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Quality staff are, of course, the key to success in our work. We invest a lot of time, thought and effort in the selection, induction, training and support of staff.
Research and personal experience teach that there are key personal qualities and behavioural competences which mark out successful therapeutic care workers and special needs teachers. Resilience and perseverance, personal optimism, warmth and empathy are amongst the qualities we look for in all staff. Our rigorous selection process has regard to DfE advice and guidance on Safer Recruitment in Education and is designed to choose those candidates who possess the personal qualities and competences we are looking for as well as to filter out unsuitable candidates. All appointments are made on a probationary basis so that suitability can be continuously tested and evaluated.
Once selected we seek to develop, reinforce and maintain personal resilience as well as providing occupation specific knowledge, skills and understanding. All Therapeutic Care staff undergo Induction, Foundation, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention training and commence QCF level 3 training within their probationary period. Probationary training covers all topics required by National Minimum Standards plus more advanced units in the theory and practice of therapeutic residential child care, safeguarding children, crisis theory and practice, child development,"active-listening", key-working and life-story work.
All post probationary staff continue to undergo regular refresher training in TCI and topics covered during their probationary period as well as training intended to develop their knowledge base and skills in therapeutic residential child care. This includes training in Neuro-linguistic Programming specifically tailored to their roles as teachers or therapeutic child care workers. Formal appraisal and personal development plans are reviewed at least annually and specify the ongoing training and other personal development activities to be provided and undertaken.
Progression to Principal Practitioner grade is restricted to those who have successfully completed appropriate post QCF 3 training and have demonstrated competence as leaders and supervisors.
All staff have regular personal development tutorials and supervision with one of the Directors as well as formal supervision with their designated supervisor.
Each house/ school has a team of Therapeutic Care Workers under the direction of a Registered Manager supported by Principal and Senior Practitioners. The minimum therapeutic care team staff to child ratio is 1:1. Emergency placements are staffed at least 2:1 until the child is known well enough to make a proper risk assessment. Higher staff to child ratios may be required to establish boundaries and routines initially or to ‘start again’ following setbacks which might otherwise threaten disruption of the placement.
The Teacher Team works across both schools under the direction of the Headteacher and a Teacher-in-Charge. In any discussion of staff to child ratios Teachers and Learning Support Workers are additional to the base staffing levels cited.
Recruitment Enquiry
If you would like to work for Da Capo in either our Therapeutic Care or Educational Teams, then please complete the On-line Recruitment Enquiry and we will send you an application pack.
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