Support Planning and Risk Assessment (2 days)

This course, designed for support workers, aims to provide the knowledge and awareness of skills required to enable them to construct effective, progressive and systematic Support/Care Plans taking risk into account.

The first day of the course focuses on the five stage model composed of Assessment, Goal setting, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation. Each stage is explored in terms of good practice issues, essential skills for workers, potential challenges and Person Centred work. Throughout the course participants are invited to consider the Support Planning process from a variety of perspectives, including that of the service user, other team members and the multi-disciplinary team. The advantages of using Support Plans as a support tool are considered.

On the second day learners will examine Risk Assessment and Management plans and link them to Support Plans. A range of areas are examined including the complex issue of choice vs. control, the Duty of Care and neglect.

This section of the course also provides guidelines for practice involving deciding who will be involved, identifying risks, justifying conditions whilst at the same time safeguarding service users’ individual rights. Much of the course will focus on the specific organisation’s policy and paperwork.

The course certificate will provide details of learning gained for those undertaking NVQ.

Learning objectives:

By the end of the first day learners should understand:

• What a Support Plan is
• What is meant by ‘Human need’
• A brief history of Support Planning (from its roots in the ‘Nursing Process’ through to Person Centred Planning)
• Why Support Plans are necessary-To include reference to National Standards
• What is meant by the 5 stage model and what the components are
• The advantages and disadvantages of Support Planning
• How we can prepare for and overcome the disadvantages
• How Support Plans could be experienced as being oppressive by service users
• How a Support Plan could be inappropriately used to exercise staff control
• The safety measures that can protect service users from undermining and inappropriate Support Plans. To include:
        -Supervision
        -Team input
        -Organisational policies
        -Advocacy etc.
• What is meant by Assessment
• The different ways that we can make an assessment: e.g. Discussion, observation, reports etc.
• How to maximise service user input and control
• What the skills are that a worker needs to make an effective Assessment
• What skills are required for effective 1-1 interactions (This is very limited on the one day course)
• How to conduct a formal Assessment interview
• How to conduct a less formal interview
• What is meant by ‘Goal setting’
• What is meant by the SMARTER goal model
• What to do when a service user’s goal seems unrealistic
• What to do if a service user does not wish to set goals
• What to do if a service user does not seem to have the ability to set their own goals
• How to plan effectively
• The common problems that tend to emerge when planning: To include:
        -Team resistance
        -Lack of resources
        -Time constraints
        -Family issues etc.
• Good practice when Implementing a Plan
• The importance of multi-agency input
• How to Evaluate the Support Plan/outcomes:
        -Different ways in which the Plan can be reviewed
        -How to make this a positive experience for the service user
• Getting away from success and failure – the fluidity of the 5 stage model

By the end of the second day learners should understand:

• What is meant by ‘risk’ ‘assessment’ and ‘Management’
• That life is a ‘risky business’ and that people have a right to take risk
• How the exercising of choice links with O’Brian’s model of competencies and the principles of normalisation
• The use of staff power and its potential misuse. To include
        -Choice-control
        -The Duty of Care
        -Neglect
• Staff responsibilities and their role in protection.
• When risk is unacceptable (including Health and Safety issues) and what action is appropriate when this is the case
• How to be sensitive to the perception of others-including the family
• How to articulate concerns about practice when risk is being assessed and managed
• Their role in Safeguarding service users from staff heavy handedness, including issues of empowerment,
  assertiveness training and education, self- advocacy and the role of advocates
• How to use a risk assessment form and name who will be involved
• How to describe the person involved
• How to establish the prime issues
• How to name the risk factors
• What could be done to limit risk
• How to consider justification for their decision as to whether the activity could go ahead
• When and what preparation needs to be done beforehand
• How to integrate the risk assessment with the support plan

Training methods:

• Warm up exercises
• Tutor presentations
• Role play
• OHP/PowerPoint
• Work in pairs/triads
• Small and larger group work
• Practical application
• Examination of organisational formats
• Word storm method
• Chalk & talk

CP187/5.9