There is a very interesting debate on SCILS forums at present regarding the validity and content of mandatory training for Social Care Staff. A number of our clients have tried to obtain definitive answers, and this is the most comprehensive answer they received (from CSCI):
“The mandatory training requirement is:
1. Moving and handling (annually)
2. Health and safety (annually)
3. Adult Protection/Abuse (every two years)Other training may be required during inspection dependent upon service offered:
1. Child Protection
2. Food safety
3. Control and restraint
4. Medication
Care Academy provides mandatory refresher training based on this guidance. On top of this we include content on:
- Your role as a carer.
- Worker relationships.
- Confidentiality.
These focus on good working practices, with an objective to remove bad practices from the workplace.
Finally, on our clients’ behalf we track content / policy changes and alter content accordingly, for example the first aid guidelines changing recently, all carers were given a refresher.
Refresher training should not purely be about timing, more about making sure your team always has access to, and is applying the latest knowledge and skills.