Hello, welcome to our Summer newsletter.

Firstly – THANK YOU for your understanding, compassion and sheer hard work over the last 16 months in your responses to the C19 virus.  We know it’s been tough and you have been truly fab!  

If you can find a few minutes to read this newsletter  I’m sure you will find something of interest.  

We look forward to seeing you in our face to face training sessions which are returning soon, as well as our live learning webinars in the coming months. 

Take care, keep safe!  Best wishes, Christine (Joint Training Manager).

The Joint Training Annual Report for 2020-21 is now available.  This reflects a challenging and rewarding year for the team with key achievements including:

• The introduction of online, blended and live learning webinars as a response to the Covid19 restrictions - 4,181 attendances in total.
• 255 live learning webinars delivered covering 47 titles, with an average of sixteen learners per session
• 1,076 MAPA blended learning places allocated (online learning combined with face to face physical skills sessions where required)

• Suicide Prevention Awareness for learners additional to our usual target audience, e.g. Fire & Rescue, Police, Armed Forces, rural support networks, pharmacists and colleges
• Autism training programme to a similar audience as above
• Bespoke / in-house live learning webinars commissioned by fifteen separate organisations - 59 webinars delivered in all
• Maintained Skills for Care, Centre of Excellence status
• Supporting the Shropshire Council Covid 19 response, by making in excess of 1,500 support calls to people on the NHS shielded list and weekly support phone calls to 33 domiciliary and 30 residential care providers during the period from the start of the pandemic until 31st March 2021.

Read the full report here Joint Training Annual Report 2020-2021

Saying “hello” to Nicola!  Nicola is our new Learning and Development Officer for Adult Mental Health who joined us earlier this year.  Nicola is a Registered Mental Health Nurse with experience of  working on forensic and acute wards.  We are already benefiting from Nicola’s knowledge and expertise as she has refreshed our Mental Health training programme and put a busy training delivery schedule into place.  She has also supported Public Health with their Suicide Prevention agenda by delivering Awareness training to a wide range of learners, with Safety Planning to follow in the Autumn.

In addition - Nicola has just completed her level 3 BTEC Award in Education and Training – well done Nicola!  Welcome to the Joint Training team.

The Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) has announced that it has reviewed and developed the existing MAPA ® training programme in line with international best practice. Going forward there will be two distinct programmes; Verbal Intervention™ will teach preventative approaches only and Safety Intervention™ will teach both the preventative approaches plus disengagement and/or holding skills as required.  The course redesign has been with the help and support of people with lived experience of distress, crisis and the use of restrictive practices, to ensure the content reflects their and their family's perspectives.  The redesign also incorporates trauma-informed and person-centred approaches.  Both programmes continue to emphasise restrictive interventions being only used as a last resort to maximise safety and minimise harm.

In light of these changes we are currently reviewing how we deliver MAPA ® training locally and exploring options for rolling out the new programmes to our customers.  This is likely to be a 'blended learning' approach, where delegates initially complete self-led online learning and then attend an instructor led session, either virtually or in a classroom, to review their learning and complete any disengagement/holding skills practice required.  

The benefits of this method of delivery to organisations include:

• Self-led online learning can be completed at a time and place to suit the delegate
• Completion can be staggered, reducing the need to release staff at the same time
• The instructor led sessions will be shorter

For more information on Verbal Intervention™ and Safety Intervention™ please see Our Programmes | Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI)

We will be in touch with all existing MAPA® customers soon to discuss how we can deliver the new programme in a way that best meets your needs.  If you do not already access MAPA ® training and would like to discuss how it may benefit your organisation please contact lauren.short@shropshire.gov.uk 

Joint Training prides itself on being responsive to customer needs and, following a specific request, a new webinar has been developed to encourage and support the use of assistive technology within supported living settings in Shropshire.  

The focus of this training is to explore the potential of assistive technology to improve the quality of life for people, whilst also recognising that change can be a challenge, particularly when it comes to technology. The session recognises the importance of staff embedding assistive technology within services and promoting its use, and will give them an opportunity to really understand what assistive technology is, why it is being used and to discuss their own thoughts and feelings around it.

This half day webinar is scheduled for delivery six times over the coming months - for full details see the Joint Training Course Schedule