Training Matters

Continuous staff training and development is a major part of our philosophy at Helping Hands. By equipping our Live-in Care and Hourly Care staff to handle any and all care related situations, we put our customers in the best possible hands and fulfil our obligations to their families.

In September 2004 we launched Training Matters - a sister company to Helping Hands and a vital part of the Helping Hands Homecare group. As part of our ongoing investment in our team, we realised that we needed our own dedicated training resource. Training Matters is a resource that provides access to National Vocational (NVQ) and Specialist Training qualifications; a resource that offers training of the utmost quality and an appropriate curriculum that meets our needs.

Training Matters is a service led team that offers Carers:

• Live-in Care Induction Training.
• Specific Condition Training (Dementia, Parkinson’s, Stroke awareness, Alzheimer’s etc).
• A programme of demand led, workplace based, assessments.

An experienced team

The Training Matters team has evolved to a highly skilled and experienced group. Together they run an in-depth four day residential course 51 weeks of the year; they deliver theory, practical subjects and assess candidates every step of the way.

The team has over thirty years of care experience between them. Led by Julie Mills, they are qualified to the PTLLS standard (Preparing for Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector) and have expertise ranging from Manual Handling through to internal NVQ Verification and Care Home Management.

Help every step of the way

To prepare them for Live-in Care assignments, our Carers complete their induction course and then spend time shadowing an experienced Live-in Carer in a customer's home. Their training prepares them in areas such as Manual Handling, Food Hygiene and First Aid; they are also assigned a mentor from the Training Matters team for their first 12 weeks. It’s important for them to have somebody they can turn to for guidance whatever the situation, whatever the question.

As care needs change, our training evolves

As part of our investment in our Carers, we offer them ongoing professional qualifications to constantly improve and update their skills; we have a large number of bespoke training packages that cover the 45 different conditions our Carers are asked to support.

Having our own training resource allows us to tailor our programmes to the needs of specific customers. We are currently developing three levels of specialist training, depending on the complexity of condition and level of care involved.

We constantly strive to explore specialist training needs; we have some staff members who have completed the Learning Disability qualification (LDAF) and when necessary we invite specialists, such as the MS Society, to train our staff in particular areas. All of this work meets and in some cases exceeds, the requirements set out in the Minimum Care Standards.

We have our own NVQ centre with a team of NVQ assessors and we work closely with Telford College to help our Carers achieve NVQ qualifications in Health & Social Care.