Self-Development for a Caregiver
Learning outcomes
1. Agree a personal development plan
2. Develop knowledge, skills and understanding
Skills, knowledge and competence
Skills, knowledge and competence need to be developed throughout your working life
A Personal Development Plan (PDP) sets out the areas you need to develop and how to go about
achieving this
Personal Development Plans (PDPs) to identify:
■ The areas you need to develop
■ What you want to achieve
■ How and when you will achieve it
Objectives should be - SMART
• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-based
How and when you will achieve your objectives
There are many different ways of developing knowledge and skills including:
• Internal opportunities – training courses, mentoring and shadowing, guidance in supervision,
team meetings
• External opportunities – websites, online forums, social media, books, journals, training
courses, online learning opportunities, speaking to workers in different roles
Contributing to your PDP
To get the most out of a PDP workers should be prepared to contribute to the discussion, and the
workers should ask themselves the following:
■ Do I have the skills and knowledge that I need for my current role?
■ What development opportunities are available
in my role?
■ What are my ambitions and goals?
■ Am I making the right choices to get me there?
Skills and knowledge required for a role will be set out in:
• The relevant standards for the role
• The caregiver’s job description
A PDP is important to:
• Ensure that a worker’s skills, knowledge and understanding meet the requirements of their
role
• Develop the caregiver’s skills and help their career progression
Agreeing a personal development plan
Step 1. Agree objectives
Example: Be able to write and review care plans with the individuals who receive care and support in
my workplace
Step 2. Plan activities to meet the objectives
Example:
• Read the instructions and look at the layout for care planning in my workplace
• Discuss these and ask questions of an identified more experienced worker
• Examine and discuss three examples of care plans with the individuals concerned with their
permission, and discuss any changes they might like to make
• Report back to your manager and discuss any questions or learning points
Step 3. Set timescales to achieve outcomes and review
• Timescales - one of the four activities listed will be achieved each week so this will take four
weeks.
• Outcome - Discuss the three steps and possibly update ‘care plans’ with your manager and
review your learning
Core skills are…
Literacy
■ Reading and Writing
■ Recording data clearly
■ Filling out forms
■ Contributing to care plan
■ Taking notes
■ Understanding agreed ways of working
Numeracy
■ Recording a person’s Vitals
■ Monitoring weight loss or weight gain
■ Recording the amount of fluid intake and output
■ Measuring medicine dosage
Communication skills
■ Discussing care and support with individuals
■ Discussing tasks with seniors, family or with colleagues
■ Discussing and agreeing your Personal Development Plan with concerned persons
■ Participating in team meetings, supervision and appraisal
Reflection
Reflecting on past experiences can help to continually develop skills and understanding
■ Carry out a task
■ Look back on a situation or activity
■ Think about what was done and what happened
■ Think about what you could do differently
Feedback
Feedback from others can help you to understand what others think of the way that you
work
Formal
Formal feedback is usually given in writing. This might be part of an assessment or appraisal
or on a comments sheet by your engager.
Informal
Informal feedback happens in
day-to-day discussion with work colleagues, seniors (iCare Life) or the individuals that you
provide care and support for.
Feedback should be:
Timely – Given as soon as possible after the event when it is still fresh in the mind.
Positive – Focusing on improving work performance rather than on personal factors (e.g.
intelligence or confidence).
Constructive – Based on facts and actual events
Continuing professional development
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the ongoing process of updating skills and
knowledge:
– Induction
– Ongoing development
– Refresher training
Completed development should be recorded in a CPD record.
Ongoing development
Needed to enable workers to meet changing requirements because of:
• Changes to legislation
• Changes to agreed ways of working
• Changes to their job role and what is required of them.
Specialist training – specific to the requirements of each role and workplace.
Reflective practice/Reflection – learning from experience
Refresher training
Some training needs to be repeated regularly to ensure that high-risk tasks are completed
safely
Examples include:
• Moving and Assisting, Moving and Handling, Moving and Positioning
• First Aid Training
• Medication training
• Fire Safety
