Training and Supporting the Care Force: ..That's Nearly All of Us

'I expect that's common sense, isn't it?' This innocent comment on my job as a social care teacher always makes me smile. 'Training and supporting the care force' is not common sense - it's not rocket science either. Social carers generally are undervalued by society, so often undervalue themselves. So this book is about helping carers to recognise and value the skills they already possess, and develop these - from this comes an unbelievable amount of support, as well as making all kinds of everyday experiences more interesting and enjoyable. This book therefore helps carers to - recognise and value the skills they already possess - develop these skills through applying theory to everyday situations - understand the complex social welfare background of today, since knowledge is power - be equipped to work with people who have very different backgrounds and experience from their own - deal with jargon! A relevant anecdote: A woman who had had a high powered job was once applying for employment after having had children. She felt de-skilled and lacking in confidence. Then she sat down and made a list, rather like the one above, of the skills she had used in running a home and caring for children. She spoke of these in the interview. She got the job! Not common sense, not rocket science...training and support!

Table of Contents:
1 Introduction Dedication Setting the scene A note on theoretical material A note on dates, terms and policies A note on leadership and groupwork A note on the author's starting point 2 Care What is care? What is social care? How social care evolved The current context Implications for carers Practice - How I feel about the current state of social care Endnote 3 Carers Who are the carers? How did you get to care? Employed carers Young carers Carers - a diverse group? Social carers and social workers Practice - You, your identity, and some of your thoughts about care changes in the 21st century Endnote 4 The foundations of caring Values Codes of practice Underlying values in society Your own values Specific beliefs Implications for practice Practice - Putting the General Social Care Council (2004/2010, p. 12-13) values into practice Endnote 5 Communication About communication generally Skilled helping Settings Basic safety procedures Non-verbal communication Verbal communication Some different languages Misunderstandings - verbal and otherwise Conflictual communication Technology Practice - Communication matters Endnote 6 Working with others About working relationships Teamwork and groupwork Group and team essentials Multi-disciplinary working Effective working together Commissioning others What this means in practice Partnership Practice - Working together Endnote 7 Methods The basic conversation session Activities Assessment Life story work Co-production Practice - All sorts of methods Endnote 8 A mini-reference book Diversity and equality Choice Safety and risk Abuse Practice - Your mini-reference book Endnote Epilogue References

About the Author :
Maggie lives with her husband, Michael, in France. They write educational material together. Their daughter, Cath, has illustrated one of the books. Maggie's profession is teaching and social work; she holds Cert Ed and BA Social work qualifications and has published thirteen works. She is available for interviews, blogs and writing training material to order. Maggie's particular interests are in group-work, communication skills, teamwork and producing sound practice-based material in a digestible style. As a white, heterosexual, able-bodied woman, she tries to make sure that people's attention is drawn to other perspectives in her materials. Learning should be fun, and can make all kinds of everyday experiences more interesting and rewarding.

Review :
"...a valuable book for the caring profession" ...publishedbestsellers.com