Training Course Outlines and Objectives
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
Walt Disney
Course Outlines and Objectives
All courses are aimed at developing the competency and confidence of residential childcare practitioners and foster carers to meet the needs of young people, thereby strengthening professional identity. As such there is an emphasis placed on the applied value of these courses. All participants are asked to consult the course description and prepare:
- A description of where this fits with previous learning and the Sanctuary Model
- Where they have faced difficulties with the training subject in the past [young people or internal / external colleagues.]
- What they would like to gain from participating on each course and where this supports strategies outlined within their individual ‘Wellness Route Map.'
Reflective components help staff use the knowledge gained in training to reconcile previous learning, difficulties faced, fit with the seven commitments of Sanctuary and what they would like to gain from participating on the training. There is also an expectation that the participant preparation and post evaluation of the training will feed into their supervision, use of the Wellness Route Map and overall personal EL&D plan.
Understanding and working with young people who have attachment difficulties
This training will draw Bowlby’s attachment theory to outline the attachment system and the processes involved in developing a secure attachment. It will also discuss the positive effects this has on child social, emotional, cognitive and brain development. It will draw on Ainsworth’s theories to differentiate between secure and insecure attachment styles, with time to identify the primary attachment style of the young people you look after. There will be an opportunity to discuss behaviours that are difficult to manage due to insecure attachment experiences. You will learn strategies for supporting young people with insecure attachment styles in order to promote recovery and healthy development.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand how secure attachment experiences influence healthy child development.
- Understand differences in secure and insecure attachment styles and Identify primary attachment style of the young people you look after.
- Understand the developmental consequences of insecure attachment experiences
- Learn to apply strategies to promote healthy development with young people who have insecure attachment styles.
Understanding and working with young people who experience developmental trauma
Children and Young people who experience early adverse trauma are often diagnosed with a range of mental and physical health problems. In this session you will explore the concept of Developmental Trauma that enables a practitioner to look beyond labels and understand how the young person’s life experiences have contributed to difficulties in affective and physiological dysregulation, attention & behavioural dysregulation, self & relational dysregulation and functional impairment.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand how exposure to adverse experiences can result in presentation of developmental trauma.
- Understand the concept of developmental trauma.
- Discuss aspects of behaviour that can result from early adverse experiences and link these to Van Dr Kolk’s description of Developmental Trauma Disorder.
- Compare diagnostic labels with Van der Kolk’s definition of Developmental Trauma.
- Learn strategies to promote healthy child and adolescent development for those who have been exposed to a range of adverse childhood experiences.
Applying counselling skills
This training supports staff to further develop skills to enable young people to work through the Sanctuary SELF Framework. It equips and enables staff with skills to help young people safely manage and express their emotions through the use of language, not antagonistic behaviours. It provides participants with the opportunity to consider and reflect on the individual and systemic influences on communication with children and young people they work with. Participants are introduced to communication skills and strategies for interaction and have the opportunity to consider how these are used in every day interactions. They are then provided with examples of enhanced communication and given the opportunity to practise these as they would in a key work session or life space interview. They are then provided with a reflective model of practice to consider the influences on their real life example from their preparation in order to build their communicative capacity as a residential child care practitioner.
Learning Outcomes:
- To support staff in the use of the Sanctuary SELF Framework ( managing emotions safely).
- To discuss a situation where difficulties in being able to openly communicate led to a negative outcome.
- To understand the range of human social interaction theories.
- To understand basic and enhanced interaction strategies and skills.
- To understand the systemic influences on communication within RCC.
- Learn and apply a model of reflection to LO 1.
- Set goals for transfer of knowledge from training.
Helping young people manage emotions safely (part 1)
This course is designed to support Psycho Education, understanding trauma theory and the SELF Framework. It is in two parts and is underpinned by a Cognitive Behavioural Framework for understanding and working with young people who struggle with managing their emotions, especially in relation to anger management. In part 1, participants are introduced to basic facts about anger and the secondary emotions that often underpin it. They are introduced to the hidden guises that people use in a bid to divert from admitting or being able to recognise their emotional difficulties. They are then introduced to specific positive short term and long term strategies for helping young people manage their anger. They will bring a specific case example and develop an outline of an anger management plan that would fit with the young person’s care plan and risk assessment. They can then refine this in collaboration with their young person in real life as they work through the plan.
Learning Outcomes: Part 1 / Part 2
- To support practitioners in the use of the Sanctuary SELF Framework ( self, emotions, loss and future).
- To gain knowledge of a Cognitive Behavioural Framework and its application to anger management.
- To develop an understanding of anger and underpinning secondary emotions.
- To develop a group understanding of the behaviours young people use when they experience difficult emotions.
- Learn and practice both short and long term strategies for managing emotions safely.
- Use Lo1 – 4 to develop an anger management plan that would fit with the young person’s care plan and risk assessment.
- To set goals for transfer of knowledge from training to EL&D plan (or emotional wellbeing path).
Helping young people manage emotions safely (part 2)
Part Two of the course is also aimed at supporting practitioners with the use of the SELF Framework and provides staff with useful Psycho-Education activities to support younger children who have difficulty understanding or expressing emotions.
Learning Outcomes:
- The learning outcomes are those of above however there is more emphasis on childhood development and specific needs of younger children, Ways to support youngsters, through play are explored.
Behaviour management
This course aims to further embed the Sanctuary Model in practice. It explores the importance of relationships in creating safety for young people and draws on strategies and theories underpinning evidenced based positive parenting programs. The overall aims are to increase the capacity of residential childcare workers in promoting positive parenting and helping young people develop. Participants will be introduced to Social Learning Theories and be able to apply these in encouraging appropriate behaviour, teaching new skills or behaviours and for managing inappropriate behaviour (i.e. Are we applying natural consequences or is it a punishment?). Participants will have the knowledge to apply these strategies to their everyday interactions with young people. They will also be introduced to the idea of planning ahead and managing high risk situations for each of the young people they work with. This could also help to develop safety plans for both staff and young people.
Learning Outcomes:
- The learning outcomes are those of above however there is more emphasis on childhood development and specific needs of younger children, Ways to support youngsters, through play are explored.
- To make explicit the importance of relationships as a way of creating safety; the essence of the Sanctuary Model of Care.
- To equip and enable staff with the skills required to build and sustain positive relationships with young people.
- Be introduced to 3 evidenced based positive parenting programs.
- To understand social learning theory as it applies to encouraging appropriate behaviour, teaching new skills or behaviours and for managing inappropriate behaviour.
- To understand principles for planning ahead and managing high risk situations.
- To consider how to apply today’s learning in staff and young people’s safety plans.
- To consider how today’s learning fits with the organisation’s behaviour management policy.
- To set goals for transfer of knowledge from training to EL&D plan (or emotional wellbeing path).
Risk taking behaviour in young people
This course supports staff to understand the need to create safety; the essence of the trauma informed care. It is underpinned by a developmental biopsychosocial approach for understanding risk taking behaviour in young people. The course opens by exploring the experiences of care from young people’s perspectives. It builds on this to consider reasons why young people engage in a range of risk taking behaviours. Using recent neuroscientific research we encourages carers to consider the opportunities for growth and self-determination in adolescence through positive risk taking behaviour.
Learning Outcomes:
- To reinforce the importance of creating safety which underpins trauma informed care.
- To consider the life experiences of young people living in care with regards to personal and social identity.
- To develop a group agreement on the range of risk taking behaviours.
- To gain knowledge of developmental biopsychosocial theories underpinning risk taking behaviour.
- Understand the neuroscience underpinning adolescent risk taking behaviour.
- Develop strategies to help young people positively take risks.
Building resilience with young people
This course is underpinned by systemic and developmental theories for understanding and building resilience in young people. Participants will be introduced to the six domains of resilience and have the opportunity to consider what this looks like for their young people. They will be provided with case examples to consider the provision and gaps for building resilience across the six domains. They will also be asked to bring a care plan for one of the young people they work with and they will have the opportunity to revise this.
Learning Outcomes:
- To further develop understanding of Trauma Theory and their professional role in building resilience in young people.
- To provide opportunities to reflect on and analyse information.
- To gain knowledge of systemic and developmental theories underpinning resilience.
- To understand the six domains of resilience and use case examples to consider existing provision and possible gaps.
- To apply LO 1 & 2 to a young person’s care plan, including effectively communicating possible changes to relevant personnel.
- To set goals for transfer of knowledge from training to EL&D plan (or emotional wellbeing path).
Self-care for working with complex trauma
This training supports and embeds trauma informed self-care routines. It provides an opportunity to learn about the theory and application of compassionate mind therapy through experiential learning in order to build resilience and enhance emotional health in difficult environments. Participants are introduced to the three elements of self-compassion (self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness) are given the opportunity to apply this through self-reflection, letter writing and journal writing. Participants should consider experiences where they have spent time wallowing in problems, criticising either self, colleagues, externals or the organisation for failing to have positive outcomes for them or the young people they work with. They will develop an alternative understanding about these difficulties.
Learning Outcomes:
- To openly discuss difficulties faced in Residential Childcare (RCC) and Foster Care (FC) that challenge practitioner resilience, competency and self-efficacy.
- To develop a theoretical understanding of compassionate mind therapy and consider why this is important for RCC / FC.
- To understand the three elements of compassionate mind therapy.
- To use experiential learning in self-reflection, letter and journal writing for building resilience and managing specific difficulties faced in RCC / FC.
- To support trauma informed self-care routines.
This course will be further supported by offering Mindfulness training to interested staff.