The Access Group has been working with care services for over 20 years, helping them to digitise their services which increases efficiency, improves the quality of care and saves time and money that could be better spent on developing their care service.
We have used all of our experience to put together this article on how to choose the best social care training provider for you, so you can continue to offer the best care to service users while providing safe and flexible learning that meets your staff’s needs.
Core and Mandatory Training for Care Workers
While most care services favour those who have had experience in the area alongside knowledge and qualifications, care workers don’t necessarily need qualifications or previous work experience to be hired.
The main thing that matters is their attitude towards people who need additional support and care. First Aid training and an NVQ in Health and Social Care (Levels 2 and 3) are highly recommended.
Your employees should always have an open mind towards training, as it will become a part of their profession and could better their careers. Even if they’re fully qualified, refreshing skills and knowledge in a variety of topic areas are vital, especially if new risks, legislation or best practice has been introduced.
If you want to understand more about core and mandatory training for care workers, we have more information on what training and qualifications care workers need to help you.
How to Choose The Best Provider for You?
Every care service is different and the best training provider for your care service will be determined by a range of factors, such as the size of the team and the business, the type of care provider you are and the preferences of your employees.
However, when looking for a training provider certain criteria should be met and there are things that they should cover. You must look for or ask for this information during your search, as it can help narrow down your choices. So, when researching both in-person and online training providers, it is important to make sure they have the following:
- A professional and informative website – These days, even the worst provider could have an attractive website. Some things to look out for when looking through their website include ease of finding a course, the price and the training outline for each course offered. Whether there is professional contact information, is there a mobile number or personal email address? Do any of the pages lead to an error message? And keep an eye out for any spelling mistakes.
- Good reviews and customer feedback – Simply going online to read reviews can help you create realistic expectations from the training provider. However, speaking to current or previous customers can really help you form a clear picture.
- They care about your training needs – Asking questions to the provider and getting the answers you need is vital, but are they asking enough questions to ensure they meet your training needs? A good provider will want to understand your aims so they can provide you with the best solution.
- They have shown an understanding of the culture of your business – How long have they been around and who have they worked with? Make sure they have experience in delivering training to businesses in your specific industry successfully and can apply training techniques and tools that will meet your employees’ learning styles.
Care providers are increasingly opting for digital training and learning solutions, as a more cost effective and flexible alternative to traditional, in-person training. If you are looking for an eLearning platform, then you should ensure that the training provider has the following:
- A good mobile app – This feature is a must as it allows easy course access at a time that’s convenient for them and will make sure your compliance stays up.
- Endorsed by a credible awarding body – One of the best ones to look out for is Skills for Care. They are an independent charity and the strategic body for workforce development in social care in England. They ensure that social care has the right people, skills and support to deliver the best care now and in the future.
- Automated reporting matrix that’s easy to use and configure – This will save you time and money as it will automate processes in your desired frequency and share the results with relevant parties. It may also help you to track and monitor an individual’s progress.
- The system needs to have the ability to include social elements – This includes statuses, roles, social networks and groups to ensure your employees don’t feel isolated.
- The information they provide is abiding and ongoing – Are the courses kept up to date and does the company have credible SMEs to ensure content is accurate and correct?
- Check that the provider is supportive and knowledgeable – Will they support and advise you on the best learning methods for your business? Will they be there if you experience technical issues?
- Has the system got the ability to create learning pathways for staff – This will support all of your employees, including those who may struggle with English, or dyslexia or require specific learning methods to succeed.
- Offer multi-channel learning options – This will promote more accessible and effective alternatives that aim to sync the power of various methods to achieve optimal learning. How does the provider approach the learning experience for participants? Is the training interactive?
Finally, those looking for an in-person trainer, for larger companies, having a built-in events system is important. This will run and automate all your face-to-face training, which will ensure your staff don’t miss out on crucial practical skills.
Please note, beware of the training provider that offers everything you’re looking for. Of course, these providers can be tempting as they appear to tick all of the boxes. However, in most cases, their sole interest is most likely the volume of participants they attract and the money they generate from them rather than the quality of the content they provide. Remember, don’t ever compromise on the quality of your training.
Is eLearning or an In-Person Trainer Best?
Before carrying out your search into various health and social care training providers, you need to make a decision on what training method you’re looking to implement. There are two main types to consider; eLearning and in-person training.
Some training providers will offer one or the other, whereas others offer both. Doing your research into their success rate, reading reviews and speaking to the providers in person will give you a better understanding of what they have to offer and what to expect.
There are pros and cons to each method. In-person learning is often more organised and is best for teaching and practising practical skills. However, it can be disruptive, time-consuming and inconvenient.
On the other hand, eLearning offers an interactive and engaging solution to learning that’s easy to access and can be completed in the care workers’ own time. But this method can be isolating, as it can be difficult for colleagues to interact with one another during training. It’s also prone to technical issues.
It is said that the best method for most care services is a combination of the two, using eLearning to cover all of your theory-based training and in-person training for your practical sessions. You can read a more in-depth comparison of online care training vs. in-person learning to fully understand this area.
Do You Like the Sound of eLearning?
Whether you run a home care business or focus on domiciliary care, make training more manageable, engaging and cost-effective with Access eLearning for Health and Social Care. Our learning content has been endorsed by Skills for Care.
You can look forward to engaging content that can be accessed anywhere at any time and replaces inefficient face-to-face training. It’s also easy to track and monitor progress, highly engaging and full of tools to help learners, for example dyslexia accessibility.
The Access Group has over 30 years of experience digitising businesses in a wide variety of sectors. From start-ups to international organisations, no request is too big or too small. We have a selection of useful software that can be implemented and used to improve the quality of care and motivate staff while saving valuable time and money.
Look through our eLearning for health and social care courses. If you want to know more about our unique eLearning management system for health and social care, contact us today or book a demo.