Your pocket guide to
recruiting and retaining
staff to support people with
a learning disability and/or
autism.
How to recruit staff?
Be inclusive
Access a wide range of people by...
- thinking creatively about where you advertise
e.g. sporting
venues, shopping centres, colleges.
- creating links with places you might recruit from
schools, colleges, universities.
- profiling lots of different groups of people in your
promotional
materials.
Be focused
Target people who may have a
specific interest in the work by….
….encouraging existing staff to
promote care work to others,
…seeking out those who have had
direct contact/experience of the
client group,
…linking with groups who want to
gain particular work experience
e.g. psychology students.
Be selective
Improve the selection process by….
…using evidence based selection
practices and standardised scoring
guides,
…creating opportunities for
direct contact,
with service users
such as workplace visits and
experience,
…involving the service user,
…creating accurate job descriptions.
Be positive...
Recruit a positive and resilient workforce by
identifying staff who….
- are receptive to the benefits of support work,
- have core values and qualities which fit with
those of the organisation and service users,
- have realistic expectations of the job.
Be rewarding
Ensure you are an attractive option by…
…offering competitive pay and
conditions,
…highlighting the intrinsic rewards of caring,
...offering flexible and adaptable working
conditions and permanent contracts,
…having clear, structured career pathways.
Staff:
"I want to work where I feel
valued, rewarded, and supported;
where what I do has a positive
impact on the people
I support."
How do I retain staff?
Be rewarding
Ensure you are always an attractive option by…
…offering competitive pay and conditions,
...offering flexible conditions to suit the
changing needs of staff,
…offering development opportunities,
…reducing bureaucracy and increasing
staff control over their work.
Encourage aspiration
Make promotion worthwhile by
ensuring those in promoted posts…
…are properly rewarded for their extra responsibilities,
…have direct contact with service users,
…are properly supported and supervised,
...have experienced an open and
fair promotion
system.
Be supportive
Provide multiple opportunities
for staff support by…
…facilitating staff networking,
peer support and mentoring,
...providing individualised positive
feedback for good work,
...creating a sociable, open and
honest working environment,
...providing good quality support
from well-trained supervisors.
Support development
Ensure staff have the right skills
and knowledge by delivering training that…
...is good quality training,
…provides transferable skills,
…is competency based where appropriate,
…involves managers,
…is seen as satisfactory by staff.
Support resilience
Increase staff resilience by…
…encouraging practical coping strategies,
…providing a range of sources of support,
…encourage values-based work practices
e.g. through reflection and training,
...providing tailored stress management
programmes if required,
…ensuring staff roles are clear.
Control challenges
Reduce the impact of behaviours
that challenge on staff by ….
…using effective, evidence based
interventions
e.g. positive behavioural support,
…providing staff with appropriate training,
…using external/specialist support if needed,
...being aware of both the positive aspects and
emotional cost of this type of work.
Organisations: