WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Achieving Organisational Success by Support Staff Competence (AOSSSC©)

AOSSSC© is a Training Model set against our Competency Framework and developed to enable Organisations to implement a process of Continuous Improvement within their Workforce Development Plans.

Benefits of this programme

• A blueprint for excellence giving focus for staff development and continuous Workforce Development
• Access to over 700 eHub online courses
• Reduce staff turnover and attract and retain the right staff
• Provide an effective trackable supervision, appraisal and review system
• Align staff and organisational objectives through our suite of appraisals, supervision contracts, training, learning pathways and ePortfolios’.
• Create Personal and Professional Plans to Implement Continuous Improvement Motivate
• Improve Staff competence through Goal setting, Development & Promotion

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1. Competency Framework - sets out a blueprint for excellence in  performance within the child and adult disability sector.
2. Appraisal Tools - which can be used to link organisational objectives with staff  development planning. 
3. Supervision Tools - designed to embed supervision in the organisations culture.
4. Reflective Lens - provides supervisors with a lens to focus the development of each  of the competency areas and link to practice. 
5. eHub - an eLearning hub of excellence written by our team of experts specifically  addressing the training needs of the child and adult care sector, offering learning  pathways, and a range of CPD solutions with links to our Competency Framework.
6. ePortfolio - a tool to host all learning activity, reflections, certificates and plans for future  learning and development. 

The Competency Framework has been developed through extended frontline experience, and is aligned with the modern legal, regulatory and policy environment in Ireland today, in particular the HIQA Standards. The Framework implements a programme of continuous development, allowing you to meet new policy guides, monitor and improve all parts of the workforce development cycle, and quickly identify and respond to gaps within your organisation.

We conducted a feasibility study in the disability sector part funded by the Kildare Enterprise Board in 2017. The results informed us that organisations were looking to embark on large scale improvement initiatives but faced many challenges such as, they :

• lacked the manpower
• specialism
• accreditation routes
• resources or finance to develop the strategic workforce tools they required

Following on from these findings, we developed the following tools and capabilities for the disability sector. We took the Swiss cheese model which is a model of defensive barriers and reversed it, to set out the detail of what a successful organisation looks like. Having undertaken further research, we merged our expertise with powerful digital tools to provide organisations with an unprecedented amount of capability to improve the services they offer and to navigate them towards a totally Person Centered Focused service, meeting HIQA regulations and fulfilling other legislative obligations.

Our tools assist organisations to become proactive, providing them with the means to get ahead, avoid reputational damage and become centres of excellence.

Our workforce tools are developed against a competency framework which is a blueprint for best practice in disability services. Our competency framework sets out the role of different staff within the organisation which can be used for staff recruitment, development, mentoring, supervision, appraisal, monitoring and preparing staff for progression. It is designed to support organisations to meet the modern expectations and demands within the disability sector.

Competency Framework was developed following extensive research in order to enable organisations implement a cycle of continuous Improvement. The Core Knowledge and Skills Areas within our framework are based on six core principles which we identified from HIQA standards and New Directions. The core areas are common to all professionals in the sector. These include:

Social Care Ireland - Competency Framework

Person Centered Approach

Recognises the consequences of individuals with disabilities been disempowered in society and the effect it has on them. Has clear boundaries with service users and recongnises their right to autonomy and self-determination.

Quality Services

Provides care and support which is planned and delivered in a person-centred way. The person's priorities, example physical, age, emotional, social, cultural needs, guides all decisions and actions. Understanding the mulitple and complex needs of a service user.

Safety

Can recognise and respond to the individuals need for a physical environment which is acceptable to them and meets their needs/preferences in respect of space, aesthetics ( including sensory preference), noise, unpredictable movement of others, and more.

Professionalism

Working in a professional and ethical manner maintaining confidentiality and respecting the rights of the individual. Takes care to manage personal and work-related stress.

Community & Culture

Identifies opportunities to recognise the importance and significance of relationships with family members and others. Develops a rapport with those close to the individual.

Leadership, Supervision & Management

Has the ability to recognise where they need to develop capacity within their own practice. Has the ability to describe and demonstrate the skills relevant to their role. Recognises the need for change and is supportive of the same.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Our workforce tools are developed against a competency framework which is a blueprint for best practice in disability services.

Benefits includes

• Clearly defines roles for Direct Support Works, Supervisors and Managers
• Allows organisations to tailor their training needs based on identifying attitude, knowledge and skills gaps within their workforce
• Create Individual staff Personal and Professional Plans to Implement Continuous Improvement
• Motivate and Improve Staff through:
• Goal setting
• Development
• Promotion