childhood and adult disability
• Communication
• ‘Breaking news’
• How to include disabled children and young people in play and leisure activities
• The motivations of practitioners who work with families of disabled children and their implications for practice
• The emotional impact on practitioners and the need for effective support and supervision
• The elements of what constitutes effective support and supervision
• The way that structures and systems can move from service-centred to family-centred approaches
• The challenges and opportunities of multi-agency working
• The challenges and opportunities of working within a Social Model of Disability perspective
• Creating space for yourself as the parent of a disabled child and developing least damaging ‘coping mechanisms’
• Adjusting to parenting your disabled young person into adulthood

We also design and deliver workshops on topics requested by commissioners. If you would like to discuss the training topics above, or an idea you have for training, please complete an enquiry/booking form or use the contact e-mail.

The Trainers

Kindred commissions two independent trainers to design, develop and deliver its training programme.

Both trainers are parents of disabled sons and were previously Directors of Kindred (when it was known as SNIP).

Shirley Young

I have been a trainer for over thirty five years, having come into this field through my involvement with Guiding and was a Guide Association Training Licence holder.  My training approach is very much informed by my experience of being a parent of two disabled young men, now aged 24 and 26.  I was the founder parent-member of SNIP and thereafter Project Manager and Director until 2006.  I am now an independent trainer, coach and consultant. Recently I have worked in Russia and the Czech Republic, promoting the empowerment of parents to lobby for inclusive education. In addition, I hold two Public Appointments as Non-Executive Board Member for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIe) and as Scotland Committee member for the Big Lottery Fund.  I provide a practice supervision role to senior staff in the Voluntary sector.

Claire Edwards

 I have been a trainer for fifteen years.  I am a qualified counsellor and had a private practice from 1992 to 1999, working with people affected by issues such as cancer, HIV, sexual abuse, relationship and family breakdown.  I have worked in both the commercial and voluntary sectors for many years. I am the parent of an eleven year old with Down’s syndrome and my training approach is very much informed by my experiences as a parent and as a counsellor. I was the Training Manager for SNIP and then Director until 2009.  I am now an independent trainer, coach and consultant.  I have contributed to the work of the National Managed Clinical Network for Children with Exceptional Healthcare Needs (NMCN CEN), producing a short DVD and report on the emotional impact of Tube Feeding.  My work also includes providing a practice supervision role to staff in the voluntary and education sectors.

Kindred Key Worker Training

Background

Care Co-ordination/Key Working is a model and way of working that brings the different agencies together and that can go some way towards addressing the needs of families and disabled children by providing services in a co-ordinated way (Care Co-ordination Network UK 2000). 

Whilst professionals working with the families of children with additional needs bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their practice, the role of care Key Worker requires the post holder to develop additional skills and to work with an exclusive focus on the needs of these families across agency boundaries.

Kindred designed this training programme around a set of core skills; attitudes and values that we believe will enable Key Workers to develop their role with confidence. This approach is based on our extensive experience of working with families and professionals coupled with our own personal perspectives as parents of children and young people with additional needs, particularly disability.  

Aims of training programme

• To emphasise the importance of developing self-awareness in the role of Key Worker

• To identify and promote the development of attitudes/values needed for effective working in the role

• To identify and promote the development of the skills needed for effective working

• To stress the need for regular review and reflection of practice through an effective supervision relationship, peer support etc

• To encourage ongoing development of skills through identification of further training needs

General outcomes for participants

• To enable practitioners/parents to be effective and confident key workers, who access the support they need to keep themselves well, in order to continue to support families.

• To enable other practitioners to understand the role of key worker and how they can work effectively with their colleagues to best support families.

Participants receive a certificate of completion of the course.

Evaluation/quality assurance

 We ask participants to evaluate each session of the course, based on their opinion of whether the learning outcomes as stated above have been achieved. Feedback is used to inform future courses and we are constantly reviewing and revising material to ensure its validity and relevance.

Costs

The two day key worker training course costs £2,000 plus trainer expenses (travel, subsistence and accommodation) for up to 25 participants.  The commissioner will need to provide the venue and refreshments.

For more information complete an enquiry/booking form or contact e-mail

‘Training for Trainers – Key working’ Course

Kindred recognises that it is important for authorities to develop capacity to deliver Key Worker training that addresses specific local needs. To that end we have developed a ‘Training for Trainers’ (TFT) course, which enables successful participants to go on to deliver KWT in their local area, adapting and adjusting it as appropriate but with the principles of Care Co-ordination clearly underpinning its delivery.

Aims of training programme

• To increase capacity for the wider delivery of Key worker training
• To ensure that the training is delivered with full reference to and appreciation of the principles of Care Co-ordination and core skills, values and attitudes
• To give participants ownership of the materials
•  To ensure that this training is delivered to a consistent standard

Training programme

The programme takes place over five days, this is a lengthy period but we believe it is required because of the intense nature of the issues with which participants will be working and to facilitate ownership of the training materials.

Participants may already have a good grounding in the principles of Care Co-ordination and Key working, nonetheless these must be revisited to ensure that future delivery of the KWT courses are rooted in this context and that there is a common understanding of terms and definitions.

Method

The KWT course is made up of five sessions, each lasting three hours and focusing on a specific aspect of Key working. The TFT course looks closely at these five sessions over the week, using the material as the basis of the training. The TFT course has two main elements – firstly, the development of the individual’s skills as a trainer and secondly, gaining understanding and ownership of the KWT course. Participants make a number of presentations and deliver elements of the session to their peers and the facilitators, receiving feedback and opportunities for self-evaluation. A process of deconstruction, definition and exploration of the materials facilitate the second element.

Day one of the TFT course is spent looking at group dynamics and learning styles. Personal learning styles are identified and an initial self-assessment is made of trainer experience and approach. The following two mornings are spent working with a session. Sessions are made up of a mixture of exercises in pairs or small groups, brainstorms and facilitator input. The purpose and expected outcome of each element of the session are therefore defined and explored through exercises designed to encourage participants to embark on a process of deconstruction. The course facilitators input will also include their experiences of common issues that can arise when delivering each particular session.

The afternoon then provides the opportunity to ‘reconstruct’ and begin to develop some ownership of the material.

Assessment

Assessment is through a combination of self- appraisal, peer feedback and facilitator evaluation. The course is designed to draw on participants’ skills and knowledge with emphasis being placed on attitudes in the evaluation.  Expected levels of awareness, sensitivity and willingness to learn will feature among a number of elements on which participants will be scored. Feedback from the facilitators in particular will therefore be based on written evidence collected each day. Participants will have frequent opportunities to discuss the feedback and also to comment on each of the sessions.

Materials

Participants will receive a complete set of the training materials including the session planners, all handouts and reading list as well as guidance notes relating to the exercises. All materials refer to two trainers as we believe this to be the optimal method of delivery, however, each session can be managed by one trainer with some adjustment.

Booking and Cost

The training course is delivered over five days from 9.30 – 4.30, usually from Monday to Friday. Homework is not set whilst on the course but some prior reading is required and this is provided along with details of venue, parking, transport links, accommodation etc when the participant’s booking is confirmed.

Number of participants per course – 4 to 10

Participation on the course costs £1500 per person

This includes –

• A full set of training materials and manual
• Certificate on successful completion
• Lunch and refreshments

This covers the costs of –

• Two trainers
• All training materials & ‘handouts’
• Venue costs

Participants will have to arrange for costs of accommodation & travel (if required) to be met through their usual expense mechanisms.

On-site delivery

 The course can be delivered locally. There can be economic advantages in doing this as there are significant discounts for participants, but overheads i.e. venue and refreshments must be met by the host. In addition, travel and accommodation for the two trainers must be met by the commissioning organisation.

• On-site fee is £1,250 oer person for 4-9 people
• Guaranteed group of 10 participannts, fee is discounted to £1000 per person

Who is this course for?

• Trainers wanting to add Key Worker training to their portfolio
• Practitioners and parents wanting to deliver training in Key Working locally
• Key workers for disabled children/with additional support needs and their families interested in developing Key working beyond their own practice
• Managers wanting to develop Care Co-ordination and Key working in their localities

If you would like to find out more please complete the enquiry form or contact e-mail

or call Shirley Young on 0131 332 8807 Mobile: 07917865482