Staff Training
At Bangeston Hall we have developed a unique training programme that is available to all staff providing knowledge of autism, learning disabilities, mental health, and challenging behaviour.
We link training to practice, and also measure competences and acquired knowledge through work based and academic assignments. Staff who complete the training successfully, and achieve national vocational qualifications have acknowledgement through salary increases but the real payoff is in the quality of service.
The training package takes 6 months to complete and involves attending 6 formal training days, with 4 weeks between each one, where the participant completes a work based assignment related to the training. This is then presented at the next training session together with the completion of a written test on acquired learning. Following the final session each participant completes an assignment, which can be either a reflective account, a review of some practical work or an in depth essay.
Broadly, the content of the 6 formal training days and themed assignments is:
- Understanding autism, learning disabilities, and mental illness. The triad of impairments, theory of mind, central coherence
- The spectrum of autism, behavioural aspects of autism, and the sensory aspects of autism
- Challenging behaviour, causes, factors, and the cycle of arousal
- Meeting the challenges, and creating therapeutic environments
- Positive behaviour management including communication
- Attitudes, values and beliefs including the impact of inter relations with service users
As well as testing acquired knowledge through assignments, the training programme links closely with supervision, and the member of staff’s practical progress is discussed in this forum.
