The Social Services ITO is launching a new service to recognise the inhouse training programmes offered by social service agencies.

ITO Chief Executive, Dr Rory Truell, said the service was a way to harness the untapped potential of inhouse training to help staff and volunteers gain national qualifications.

“Many social services have provided excellent training to their staff for years to meet the needs of their community,” said Dr Truell. The inhouse training may be the only professional development made available at the social service agency, or in addition to formal training or workplace assessment.

“There are thousands of social service staff and volunteers who have no qualifications in their field of expertise, yet they are working effectively and making significant contributions to their communities,” said Dr Truell. The recognition service was one of the ITO’s initiatives to support staff development in the social services sector.

The service is being established after a 12-month feasibility study. The 14 study participants included two iwi social services – Te Runanga O Raukawa and Te Runanga O Ngati Porou; youth services – YMCA, GirlGuiding, Scouts, and the Young New Zealanders’ Challenge; as well as social services: Plunket, National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuge, Family Support Agency (Rangiora), Taeaomanino Trust (Porirua), OUTlineNZ, Aotearoa NZ Association of Supervised Contact Services, and the Federation of Family Budgeting Services. Child, Youth and Family also participated.

By the end of the study in July 2009, 13 of the agencies had identified both how their inhouse training aligned to unit standards in social services and reviewed their training systems.

“It was exciting to see how the social services were willing and enthusiastic about sharing their learning and experiences with each other, particularly through the organisational peer review process,” said Dr Truell.

Feedback from the participants confirmed that the service:

• Created a professional pathway for staff and volunteers
• Strengthened their inhouse training systems and programmes
• Could contribute to enhancing quality control for service delivery
• Could acknowledge volunteer contributions
• Could provide a framework for planning training.

The training system reviews highlighted areas for development and also examples of good practice. The ITO hosted a seminar for the wider social services sector in April 2009 to showcase three of the inhouse training models: Plunket, Women’s Refuge and the Federation of Family Budgeting Services. 

That feasibility study concluded that the ITO’s capacity and sector interest was sufficient to introduce the service through a three-year roll-out plan with a full review in late 2012. 

Where agencies gain recognition status, the staff or volunteers on their inhouse training will be able to enrol in training agreements with the ITO. When the inhouse training is completed, the ITO will report the unit standards aligned to the inhouse training programme to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The intention is that people who gain unit standards through inhouse training will eventually complete a national qualification in social services.  

As well as continuing to work with the groups involved in the feasibility study, the ITO will offer the opportunity for recognition to five more organisations each year. Social service agencies will be invited to submit an expression of interest in late 2009. The ITO will decide in the next few weeks what fees, if any, may be charged.

The roll-out plan will include investigating how to recognise the current competency and experience of existing staff and volunteers who have already been through the inhouse training.

To find out more about the recognition service, contact Jac Lynch on jac.lynch@socialservicesito.org.nz, or phone 04 915 7711 DD, or 0800 558 558