Navigating through the revised Common Induction Standards

In June of this year, Skills for Care launched the refreshed Common Induction Standards for the social care sector. The aim of these hugely influential standards is to provide new starters with support and guidance. They have been revised following consultation across the sector to ensure that they are aligned with current policy and best practice.

Julie Crowther, Associate Director of Quality and Curriculum at First Response Training, explains: “The Common Induction Standards give organisations within the adult social care sector the opportunity to ensure that their staff are thoroughly prepared before being left to work unsupervised, and they give individuals the chance to start developing their skills and their understanding of their new role.”

Julie, who has previously worked on projects for Skills for Care and has an extensive background in health and social care training and assessing, adds: “The revised Common Induction Standards give managers an even more robust process for inducting staff members into their new role and offer the assurance that they are preparing them to support service users in a positive and safe way.”

Indeed, Skills for Care has received feedback from employers which indicates that effective implementation of the standards leads to the delivery of high quality care and ample support for new starters.

There are now 8 new standards to complete, they are:
Standard 1 – Role of the health and social care workers
Standard 2 – Personal development
Standard 3 – Communicate effectively
Standard 4 – Equality and inclusion
Standard 5 – Principles for implementing duty of care
Standard 6 – Principles of safeguarding in health and social care
Standard 7 – Person centred support
Standard 8 – Health and safety in an adult social care setting

“The new 8 standards require a breadth of knowledge and understanding that means the new member of the team can meaningfully contribute to the work after completion,” says Julie. “They are now relevant to many more roles within social care, helping to raise standards across the sector.”

The refreshed standards will also map to the mandatory units of the new Health and Social Care Diploma – part of the Qualifications and Credit Framework. This ensures a consistent approach across the workforce but also, as Julie explains, “means that workers do not have to repeat work or reproduce evidence which they already have.”

First Response Training has developed a simple solution to the revised Common Induction Standards – the FRT Common Induction Programme. The programme, which offers both distance, blended and practical learning options, supports care managers to meet the challenge of the refreshed standards in a way which is flexible, relevant and cost-effective.

Julie, who helped First Response to develop the new solution, explains: “The FRT programme guides the new member of staff through what they need to achieve, takes away the need for the manager or senior to plan the induction and directs both carer and mentor through the process. The manual provides the member of staff the opportunity to demonstrate that they are safe to leave, but also evidence that can be used towards their diploma in health and social care. It eases the burden of the Common Induction Standards while helping to develop staff to become useful and productive members of your team.”

For more information about how the FRT Common Induction Programme can help you navigate through Skills for Care’s revised Common Induction Standards, please e-mail info@firstresponsetraining.com or call freephone 0800 310 2300.