The Coaching and Development Programme

Introduction

SPAEN’s remit is to develop a more strategic approach to support disabled people across Scotland who are considering becoming employers.  As a result of the evidence we have collated from our members, other PA employers and from the telephone calls received at the SPAEN office, we have produced a Confidence and Capacity Building Learning Programme.

To help in the transition from a person being the passive recipient of community care services to making the decision to become a direct payment recipient requires time and consideration.  We have discovered that sometimes people feel they do not have the inner strength and determination to make changes in their life however small and that sometimes the decision to self manage is a decision too far.

The Coaching and Development Programme

The aims of SPAEN’s Programme are to enable the disabled person to deal effectively and confidently with life’s problems and decision. The programme provides the foundation of establishing what our own wants and needs are and acknowledging what is, at present, our reality. 

The learning outcome for this programme will be the development of ‘self’ – self awareness and self reflection. We achieve this by people developing as people and we have found that we create congruence between disabled people taking on the roles and responsibilities of and employer and feeling a confident, assertive person in other areas of their life. When people work well as employers it is always due to emotional maturity and integrity, which together enable self discipline, right thinking and actions.  This programme looks to develop the person not just providing skills and knowledge.  Encouraging, helping and enabling people to become happier more fulfilled individuals start, we feel with learning from the inside out and learning about self enabling us to understand others better.

Module 1 - Process of transition

By the end of this session we will have considered:
• The journey on which you are about to embark on
• What makes our minds work and how we are
• What choices and options are available to us
• The process of transition and change
• Our coping skills
• How much do you know you?
• Conditions to follow for effective change

This programme looks at the life journey on which you may be about to embark on and examines how you feel about this. The programme looks at the various option open to you and the choices you have to make. Recognition of your own unique way of dealing with change and in depth look at the conditions we can follow to ensure the change and choices are effective.

Module 2 - How we begin to change

By the end of this session we will have considered:

• Looking at situations from different perspectives
• The conditions and process for change
• 5 area approach to living
• How confidence grows and the Model of Emotions
• How we can set ourselves SMART objectives
• The Bill of Rights

The module looks at recognising that our feelings are triggered by our thoughts and knowing what our triggers are, helps us to overcome this and remain calm and focussed.  The five areas for consideration encourage us to have an awareness of how a situation is affecting us and subsequently how our lives can be affected if we do not have internal coping mechanisms to ground us.  We will show you techniques that, when implemented, give us room for manoeuvre in changing our perspective of people around us. 

Module 3 - Problem Solving

By the end of the session we will understand:

• Why problems happen
• Why we have to stop and think
• How to break problems into manageable chunks
• How to identify different solutions
• How to plan to be successful
• How we get rid or 90% of our worries

This is carried out by the steps technique to problem solving incorporating the funnel effect of making a big problem smaller
We can then deal with the issues section by section.  We will
be able to recognise our reactions and the consequences of
our approach and communication style to other people. Can
we recognise our communication behaviour? We will
encourage an awareness of how we react to the people around us and our interpersonal relationships with our PA.

Module 4 – Conflict Management

By the end of the session we will have considered:

• The facts and the predictable factors about conflict
• Self reflection and self awareness
• How to confidently make your instructions and clear and understood
• What are your coping strategies and personality traits
• The five factor model
• Emotions management
• Preparing for success

Conflict whether it is internal or external is a fact of life.
What we will look at is the predictable factors about conflict.  How
do you handle conflict?  This session suggests techniques to deal effectively with negative responses and managing your emotions in trying situations enabling you to remain in control.

Module 5 – Effective Listening and Communication

By the end of this session we will learn:

• How effective listening and communications helps build our confidence
• How to listen with the whole body
• Listening skills and be able to recognise our blocks to listening
• What reflective listening is and practice doing this
• To understand our communication style and behaviour

Consider: How do we listen? What are your barriers to listening? Can you reflect back what you thought the person said to clarify your understanding before replying? These skills can diffuse conflict provoking communication at the onset making your communication effective and productive.  Having a thorough understanding of your communication style and how to project a confident and assertive tone to the conversation changes peoples perception of you.

Module 6 – Interviewing Skills

By the end of this session you will have considered:

• How we identify the person who comes for the interview
• What an interview is and what we want to achieve
• Which type of interview approach suits us best and why
• What questions to ask and why
• How to carry out an employee induction

This module begins to link with our Working in Partnership modules and prepares you for the process of employing staff.  We consider the different strands of discrimination and how to avoid being discriminatory in your approach to your interviewing techniques. This module contains role play and dissemination of a mock interview.

Module 7 – Preparing for Recruitment

By the end of the session you will be able to:

• Define the meaning of Recruitment and Selection from an employment law perspective
• Know how to recruit the ‘right person’ taking account of current employment legislation
• Understand the questions you can and cannot ask at interview
• Become familiar with the paperwork used in the recruitment process
• Define the meaning of Equal Opportunities in the workplace and understand what is meant by an ‘Equal Opportunities Policy’
• Take measures to avoid discrimination
• Develop a paperwork system to counteract discrimination activities and encourage you to be an equal opportunities employer

This module covers a lot of module 6 but the approach is more tutorial that participative.  This is to ensure that when the decision is taken to employ staff that there is available a choice of different ways of learning that suits the individual.

Module 8 – People Management

By the end of the session you will:

• Have given consideration to the reasons employees do not meet performance standards
• Recognise more quickly when a relationship/performance problem is brewing
• Be conversant with the process of dealing with problems
• Be in a position to open the lines of communication constructively and proactively