Shropshire’s Joint Training team celebrate 25 years
Shropshire Council’s Joint Training team are celebrating 25 years of service this month (October 2021).
Joint Training provide online and in class learning and development opportunities for all organisations involved in health and social care, including family carers and people who use services.
From its humble beginnings in 1996, where it started with one training officer employed to implement the Community Care legislation, the service has grown to a team of 14 offering over 70 courses ranging from Dementia to Dysphagia, Mental Health First Aid to Managing Conflict, Safeguarding to Substance Misuse.
Members of the Joint Training Team with Andy Begley, Chief Executive; Tanya Miles, Executive Director adult social care, housing and public health; and Michelle Davies, Service Manager Commissioning and Governance. (COVID-19-compliant venue and practices in place)
The team focus on developing knowledge and skills for workers, volunteers and family carers who are supporting adults with care or health needs. Customers include nursing and residential homes, home-care providers, housing associations, health trusts, charities, fire and rescue services, armed forces, rural enterprises and many different organisations providing for individuals with care and support needs.
Endorsed as a Centre of Excellence by Skills for Care, Joint Training have continued to provide organisations high quality training throughout the pandemic.
Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult social care and public health, said:-
“From small beginnings, Joint Training has grown and flourished over the last 25 years to become the trusted, highly valued training provider that it is today.
“In an average year around 7,000 delegates will attend over 500 Joint Training course events. This is incredible and a testament to the hard work and commitment of Shropshire’s Joint Training team.
“Even in the face of a global pandemic, the team have truly demonstrated innovation and determination in continuing to offer vital training to support those organisations throughout the past 19 months.
“I would like to say a huge thanks to Joint Training and congratulate them in celebrating the unique contribution their service makes to help improve the quality of care and health in our county.”
In addition to their training offer, throughout the pandemic the team have gone above and beyond their usual service offer and have:-
- Made telephone calls to 1,500+ of the 4,000+ people on the NHS shielded list
- Made weekly telephone calls to 33 domiciliary and 30 residential care providers
- Kept up to date with new national directives and guidelines in order to advise others.
- Supported public health team in setting up their new bereavement helpline
- Kept in touch with our Experts by Experience*, providing support where needed.
- Developed and delivered webinar training for staff redeployed into different roles to support the pandemic response.
*Experts by Experience are people who have personal experience of using, or caring for someone who uses health, mental health and/or social care services that we or our partners provide.
Andy Begley, Shropshire Council’s chief executive, added:-
“Over the past 25 years our Joint Training have provided vital training and support services to many organisations across the county. Offering both mandatory and key training to unsure partners achieve high quality services, the team have also gone above and beyond their call duty throughout the pandemic.
“I am proud to see how far the team have come over the past quarter of a century. I would like to wish the team all the very best on their 25th anniversary and look forward to celebrating their continued success long into the future.”
Christine Scott, Joint Training’s manager, added:-
“Back in 1996 who would have thought, when Shropshire Council engaged a single trainer to provide teaching on newly released Community Care legislation, that 25 years on this would have developed into a team of 14, who are now delivering over 70 different courses in the classroom and online?
“As a team we are always adapting and embracing new ways of working and teaching. This was never more exemplified than during the pandemic, where our highly regarded classroom-based teaching was supplemented with interactive online live-learning.
“We feel extremely positive about the future continuing to offer both classroom and virtual live-learning training and opening up learning to an even wider audience.
“We are delighted to be celebrating 25 years of Joint Training and are very excited to see what the next 25 years will bring.
“I would also like to say heartfelt and enormous thanks go to our learners, customers and partners – we could not have got here without you.”
Andy Begley, Shropshire Council’s chief executive, also congratulating Christine Scott, Joint Training Manager, on 40 years of service with the council. (COVID-19-compliant venue and practices in place)
To find out more about Joint Training and the courses and support they offer visit: https://shropshire.gov.uk/joint-training/
Further information
- Joint Training is endorsed as a Skills for Care Centre of Excellence meaning customers’ have confidence that they are taking part in training of the highest quality.
- Focusing on training to support best practice, mutual understanding and effective co-operation, Joint Training works towards the common goal of improving the care experience for people with health or care needs by the provision of high-quality services.
Testimonials
Catherine Chaplin, Clinical Educator, Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust:-
“Joint training offers true partnership working that promotes the ideal of inter-agency, multi-professional working. Having such a positive relationship with them has meant that as a Trust we have been able to support our clinical and non-clinical staff to access high quality training, education, and development within the local health economy.
“Always a professional, friendly, and helpful team, they are willing to support the needs of organisations and the individuals within it, to ensure the highest quality of care standards are promoted and maintained.
“They are a versatile and flexible team with Shropshire’s patients and service users at the heart of everything they do.”
Just brilliant, would do it again and recommend this course, it has also led me onto applying for the two day extended course!! – Course: Mental Health First Aid Aware
Great webinar! Easy to follow, well explained. Really enjoyed it and will be recommending to others CBT – Course: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Excellent – Webinar was very easy to follow, and whilst a difficult and sensitive subject it was approached in a way that focused and encouraged interactive learning; resulting in a positive enjoyable learning experience – Course: Supporting People with a Learning Disability to have Safe Online presence
As always Joint Training have provided a really useful and informative webinar, it is a testament to the trainers that they have continued to provide quality training throughout the pandemic, and accessible – Course: MCA Using Supported Decision Making during Changing Times
Great session with very knowledgeable, informative and approachable trainer– Course: Assessing Mental Capacity webinar Level 2/3
Really enjoyed this session – great reminder of key principles for me. I didn’t feel that being delivered over webinar meant the session lost any of the important content, was still engaging so thank you. The trainer was very approachable and clearly very passionate and knowledge on the subject- able to answer questions of learners and signpost – Course: Mental Capacity Act Awareness
I think that the trainer explains a really difficult subject extremely well with the impact and passion it deserves, but with a balance of mindful compassion towards trainees. I always come away feeling more knowledgeable and more competent in my role. Thank you🤗 – Course: Safeguarding Children and Young People
The trainer was really engaging and knowledgeable, she made everyone feel at ease even if they hadn’t used zoom before. She took the time to explain to anyone the technology. You felt like you were in a friendly classroom environment even though you were virtually learning – Course: Safeguarding Adults Awareness
This was the best safeguarding training I have been on and I’ve have done several adult and child over the years. It was informative, inclusive, but did not put anyone in an awkward position as some can and people could interact to their own comfort level – Course: Safeguarding Adults Awareness
I am now confident in non-verbal techniques to prevent risk behaviour. I know all of the holding and disengagement techniques. Easy to follow and understand, trainer was very clear and made the day enjoyable. Course: Managing Actual or Potential Aggression MAPA® face to face training
I have already put the learning into practice! ….. The training provided me with an excellent base to ensure my working practice with clients with Autism remains suited to their individual needs.” Course: Autism Awareness
Just two days after the webinar I attended the home of a gentleman with dementia and the difference in how I was able to communicate with him was fantastic. I felt so much more confident, where previously I tended not to engage as much with this person but with their carer. Course: Dementia Awareness
