latest news

Presentation Skills Master Class

Presentation Skills Master Class

Wednesday 22nd September 2010
10:30am – 3:00pm
Kesgrave Community and Conference Centre

This Master Class aims to help managers develop their presentation skills:
• Do you find presenting ideas and information to groups of people difficult?
• Are you sometimes unsure your presentations are fully understood by your audience?
• Are you always clear of the outcome you want to achieve from your presentations?
• Would you find learning new and different presentation techniques useful?

For more information and to book a place, please download the booking form below

Dignity in Care monthly update

Updates from the DH Dignity Team

• Monthly Key new update
• Dignity Champions monthly update
• Notes from the partnership board meetings
• Dignity in Care Challenge cards
• Dignity Networks map
• B.I.G – Work underway
• Request for updates

Recent updates on DH Policy related to dignity in care

• Dementia – Horses mouth
• Action packs for champions
• The Big Lunch

Suffolk Brokerage Newsletter Spring 2010

Download our Spring Newsletter 2010

In this installment we have:

• Update
• Message from the Chair
• Funding Levels Increased
• Funding for Training Changes
• The new way to claim funding for NVQs
• How we ensure fairness and transpaency
• New NMDS-sc requirements for employers
• Quality Monitored Training Provision
• Suffolk Care Ambassadors
• Its time to back young Britian
• Managers Forum
• What does Personalisation mean to you?
• Introducing the new Independant Safeguarding Authority
• Suffolk Adult Care Providers conference 2010
• CQC publishes the state of health care and adult social care
• Goodbye to Stephanie

Autism Alert Card

Does someone who accesses your services have and Autistic Spectrum Condition? f you do you may already have been in a position where an individuals behaviour has not been fully understood and appreciated. A free credit card sized alert card is now available and can be carried by the individual at all times. It will provide others, such as emergency services, with details of the condition. For further information please click here

Skills for Care eNews

Welcome to skills for care's enews

Welcome to the latest edition of the enews containing news from Skills for Care and information you may find useful from across the sector.

to view our regional updates please click on the link below:

South East

Revised common induction standards 

These are now available on the Skills for Care website at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/cis. Following consultation with the sector, Skills for Care has refreshed the standards to ensure they are fit for purpose and reflect current policy and practice.

The standards now map across to the mandatory units of the new Health and Social Care Diploma (part of the qualifications and credit) to ensure there is consistency of approach for the workforce. There are now eight standards, however they will not take any longer to complete and the core elements are still retained.

Qualifications and credit framework (qcf)

The second edition of our newsletter aimed at keeping you up-to-date on the progress of the new Health and Social Care Diplomas at level 2 and level 3 is now available.

This weeks newsletter looks the structure of the QCF and contains an update on funding QCF newsletter 10 June 2010.

Combating violence against care staff
The 'work smart, work safe' guides and posters are now available to order. There are two guides available - one aimed at employers and one aimed at staff and volunteers.

The guides offer practical advice on risk management to avoid violent situations at work. More information is available on our website www.skillsforcare.org.uk/combatingviolence. 

If you would like to receive copies of any of the material please email marketing@skillsforcare.org.uk.

Research into privately purchased care

Skills for Care has commissioned groundbreaking new research which will establish the size of the privately purchased adult home care market and the nature of the workforce that is providing it. 

Currently there is no information on the number of people in England who buy their own care and support privately. The research will cover people employing personal assistants and other staff for their own care and support or in a carer capacity, whether funded though direct payments, personal budgets and other state funding, or entirely self-funded.

News release:
Skills for Care commission new research on people employing their own care and support

Call for carer recognition
It is time carers were valued and supported, not taken for granted, writes carers group head Jacqui Martin in Community Care.

Skills for Care and Skills for Health are working in partnership to strengthen health and social care workers understanding of the importance of carers in the delivery of health and social care. We have now developed a national learning/training framework with supporting resources to ensure that key workers receive training to better support carers. These resources are now being piloted across the country.

For more information please visit www.skillsforcare.org.uk/carers.

Skills for Care and Skills for Health are sponsoring Carers Week 2010 which runs from  14-20 June www.carersweek.org

Train to gain cash 'redirected'

The Government has said that £200 million of the Train to Gain budget will be redirected to fund the delivery of 50,000 Apprenticeship places and establish a fund for college building programmes 
Skills Funding Agency statement

Apprenticeship innovation fund

Skills for Care wishes to invite tenders from suitable organisations to support the development of apprenticeships in social care. We have set aside a fund of £146,000 to support a small number of projects aimed at developing innovation and new approaches to apprenticeship delivery.

Tenders for the fund must be submitted to Skills for Care by 5pm on 9 July 2010.
For further information please visit: http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/tenders/Apprenticeship_Innovation_Fund.aspx

Improvements to nmds-sc online service

Skills for Care continually strives to make the NMDS-SC online easy for social care employers to use. A new update to the online system and questions means even more benefits for users.
Changes include:

• An extended sort function on the worker list.
• Employers can now enter details about workers who do not hold qualifications or are not working towards any, that will make it easier for employers to use the Training and Qualifications Report to identify skills gaps and identify development opportunities for individual workers.

If you have any queries relating to NMDS-SC or have forgotten your username and/or password please call the NMDS-SC Helpdesk on 0845 873 0129 or click here to send request by email. The Helpdesk are available Monday to Friday 8.30am - 5.30pm.
Skills for Care NMDS-SC

Events
last chance to sign up to meet the InLAWS 
To book your place at the free national event where you can find out more about the InLAWS approach please follow the link below. More than 80 local authorities have already signed up to attend - make sure you're don't miss out!

The Skills for Care and ADASS event takes place on Wednesday 30 June at Holiday Inn Bloomsbury, London. 
http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/events/2010events/InLAWSevent2010.aspx

Skills for Care works to ensure the adult social care sector has a modern, flexible and highly skilled workforce to deliver quality care. We are committed to working with employers and other key stakeholders to ensure we are supporting their needs and those of people who use services and carers.

CARE HOMES INFECTION CONTROL NEWS

The CHICS (CARE HOMES INFECTION CONTROL in SUFFOLK) NEWSLETTER

Network groups
are continuing in Felixstowe, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds. The groups are aimed at infection control champion’s and all those responsible for infection prevention and control within the care home. A different I.C subject is discussed at each session and it is an ideal time to bring any questions to the group.

The next groups are:
St Peters, Bury St Edmunds on June 2nd, 2-4pm
Foxgrove, NH Felixstowe on July 14th, 2-4pm and
Anglesea Hts, Ipswich on July 21st, 2-4pm
To book your place and for further details call Dianne on 01473 770213 or
e-mail Dianne.kent2@suffolkpct.nhs.uk

New Clostridium difficile Management Flowchart
Introduction of the Flowchart for the management of Clostridium difficile in Care Homes. The chart was designed to help care home staff work through the process of when to send samples and when to implement strict cleaning schedules etc. A copy can be downloaded from the suffolkextranet.nhs.uk

Download the flowchart

Download the full newsletter below including special Points of interest:

• Network groups
• New Flowchart
• Care Homes Conference
• Message board
• Information Zone
• Contact details

A DIGNIFIED REVOLUTION NEWSLETTER: MAY 2010

Whilst the experiences of poor care continue to hit the headlines it is great that the we are able to include the Good News Corner in this month’s edition of the newsletter. Scroll down to read more.

On 20 May we held a meeting in Llandrindod Wells to discuss the development of a Dignity Champion Network for Wales. It was an excellent day, with wide representation from the caring sectors. There is a real passion to further develop the network to provide support, share expertise, practice and resources. The next meeting will take place on Thursday 23 September in Llandrindod Wells and anyone who would like to join us is most welcome.

Download the full newsletter below