TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT POLICY

There are many qualities required to effectively and ethically support people who have a disability. These qualities can be gained from different fields of work and life experiences. NWRSS is always seeking people with the right supportive qualities to work for them. On commencing employment with us the following comprehensive training pathway will open up to you.

There are three main components to NWRSS’s training:

1. Training that helps you understand the organisations philosophy.

2. Training that helps you get to know, understand and work in the best interests of the people you will be supporting.

3. Training that teaches you how to work legally and safely.

If you’re reading this on our website, please keep browsing. The website is an important resource in our training pathway. It contains a lot of information that will help you understand the expectations NWRSS has of its support workers. If you wish to ask questions, please use the contact instructions on the website [www.nwrss.org.au].

If you don’t understand all of our terms and language, don’t worry. Our training will make these clear for you.

The expectations in the Position Description in our Application for Employment Package are the start of our training pathway. The health and fitness levels required of support staff are listed in the Health Declaration.

Our training pathway begins to open up through the Employment Package you will receive when you start with us. This package includes the following:

• An Orientation Package. The items in this package state the beliefs that guide our organisation and illustrate how we carry out our work.

• Policies and Procedures that all employees must adhere to.

• Training Sheets that give you enough information to commence working under close supervision.

The Orientation Package has a delivery receipt to return to confirm that you have read and understood the material.

Upgrades to the Orientation Package are mailed out to all employees.

Each supervisor carries an Orientation Package and there is one in each of our shared homes. The Orientation Packages in our shared homes also include training DVD’s that can be viewed at approved times in the workplace.

When you commence work you will be rostered on with experienced support workers who will guide and teach you on the job. You will be given a list of tasks to learn. Your supervisor will periodically review this list with you to make sure you understand the requirements of your work.

Once you have learnt these initial tasks, you will have enough skills and knowledge to work at a fundamental level. The training opportunities that open up from here will give you the chance to become an exceptional support worker and proceed towards higher levels of responsibility.

The homes you work in are your most important training venues. Your supervisor will suggest which co-workers are the best teachers of the advanced skills and knowledge you need to develop. Your workplace is also an important testing ground of your responsibilities and integrity. If you encounter methods of work that conflict with your training, please raise these with your supervisor. By this, we don’t mean dobbing people in but raising things you see or hear as general matters that you think could be improved. As an example, if a support worker reported to a supervisor that someone was speaking to the people we support in a demeaning way, the supervisor would bring the issue up for review at a team meeting without the need to identify individuals. This strategy gives everyone the chance to privately consider and change their working style as necessary. It is only after repeated breaches, that disciplinary action would be considered.

The people you support will be your main instructors. The best way to learn about the people you support and how to understand them is to attend team meetings. Team meeting agendas are specifically designed as a training tool. Your supervisor will discuss issues without personalizing them so people can learn and change in a secure and trusting environment. Support workers are encouraged to bring up items for discussion at meetings. It is not possible to achieve higher levels of responsibility or receive advanced training opportunities without attending team meetings.

Regular Information Sheets and Staff Memos will arrive with your fortnightly pay slip to keep you up to date on changes and new directions.

Articles and information of interest are sent by e-mail through our For Your Interest electronic information sheet. Most of these items are articles, stories, opinion pieces and images that draw attention to matters you should be considering. Each comes with a short note on its relevance to your work.

There are regular short workshops on various aspects of the support worker role. These workshops are usually repeated two or three times at different dates and times to make them as easy as possible to attend. Examples include:

• Service Beliefs.

• Building Better Lives.

• Duty of Care.

• Confidentiality.

• Diversity in the Workplace.

• Behavioural Styles in the Workplace.

Invitations to attend longer and more advanced training events might be offered, depending on how well you transfer your learning into the work place.

Examples include:

• Advanced Social Role Valorization Theory [SRV] - Two and three day workshops.

• Program Analysis of Service Systems’ Implementation of Normalization Goals [PASSING] - Five day workshops.

• Predict, Assess & Respond To Aggressive/Challenging Behaviour [PART] – Two and five day workshops.

If you work with people who require help with medication, special health care plans or intensive support you will be trained according to the requirements in each situation.

Some examples of compulsory training for specialised support teams are:

Help with medication:

• First Aid Certificate.

• Medication Certificate.

Special Health Care Plans:

• First Aid Certificate.

• Medication Certificate.

Training in special procedures for the administration of medication and/or the maintenance of medical equipment.

Intensive Support:

• Training to understand the connection between health, communication and behaviour.

• Training to understand any specific psychological problems.

• Training to understand teaching by absorption and acculturation.

• Training on how to respond professionally and safely to assaultive behaviour
  Training to understand any lawful requirements.

• Risk management training.

A lot of reading and good comprehension is required. If a support worker is having difficulty reading and understanding any of our material we will provide recordings and/or someone to help you work through the material. Compulsory training can be supported through study groups led by senior staff if necessary. All training can be self paced and repeated if necessary.

People working for NWRSS who decide to pursue tertiary qualifications relevant to their work, such as TAFE certificates, can apply for financial assistance.

NWRSS rarely advertises permanent hours in favour of training and testing people through its casual relief pool and training roster lines before promoting them into permanent roster lines. Enthusiasm for team meetings and training opportunities are important criteria for gaining permanent hours. People who don’t attend team meetings or take up paid training opportunities will not be seen as serious contenders for permanent roster lines.

NWRSS also alerts support workers to many self development opportunities that will enhance their work roles.

Notices for training opportunities always state clearly whether they are fully-funded, partially-funded or require self-funding.

Version number: 01. Authorised by Neal Rodwell, General Manager.