Training Course Outlines and Objectives

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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:

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:

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:

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:

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

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

This course will be further supported by offering Mindfulness training to interested staff.

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