Standard 2 Personal development Your Name:

Workplace:

Start Date:

Completion Date:

Contents 1.

Competence in your own work role within the sector

2.

Reflective practice

3.

Evaluating own performance

4.

Producing a personal development plan

5.

Using learning opportunities and reflective practice to contribute to personal development

CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

Standard 2 Personal development 1.

Competence in your own work role within the sector

1.1 Understand the main duties and responsibilities of your own work role On commencing employment, you should have received a job description that sets out the main functions of your role and what you will be doing. You may also have received a person specification. This is usually attached to or part of the job description and sets out the knowledge and skills required to do the job. Job descriptions can be vague and they don’t always describe tasks in great detail. People are sometimes given work programs that give more detail about the tasks they will perform in their roles. Your employer may operate a rota or timetable that sets out which person is to be supported and at what time. Discuss with your supervisor / manager any concerns you may have about your job description and any other aspects of your employment. If you work for a large organisation, you may have a Human Resources department or lead person who can provide additional help and guidance about your employment. Your induction should enable you to understand the requirements within your role and the wider context of the organisation that you work within.

1.2 Be aware of standards and codes of practice that relate to your work role The General Social Care Council (GSCC) issued Codes of Practice for social care and support workers. The GSCC no longer exist as an organisation but the Codes remain a valid list of statements describing the standards of professional conduct and practice required of every worker as they go about their daily work. You will already have looked at some of the content of the Codes in Standard 1. The Code of Practice is issued to all new workers and forms part of the contract of employment. If you do not have a copy of the Codes, you can download them from the Skills for Care website You will need to work within these Codes at all times.

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

Your employer also has to abide by the Codes of Practice. Your employer must give you clear information about your role to ensure you understand and can carry out your work to a high quality and standard. There are many other regulations and standards that you must follow in your job role. It would be impossible to learn them in detail but it is important that you know which are relevant to your role and their general meaning so you can work within the law and requirements of your employer. You can consult relevant documents, policies or webpages for further details as and when particular issues arise. Here are a few examples of relevant legislation with links to webpages where you will be able to find out more information: National Occupational Standards describe best practice by bringing together skills, knowledge and values. National Occupational Standards are valuable tools to be used as benchmarks for qualifications as well as for defining roles at work, staff recruitment, supervision and appraisal. For more information go to: http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/developing_skills/National_Occupational_Standards Health and Social Care Act 2008 was established by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). CQC is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. They regulate care provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies and voluntary organisations. They aim to make sure better care is provided for everyone - in hospitals, care homes and people's own homes. Every organisation providing personal care has to be registered with CQC who set and inspect the following standards: 

Health and personal care standards



Daily life and social activities



Complaints and protection



Environment



Staffing



Management and administration

For more information go to: http://www.cqc.org.uk/ The Equality Act - October 2010. It replaces previous legislation (such as the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995) and ensures consistency in what you need to do to make your workplace a fair environment and to comply with the law. It covers the same groups that were protected by existing equality legislation – age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity and also strengthens particular aspects of equality law. For more information go to: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3017&gclid=CL2prZPqnaQCFRr92AodGUjYFQ Page 3 of 19

CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

Human Rights Act gives rights and freedoms that impact on matters of life and death, they also affect the rights you have in your everyday life: what you can say and do, your beliefs, your right to a fair trial and other similar basic entitlements. The Act covers: 

The right to life



Protection against torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment



Freedom from slavery and forced labour



Liberty and security of a person



A fair and public trial within a reasonable time



No punishment without law



Respect for private and family life, home and correspondence



Freedom of thought, conscience and religion



Freedom of expression



Freedom of assembly and association



The right to marry and found a family



Prohibition of discrimination in the enjoyment of convention rights

For more information go to: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Yourrightsandresponsibilities Health and Safety At Work Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety. Your employer should display a copy of this Act on their main premises. For more information go to: http://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm 1.3 Be aware of how your previous experiences, personal attitudes and beliefs may affect the way you work Thankfully, we are all very different. Our experiences, attitudes and beliefs are all different too. We could never agree with everyone else on every subject and we should celebrate our differences. However, in your work, you cannot allow any of your previous experiences, personal attitudes and beliefs to influence the way that you support individuals. Policies, procedures and agreed ways of working are important as they will tell you how your employer expects you to work. Here are some things to think about: Just because an individual is in a wheelchair, it doesn’t mean that they have the same level of ability as other people in wheelchairs

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two Just because you celebrate a particular religious holiday or festival, it doesn’t mean that other people celebrate at the same time or want to be involved Just because you see a person with a white stick, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are totally blind Just because you believe in eating healthy food, it doesn’t mean you can force your views onto others, even though it is good to give encourage encouragement Just because an individual you are supporting has a black eye, it doesn’t mean they are being physically abused (although you do have a responsibility to check this is not the case) Just because you know a person with Dementia and they behave in a particular way, it doesn’t mean that everyone with Dementia will behave in the same way and have the same care and support needs Just because a person has acted abusively towards a family member in the past, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will act abusively in the future

2.

Reflective practice

2.1 Understand the importance of reflective practice in continuously improving the quality of service provided

evaluate the views of

Reflective practice is about you taking a look at yourself and

the

effectiveness of your work individuals you support.

the

and taking into consideration

The reason this is important is so you can make changes to how you work that lead to continuous improvement in the way you provide services. You need to think about the following: 

what kind of attitude do you have



what things do you do well and what could you improve upon



how could you do things differently and get better outcomes in the future

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

2.2 Know how to evaluate your own knowledge, performance and understanding against relevant standards Once you know what knowledge you need, what performance levels are expected and what the relevant standards are, you can use these to think about and reflect on how well you are doing. It is important that you ask for constructive feedback from the people you are supporting and your supervisor / manager. Your colleagues may also be able to advise you. Feedback will help you to understand the areas in which you can work to improve your skills. Your employer may use a 360 degree feedback system that asks for feedback on your performance from various people you interact with at work. If not, CIS Assessment can provide you with information and access to a 360 degree feedback system. Email: [email protected].

3.

Evaluating own performance

3.1 Understand the functional level of literacy, numeracy and communication skills necessary to carry out your role In order to work confidently and effectively, you will need to be able to:

 read and write in English clearly  be able to communicate verbally clearly in English  do basic maths calculations Your job role may also require you to speak other languages or use sign and symbol languages if you have been employed specifically to work with people who communicate in a specific ways. You must be able to communicate with the people you are supporting so you can meet their needs and understand when there are problems that need resolving. It is also important that you are able to read and understand a variety of documents like policies, procedures, care and support plans. Numeracy skills will be needed in tasks such as telling the time, administering medication, money transactions, cooking times and temperatures. Poor communication will affect the quality of the service you are able to provide and could result in the neglect of an individual’s needs.

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

3.2 Be aware of ways to assess your current level of literacy, numeracy and communication skills You may be asked to take a numeracy, literacy and communication skills assessments as part of your induction or as part of a qualification. This is a great opportunity to identify your current skill levels. This website provides a free resource where you can take a short test to see if you are likely to meet level 1 in numeracy and literacy http://www.move-on.org.uk/testyourskills.asp

If you do not meet the standards or you are concerned about your skills, you should work with your supervisor / manager to organise some learning and development activities to enable you to improve.

You must not be embarrassed if you have difficulties; many people have problems with numeracy and literacy skills and this is a really good time to do something positive.

3.3 Know how to record progress in relation to your personal development You will be involved in a variety of learning activities as part of your on-going professional development. You should keep a record of any learning and development activities you participate in. Some activities will provide you with a certificate of attendance. You need to record the activity, the date, length of time and what the key learning points were. It is important that you always reflect on any learning activities you undertake. You should write down what you have learned in an action plan and consider how the learning relates to your job role. Using benchmarking systems, for example, online assessments and 360 degree feedback, will enable you to measure your knowledge and skills at a particular point in time. By using these systems regularly, you will be able to track your progress. You should always seek feedback from the people you provide services to and record their comments so you can make comparisons with previous comments to track your progress.

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two 4.

Producing a personal development plan

4.1 Be aware of sources of support for your personal development When you have completed your twelve week induction to achieve the Skills for Care Common Induction Standards, you will need to consider your on-going professional development. You will continue to learn new things to enable you to provide the best support and care. You may also need or want to undertake qualifications that are relevant to your job role. There may be further training you need to attend during the few months after the initial 12 week period, perhaps to meet the specific requirements of your job role. Your personal development and learning should always be regularly discussed during supervision meetings and always reviewed at your appraisal which would usually take place as an annual review of your performance and development. You will need regular refresher training to keep your skills up to date and to keep up with changes in legislation. You are accountable for the quality of your work and you must take responsibility for maintaining and improving your knowledge and skills. There are many different ways you can learn and get support, here are some examples: Supervision

Appraisal

Qualification

Training course

E-learning

Action Learning Sets

Shadowing

Being mentored

Secondment

On the job

E-assessment

Project work

Conferences

Team briefings

Reading

You need to be aware of the best ways that you learn things so you know how you can choose the right types of learning activities to help you to develop your knowledge and skills further. Learning styles questionnaires are a good way to find out how you learn best. There are several free questionnaires on the internet. This website will assess your learning style and give you information about the types of learning activities suitable for you. http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/questions.asp Other useful websites for identifying your learning styles and finding support are: http://www.bbc.co.uk/keyskills/extra/module1/1.shtml http://www.brainboxx.co.uk/a2_learnstyles/pages/roughandready.htm Page 8 of 19

CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two Supervision Supervision is a great opportunity for you to receive feedback about your performance, to ask any questions you have about your employment or situations relating to the individuals you support. You will also discuss your learning and development needs and progress. Essentially, anything that is covered in these Standards that you are unsure about, you can raise at supervision so you can get support or be guided where to get support or what to do. Skills for Care wrote a guide for managers called “Providing Effective Supervision”. The guide suggests that every person has a supervision agreement setting out what will happen when you meet. This is a good idea as it will help you to know what will happen. Supervision usually takes place every 4-6 weeks depending on your role and it is recommended that you spend a few minutes beforehand preparing what you would like to discuss. Supervision is for both you and your supervisor / manager to benefit

4.2 Be aware of how others may assist to review and prioritise learning needs and development opportunities Personal Development Planning is a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and achievement and to plan for their personal, educational, and career development. Your employer may have a personal development plan. It is usually a one page document and is often referred to as a PDP and is a record of the development activities you need or want to achieve. You can create your own PDP by writing down each of your learning needs, what you will do to learn and a timescale for completion. Here is an example of what a PDP might look like: What do I need to learn?

How will I learn?

How will this help at work?

Review / completion date

If you have regular access to a computer, you could use this table by copying and pasting it into a new Microsoft Word document, adding more rows and inserting information about yourself in the boxes. You may have a training department or lead person who can help you plan your development and tell you what learning activities are available to you. You should discuss your learning and development needs and how you will learn with your supervisor / manager

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

4.3 Know why feedback from others is important in helping to develop and improve the way you work We all have some idea about how good we are at doing things but how good are we at judging this. Here are some thoughts: Mr A believes he is a good driver. He keeps his car in good condition and cleans it every Saturday. Because he knows he is a good driver, he thinks it was acceptable to drive everywhere very fast because he has never had a car accident. Do you agree that Mr A is a good driver? Mrs B believes she is a good care worker. She visits the same partially deaf individual every day. Communication can be difficult and she gives the individual the same breakfast every day and the individual always smiles. Because she arrives on time and lovingly prepares breakfast she doesn’t think it is necessary to ask the individual if they would like to eat something different for a change. Do you think that Mr B could do things differently? The most important people are those you are providing services to. It is their opinions’ that matter. It is therefore extremely important to listen to their feedback as this will help you to understand where you can develop your skills further. If this raises concerns or issues, you should discuss these with your supervisor / manager. Other people that you work with may also be able to provide support, guidance and feedback to you in your role. 5.

Using learning opportunities and reflective practice to contribute to personal development

5.1 Recognise ways to measure how effective a learning activity has been Before you undertake any kind of learning activity, you should discuss with your supervisor / manager what you need to learn. You can then identify, based on your learning style and available resources, how you will learn. Once you have completed the learning activity, you then need to consider whether you were successful in learning what you set out to learn and discuss with your supervisor / manager how you will implement this learning into your day to day practice.

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

When you have learnt something new, the best thing to do is to use what you have learnt as soon as possible in your job role and to repeat it regularly or practice so it is easier to remember. Here are some examples to show how learning activities can be put into practice: Mr X works in a care home. He has just taken a health and safety e-learning course where he learnt about the different types of risks and hazards. He sees that someone has left some boxes in front of the fire escape. Before the course, he would have walked by thinking this was not his responsibility but now he knows he has a duty to both move the boxes immediately and inform his supervisor / manager. Every time he walks past the fire exit, he glances over to make sure it is clear. This action could save peoples’ lives if there is a fire. Mrs Y works as a care assistant in an extra care housing unit. She is new and has just completed moving and handling of people training where she learnt how to use a standing hoist. Several of the residents use standing hoists and Mrs Y asks her manager if she can work with with these individuals for the next couple of weeks so she can get lots of practice using the standing hoist. During this time she was observed by her supervisor who confirmed she was performing the move professionally. This has raised the standard of support being provided. The key point is that Mrs X and Mrs Y could see the direct relationship between the learning activity and their practice and in both cases, the supervisor / manager was able to see the benefit of the learning and give feedback to Mrs X and Mr Y. If you cannot put into practice what you have learnt, then the method of learning may not be suitable for you and you will need to talk to your supervisor / manager about how you learn though a different method, perhaps one that is more suitable to your learning style.

5.2 Recognise how you have used a situation at work to improve the way you work You should always be thinking about how you could make improvements. You could be responsible for saving time or money or for improving the quality of the lives of the people you support. Here is another scenario to think about:

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

Imagine Mrs B (from 4.3) is on holiday and you are asked to visit the partially deaf individual to prepare their breakfast. You meet a member of the family who tells you the individual eats the same food every day. You ask the individual what they would like for breakfast and while it is difficult to communicate, you develop good enough communication skills with the individual that might include gestures or showing different food options and you find out that they would like to eat something different. Every day you provide the individual with options and you make a note in the care plan about the change to the individual’s choices. This scenario shows how you could make improvements to an individual’s life by taking the time to consider their wishes.

5.3 Understand the system for recording personal development in your work setting Your organisation may have a system for recording your personal development. This is sometimes called “PDR”. Your supervisor / manager should keep details in your supervision file and you may have a training department who keeps training course records and e-learning. It is recommended that you keep a folder of evidence of all of the learning and development activities that you have completed. In the folder, you can keep things like training course certificates, testimonials from individuals you support, compliments and thank you letters.

5.4 Know how to development

record

and

update

your

own

continual

professional

When faced with a situation at work which could have gone better, reflecting on your work can enable you to improve and make better decisions next time. This can be recorded in your Progress Log book, in a Reflective Diary, in your own folder of evidence or during 1:1 supervision. You can also record your own professional development by using a table like the one below which is very similar to the PDP table. This is a Personal Development Record. What activity did I do?

What did I learn?

How will this help at work?

Progress review date

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

Your Personal Development Plan and Record should be regularly updated and will help to reflect on what you have achieved over the past year as well as plan for the future. A useful technique for forward planning is to ask yourself the following questions; 

Where am I now, what am I doing and how well am I doing it?



Where do I want to be in 1, 2 and 5 years’ time – what are my goals?



What new skills, knowledge and behaviours will I need to get there?



How might my work change in the next few years?



How can I achieve my goals?



What opportunities and resources are available?

You can break these questions down into short, medium and long term goals.

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

Questions: Personal development 1.1

Understand the main duties and responsibilities of your own work role

List your main duties and responsibilities?

1.2

Be aware of standards and codes of practice that relate to your work role

Which Codes of Practice relate to your work role?

What are some of the key pieces of legislation that cover your work?

1.3

Be aware of how your previous experiences, personal attitudes and beliefs may affect the way you work

How could your previous experiences, personal attitudes and beliefs affect the way you work?

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

What will you do to ensure your previous experiences, personal attitudes and beliefs do not affect the way you work?

2.1

Understand the importance of reflective practice in continuously improving the quality of service provided

What is reflective practice?

Why is reflective practice important?

2.2

Know how to evaluate your own understanding against relevant standards

knowledge,

performance

and

How will you evaluate your own knowledge, performance and understanding against relevant standards?

3.4 Understand the functional level of literacy, numeracy and communication skills necessary to carry out your role

Describe the level of skills in numeracy, literacy and communication you need to carry out your role

Why is it important to have this level of skills in numeracy, literacy and communication?

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

3.2

Be aware of ways to assess your current level of literacy, numeracy and communication skills

How could you assess your level of skills in numeracy, literacy and communication?

3.3

Know how to record progress in relation to your personal development

How will you record your progress in relation to your personal development?

4.1

Be aware of sources of support for your personal development

How can you get support with your personal development?

What regular refresher training standards will you have to meet and how often?

Name 10 different ways that you could learn?

What will happen at supervision?

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

4.2

Be aware of how others may assist to review and prioritise learning needs and development opportunities

Who can assist you to review and prioritise your learning needs and development opportunities?

4.3

Know why feedback from others is important in helping to develop and improve the way you work

Why is feedback from others important in helping you to develop and improve the way you work?

What is an annual appraisal?

Describe a situation where feedback from another person enabled you to improve?

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

5.1 Recognise ways to measure how effective a learning activity has been How do you know if a learning activity has been effective?

5.2 Recognise how you have used a situation at work to improve the way you work Describe a situation at work where you think you have improved by using reflective practice.

5.3 Understand the system for recording personal development in your work setting What system is in place for recording personal development?

5.4 Know how to development

record

and

update

your

own

continual

professional

How will you record and update your own professional development?

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CIS Assessment Induction Workbook – Two

Shall we find out what you have learnt? Now that you have completed this section you can have a go at the online assessment for Common Induction Standard 2. To do this you will need to visit www.cis-assessment.co.uk and log on by entering your username and password in the boxes provided. You will then be able to select Common Induction Standards then Standard 2. Don’t forget to read the instruction page before you start. Once you have completed this assessment and had a discussion about the results with your manager or supervisor, you may want to do a little more learning and / or return to your results and record additional evidence. You can also print out the results pages (which include any additional information you have added) for your Induction Folder and CPD Portfolio.

http://www.cis-assessment.co.uk

Copyright note for Managers and Employers The workbook(s) can be completed online or on a printed copy. You can make any changes, deletions or additions to suit your circumstances. You can personalise the workbook(s) by adding your organisation’s name and logo. Please make sure that CIS-Assessment is credited for putting the workbook(s) together and providing them without charge. You cannot copy, reproduce or use any part of the workbook(s) for financial gain or as part of a training event that you are profiting from.

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