How a manager in a residential care home can monitor the performance
Residential care homes such as most healthcare institutions are work intensive. Hence, they rely on quality staff performance. Monitoring staff performance is one of the key techniques that can help a manager of a residential care home to guarantee the continuous delivery of quality services to clients. Part-time care workers assist clients to deal with various personal care routines and cooperate with other health and social care experts to ensure the wellbeing of the clients. A residential manager can monitor part-time care workers by organizing group sessions, team conferences, and peer supervision to ensure that caregivers adhere to the regulations and standards set by the residential home. The group sessions and team conferences can be used to identify challenges linked to residential care together with how they can be resolved (Martin, Charlesworth, and Henderson 67).
According to Khatri, first-level supervisors can be monitored using subordinate appraisal systems and the managers’ observations (56). Supervisors play a crucial role in ensuring that the caregivers provide quality services to clients in the residential care homes. They are expected to create mutually respectful relationships with juniors while communicating the level of performance expected from caregivers. By using the subordinate appraisal technique, managers can evaluate how effective the supervisor is engaging with his or her juniors.
Monitoring care workers during a probationary period should involve informing the apprentice of the expected quality of care they should offer to the clients and afterward an assessment on the progress they have made. Managers should evaluate whether the recruit has the necessary experience that is needed in a residential care home such as the ability to patiently deal with individuals from different backgrounds. The recruit should cooperate with other professionals to offer quality services to clients. The manager should then allow the apprentices to share the challenges they face in their career so that he or she can help him or her (trainee) to develop refined professional skills (Martin, Charlesworth, and Henderson 71).
Methods of identifying the individual training and development needs of junior staff
Some of the main methods that a senior support worker in a day center for service users with a learning disability can use to identify individual training and development needs of junior staff include benchmarking, observation, and feedback from others. Benchmarking provides a clear indication of performance since the senior support worker can compare whether the staff met the expected standards when caring for individuals with a learning disability. However, if an unsuitable performance evaluation set is used, then it can provide misleading information (Khatri 90).
Conversely, observation can also be an effective method for determining staff members who require training and professional development. Observation will entail noting how junior staff members handle clients with a learning disability. This goal can be achieved through constant supervision or occasional observation of the interaction between the junior and the clients. Since the senior support worker makes the observation personally, it provides first-hand information on the weaknesses and strengths of the worker together with ways of improving the worker’s state. Moreover, the method is more reliable and economical, especially where the volume of staff members and clients is small. However, the main disadvantage of the strategy is that one may fail to have a comprehensive depiction of the worker’s performance. Since the senior worker has other responsibilities, he or she cannot observe a member throughout the working hours and/or with every client. Therefore, the information may be inaccurate if not properly analyzed.
The senior worker may identify the training and development needs of junior members by evaluating the feedback from others. Clients are likely to express their opinion on the standard of care offered by a given staff member. Consistent complaints from clients may suggest the kind of areas a junior member needs improvement. Furthermore, a response from fellow practitioners can also be used to determine the nature of training and development an employee should receive. However, the information may be biased or false since some clients’ feedback may be based on personal disinterest against a staff member. Opinions from colleagues may also be driven by the informal relationship the workers have or unhealthy competition (Martin, Charlesworth, and Henderson 81).
Application of coaching and mentoring in continuing development of individuals
According to Khatri, scholars and practitioners have continuously considered coaching an effective method of improving quality service delivery among health and social care workers (105). Coaching is efficient at the formative edification of social workers since it motivates and cultivated skills such as critical thinking. It also facilitates the introduction of new cultures for health and social care workers. Moreover, it has proved an effective intervention that can be utilized by supervisors. Mentoring involves one individual assisting an apprentice to boost his or her knowledge, skills, and discretion. Mentees gain significant knowledge from mentors who equip them with confidence to perform their tasks in health and social care organizations. Hence, coaching and mentoring are useful strategies for achieving personal professional development.
Application of supervision and appraisal in continuing development of individuals
Martin, Charlesworth, and Henderson assert that supervision and appraisal are important strategies for ensuring continuous development among health and social care workers (181). They enable workers to measure their performance, identify their weaknesses, and/or make improvements where needed. Health and social workers are expected to provide quality care to clients. However, the service is possible if the service providers understand the target they are expected to meet. Health and social care organizations have set standards that every employee is expected to meet. Through supervision and appraisal, the organization evaluates the level of performance towards the target. Consequently, workers who perform well are rewarded. Shortfalls are tackled while others who offer substandard services undergo disciplinary measures (Ridout 93). Therefore, this strategy is suitable in identifying the individual training and development needs of your junior staff members.
Application of External courses in the continuing development of individuals
The external course is also a good strategy for promoting individual professional development. It enables trainees to learn new developments in their careers. Moreover, it creates a novice environment different from the working set, which in turn helps trainees to focus and be dedicated to the program because of the reduced interferences from colleagues. External trainers are likely to be more endowed with training resources compared to those available in the organization. There is also the possibility for staff members undergoing the professional development program to meet workers from other disciplines and share concepts that can help them improve their service delivery. However, it can also lead to loss of time and cost that can be used to advance productivity. To evade these demerits, a health and social care organization may opt to utilize in-house training (Martin, Charlesworth, and Henderson 81).
References
Khatri, Naresh. Strategic Human Resource Management in Health Care, Bingley, West Yorkshire, England: Emerald Group Publishing, 2010. Print.
Martin, Vivien, Julie Charlesworth, and Euan Henderson. Managing in Health and Social Care, London: Routledge, 2010. Print.
Ridout, Paul. Care Standards: Practical Guide, London: Jordans, 2010. Print.