Archived decisions

Staff Development Policy - Final Draft

Introduction

Hampshire County Youth Service recognises staff are the key resource in meeting its aims.

The Service believes:

· investing in the continuous development of all staff is essential

· the ongoing development of staff is crucial to the successful development of the organisation and the fulfilment of its aims and objectives

Through investment in staff development and training the Youth Service seeks to ensure that staff can develop both personally and professionally and are thereby able to perform consistently to the highest standards.

The efficient and effective functioning of the Youth Service depends upon the contribution of youth work and support staff alike. The Youth Service therefore interprets staff development as referring to all categories of staff, for whom equitable provision must be made.

The nature of staff development

Staff development includes everything that is done to maintain and extend the knowledge and skills of staff in order to support individual and organisational effectiveness.

Staff development is used within this policy statement as a term embracing training and development. Training usually refers to the acquisition of job-related skills, sometimes as a mandatory requirement, while development is usually seen as the continuous learning process which may or may not be related to current duties.

As it is difficult to clearly distinguish between the training and development aspects of most staff development activities, it is best understood to encompass both components.

The Purpose of Staff Development

Staff development serves many purposes. However, it is primarily focused on organisational needs, both current and future, taking account wherever possible of individual development aspirations, in order to provide a quality service to young people.

Staff development activities are recognised as being particularly beneficial to the work of the Youth Service where it:

· develops the skills of staff so that they may carry out their current and prospective duties and roles more efficiently and effectively and with greater job satisfaction

· enables staff to know, believe and model organisational values

· furthers the organisational development of the Service

· furthers the personal, professional and career development needs of staff

· equips and prepares staff to work within new environments or face new demands, such as implementing new policies or adopting new roles

· is required by legislation or policy

· increases equal opportunity and awareness of equity issues.

Core principles

The Youth Service:

· will recruit staff of the highest quality in order to provide outstanding youth work and support services

· will provide opportunities for work-based learning that will enable individuals to establish and develop their career within the organisation

· will treat its staff with fairness, respect and dignity at all times

· recognises that high quality youth work is derived from the combined efforts of all its staff

· values all staff for their knowledge, skills, talents, flexibility, commitment, creativity, and productiveness.

Youth Service responsibilities towards staff

In the light of these core principles, the Youth Service will:

· adopt and maintain fair recruitment procedures that are responsive to the labour market

· ensure each member of staff understands what their job involves

· provide staff with training and educational opportunities to acquire the skills and competencies that are needed both by the Service and, where appropriate, for their own development

· create career pathways and opportunities that facilitate the career development of all staff

· uphold the County Council's staff charter

· adopt and maintain procedures for encouraging and rewarding excellent performance in support of the changing requirements of the Youth Service

· encourage all staff to be creative, flexible, efficient and collaborative, generating fresh ideas and innovative practices, enabling the Youth Service to achieve excellence in the delivery of youth work

· monitor and review the Service's spend on staff development activity

· strive to retain staff who have the necessary skills, flexibility, and ability to perform effectively and adapt to changes

· hold managers accountable for giving staff constructive, honest and timely appraisals of work performance, and for developing plans for improvement, taking into account both the needs of the Service and personal aspirations

· ensure the composition, structure, skills and competencies of the workforce meet the requirements of the Service.

Youth Service expectations of managers

Hampshire County Youth Service expects those who manage others to:

· ensure new members of staff receive a thorough induction into their role

· provide staff with the information necessary to perform their job

· identify development needs for individual members of staff and the Service as a whole using the Performance Development and Review (PDR) process

· guide staff in how best to equip themselves for their current and future roles

· enable staff to develop their performance and effectiveness

· manage the release of staff to participate in approved development activities

· encourage performance improvement by providing feedback on performance and by using techniques such as coaching, mentoring and job-shadowing.

Youth Service expectations of all staff

Hampshire County Youth Service expects all staff to:

· honour their contractual commitments to perform their duties responsibly and to the best of their abilities

· make effective use of available systems of communication to inform themselves about issues that will affect them

· respond flexibly to change

· engage fully in the Performance Development and Review (PDR) process

· take part in developmental and training opportunities in order to keep skills and competencies current and in line with Service needs, including the need for statutory compliance

· work collaboratively and effectively in teams and groups to support the aims of the Service

· develop their skills and knowledge as a means of enhancing performance in their current and future roles

· plan and take ultimate responsibility for their careers

· identify their needs through constructive use of appraisal and consultation with their line managers

· maintain the high standards of work and behaviour expected of the County Council

· be aware of and work to Hampshire County Youth Service Code of Practice and operational policies.

Equalities

The Youth Service undertakes to develop and maintain an environment that promotes a cohesive, inclusive and diverse workforce, affirming the inherent worth of all individuals, emphasising the importance of collaboration, trust, tolerance and open communication. This includes:

· adopting the principle of equal pay for work of equal value

· seeking to ensure the workforce reflects the composition of the local communities in which it works

· communicating regularly and openly with staff about developments, challenges and priorities, and the progress towards achieving its objectives

· maintaining a safe and healthy workplace

· encouraging collaborative and team-based approaches to work

· respecting and supporting the importance for staff of balancing work with family and personal commitments

· maintaining good industrial relations with the trade unions recognised by the County Council.

Staff Development Activity

Staff development activity ranges from the formal (courses, seminars, workshops, structured on the job training etc.) to the informal (ad hoc on the job assistance, private study, networking, etc.).

Those responsible for the Youth Service's provision of staff development will ensure mechanisms and opportunities exist of an appropriate standard and cost. The Development & Training Team acts as a central focus for the planning and provision of a range of staff development activities, based on identified need.

The process of development is most effective when individuals take responsibility for their progress. Prime responsibility for learning rests with the individual in partnership with those who have managerial responsibility for that person's work. The use of Performance Development Review is fundamental to this process.

The extent to which a staff development activity can be supported will depend on how it fits into one of the following three categories:

· Essential (where staff development that is a condition of employment or compulsory for a specific role)

· Encouraged (where it is explicitly linked to the achievement of agreed objectives, for which resources will be prioritised)

· Personal preference (where staff development activities are chosen by individuals and may take place in work time or outside, and may be fully or only partly funded by the Youth Service).

Hampshire County Youth Service believes that staff should have access to the staff development needed to enable them to fulfil their role.

Where staff development is:

· essential, this will always be made available

· encouraged, an agreement will be made between individuals and those responsible for managing them

· based on personal preference, support will be discretionary.

It is recognised that those managing staff sometimes have difficulty judging the relevance or value of the staff development activities that their staff might wish to undertake. The Development & Training Team will therefore work closely with both staff and line managers to facilitate appropriate decision making.

Access to Staff Development opportunities

Staff development addresses the work-related needs of ALL staff.

All staff, regardless of grade, position, location, category or nature of employment, should be given the opportunity to participate in appropriate development programmes.

When decisions have to be made with regard to the prioritisation of staff development activities, these should be taken within the context of the organisations objectives, operational relevance and also the Youth Service's obligations in respect of Equality, Health and Safety, Child Protection and other government legislation.

Staff engaged in the organisation and design of staff development activities should ensure these activities are as accessible as possible to all staff who are eligible to attend. Consideration of time, location, duration and level together with development methods, should ensure that groups of staff are NOT implicitly excluded. Staff with disabilities should be able to gain access and where possible adjustments should be made to enable this.

Evaluation of Staff Development

The Youth Service will use a 6 - point model to underpin evaluation of staff development activities. This model concentrates on the purpose of evaluation and the people most likely to be interested in the outcome. The six points of the model are:

· Quality Enhancement - where the providers obtain systematic feedback to ensure that the development interventions are as effective as they can be.

· Quality Assurance - where what is delivered is what was planned and promoted Specific aims and learning outcomes should be agreed and made transparent for all development activities.

· Assessment - participants are given the opportunity to reflect on their learning through the use of tests, activities, and questions during and or after development sessions.

· Validation - the measurement of learning as applied to the workplace

· Impact measurement - where change at unit or organisation level is investigated and evaluated

· Cost benefit analysis - where gains as a result of development are identified.

Policy implementation

In order to fulfil the requirements of this policy the Youth Service will need to:

· identify staff training and development needs in the light of statutory requirements, necessary standards of competence, innovation, and personal aspirations

· set annual priorities in the light of these needs, given budgetary constraints

· produce an annual costed training and development plan to ensure that these priorities are addressed

· revise induction procedures to reflect Staff Development Policy

· provide appropriate and high-quality induction, training and development programmes for staff

· ensure that all staff are informed of the Policy and the opportunities for development available to them

· monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of induction, training and development programmes with a view to continued improvement

· keep a record of the training received by each member of staff

· ensure all staff are actively involved in the PDR process and receive regular performance reviews

· ensure staff development activity is evaluated effectively.