Training targeted to individual needs

Training for care workers in the learning difficulties field will
become increasingly tailored towards individual needs rather than
one-size-fits-all packages, a training specialist told the
conference.

Alan Rhodes, a member of the Association of Residential Care, said
the “sheep dip” approach to induction and foundation courses for
staff working with people with learning difficulties was
“wasteful”.

He added that too many were being put through the course when they
would be ready after “a couple of hours’ chat”.

“I took a course for a local authority and, of the 20 on it, 17
were ready after doing half of it,” Rhodes said. “The standards say
that all you have to do is get to a particular point and it doesn’t
matter how you get there.”