Training modules and courses for care workers

Local authorities have made their training available on-line for anyone in Wales to access.

Social Care Wales (in partnership with other organisations) has developed a quick guide to basic skills for supporting someone living with dementia. The guide is aimed at people new to care or redeployed from other areas. It can be used for induction or for workers to read in their own time.

Social Care Wales, in partnership with Rhoda Emlyn-Jones from Achieving Sustainable Change, has developed video resources to help you have good ‘what matters’ conversations with people who may need care and support. The videos are aimed at social care workers, volunteers, or people who have been redeployed.

Having a ‘what matters’ conversation is a skilled way of working with an individual to establish their situation, their current well-being and what can be done to help them maximise their well-being and build resilience.

When we have a ‘what matters’ conversation, it helps us to focus on what provides the most benefit to a person and supports them to live a life that is meaningful and fulfilling for them.

The first video called Good Beginnings helps us think about the structure of our first conversation with someone. This early interaction sets the scene for how we work with people and build positive relationships.

The second video called Working with People helps us to think about the style and approach of the on-going conversations we have with people we support.

The third video called Good Endings helps us to plan for when people no longer need our support, and how we ensure that when we end our interactions, we leave people in a better place.

The fourth video called Why we have Strengths-based Conversations provides an overview of why we focus on ‘what matters’ to people. It explains the emphasis in legislation in Wales on improving people’s wellbeing by focusing on their personal outcomes.

Cardiff University has developed a module on Dealing with loss, death and dying as part of their Becoming a Caring & Compassionate Practitioner in Health and Social Care course. The module is available underneath the Resilient Practitioner section.

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) has launched an online medication awareness training module which can be accessed from their website.

New short online medication administration training is now available on the HEIW Pharmacy website.

This training has been specifically designed for domiciliary care workers who may be asked to administer medication due to the pressures of Covid19, or who are now administering from original packaging rather than blister packs. An administration checklist is also available to prompt safe administration by care workers and should be used by managers to assure themselves of individual competence. Pharmacists are able to issue Medication Administration Records (MAR) sheets when dispensing medication in original packaging to encourage and support care workers to maintain complete and accurate records.

Learning@Wales is a NHS Wales national learning platform offering a wide range of free courses available to support staff, particularly during the Covid outbreak. The key courses that are available inculde:

• Basic Observations (eg, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturations)
• Infection and Prevention Control
• Safeguarding Adults and Children
• Verification of Death

To access these resources you will need to create an account for guidance on how to do this contact the Digital Learning Helpdesk on elearning@wales.nhs.uk.

UNISON Cymru Wales has a Wales Union Learning Fund (WULF) project that works in partnership with its UNISON branches, employers and other trade unions in workplaces across Wales. Together they organise and fund online and face-to-face courses, workshops and other learning activities. Social care workers can access these learning opportunities here.

The Open University has over 100 free courses covering a range of areas. Topics relevant to both social workers and social care workers can be found in the Health, Sports and Psychology section and include children and young people, mental health, learning disabilities, and dementia.

The use of digital technology has never been as important as it is today – Covid-19 has driven the use of different ways of communicating faster than any of us could have imagined possible. The range of options available can be confusing for us all, but in particular those who are unfamiliar with digital technology; WhatsApp, Zoom, Skype and Facebook are just a few of the many platforms that are being used.

Digital Communities Wales is providing a range of support through digital ‘drop in’ sessions and a ‘one stop shop’ for online resources during Covid-19. These include easy to follow ‘how to’ guides for using digital technology and links to a wealth of free educational resources and support.

City and Guilds has published learning resources as part of the new qualifications for Health and Social Care Level 2 and 3 (launched in 2019). Some modules might be suitable for induction and ongoing CPD during the Covid-19 crisis.

If you have a question or if you can't find what you are looking for get in touch with us.