Grow-wise - Customer Info Pack

Working together to help children and

young people achieve their full potential

Welcome to Grow-wise™!

Whilst Grow-wise™ is essentially an E-learning programme, it offers more robust options

for you, the employer, to ensure that the learning provided is then embedded into frontline

practice – something that is seldom built into other E-learning courses.

It will enable frontline staff within your organisation to take a more confident and informed

view of child development, but – importantly – it allows you the opportunity to consolidate

this learning within the context of the service your organisation provides, and our “Putting

Knowledge into Practice (PKIP) options will give you ideas about how to do this most

effectively – depending on the training infrastructure available within your organisation.

So, whilst Grow-wise™ can be undertaken by individual staff, it can also be used as a joint

resource for a whole team or cohort of staff – who can each undertake the programme and

then reflect on the programme’s case studies afterwards, as a team or as a group. Thus

providing time for practitioners to think about each case in turn, and consider together how

the situation would be dealt with by your organisation – who would be involved, who might

you refer to, how would the family be supported etc.

In creating the resource in this way, we have recognised that it is not sufficient simply to

teach practitioners about child development per se, they then need to develop an

understanding – within the context of the families they work with, and the context of their

own role – of what developmental issues may be indicative of, what else to be looking for,

and how best to address those issues.

Please use the link below to take a closer look at our Foundation Module – which will

provide you with a brief overview of the content and structure of the Grow-wise™

programme:

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/helmopen/rlos/child/foundation/

Grow-wise is the result of a collaboration between Nottinghamshire County Council and the University of Nottingham, and combines our respective expertise in child development education and workforce training.

An increasing proportion of community-based agencies are now involved in direct work with families, and find themselves needing to take a more integrated “whole family” approach. These families – who can often be at threshold, and complex – present professionals with a broad range of issues, and it is paramount that they are in a position to make well-informed assessments of need whenever they engage with a family – particularly with regard to children’s welfare.

However, staff from frontline agencies are not always adequately equipped to make such assessments – given that their professional training may only have covered child development at an elementary level. Historically, they have not been required to take account of developmental issues, given that their own professional focus may have been limited to health issues, early years, adolescence, criminal justice etc., but the drive towards a more integrated approach to work with families means that we need to enhance our professional’s understanding of child development – from pre-birth through to 19 years.

The Grow-wise E-learning programme provides a solution to this gap in frontline knowledge, and does so in a format that is accessible to, and easily understood by, a variety of frontline professionals. Nottinghamshire County Council’s Corporate Director of Children, Families and Cultural Services describes the programme as:

“an innovative and much needed resource that will equip our workforce to safeguard the healthy development of children of any age, and ensure that referral for early intervention happens as soon as it possibly can”

It has also been highlighted in recent research, conducted on behalf of the Department for Education that those professionals working with children and families:

“should be able to recognise patterns of overall development, to promote optimal child development and to detect when such development may be going off track.’ 1

The six serious case reviews considered within the research each identified that a lack of understanding of “normal” child development, coupled with a poor appreciation of what developmental issues might be indicative of within the wider context of the child’s world, lead to key indicators being missed/left unchallenged by those professionals working with the families. This was an issue also highlighted in the Munro Review2

So, whilst some of our frontline agencies may not have a professional “child” focus per se, and even those that do will seldom have received developmental training for the whole of the 0 – 19 age range, as professionals engaging with families – they are, nonetheless, all ideally placed to identify potential issues early, and therefore will benefit from having their understanding of child development enhanced – so that they can communicate their concerns clearly, and knowledgably, to the appropriate agencies within their community. 1 Reference: Child and family practitioners’ understanding of child development: Lessons learnt from a small sample of serious case reviews (Marian Brandon, Peter Sidebotham, Catherine Ellis, Sue Bailey and Pippa Belderson, UEA, 2011,p.22) 2 Reference: Munro Review of Child Protection (DfE, 2011, p75, 4.66)

Why Develop Grow-wise?

Is there a limit to the number of staff I can enrol for the Grow-wise Programme? No – we have subscription packages to suit workforces of all sizes, and significant discounts for bulk subscriptions

Can I enrol individuals onto the Grow-wise Programme? If you only have a small number of staff, or just one member of staff who needs to undertake the Programme, we are able to accommodate individual requests.

How long does the whole Programme take to complete on average? We estimate that each age-band may take around 2 – 3 hours to complete (potentially 10 – 15 hours to complete the whole programme), but staff may wish to allocate slightly more time to consider and respond to the case-studies at the end of each age-range. The programme will retain a learners’ progress, ready for the next time they login.

Do staff have to undertake the assessments? If you wish your staff to obtain a certificate of successful completion, and have evidence of their learning, then they do need to complete all the assessments (with a pass mark of 80% for each)

How is payment made, and when is payment expected? Once you have decided upon an appropriate subscription package, and a provisional enrolment date for your workforce, we will send your organisation an invoice for the full subscription amount – which must be paid in full prior to your staff accessing the Programme

How long do I have to ensure that all my staff complete the Programme? We allow organisations a 12-month period in which to ensure that all learners who have been included in your subscription, have accessed and completed the Programme

What happens if some of them don’t complete the Programme in time? We realise that individual learners may encounter work-related or personal challenges whilst undertaking the programme, so we will consider these situations on a case by case basis, and may allow a short extension to the subscription period

If I don’t manage to enrol the number of staff I’ve paid for, can I get a refund? Having chosen a subscription package that suits your size workforce, it is your responsibility to ensure that all learners enrol and complete the Programme. We will, however, consider individual difficulties – as detailed above

How will I know that my staff have been successful in completing the Programme? You will be provided with a detailed report of all staff who have completed the Programme, and their certification scores

What follow-up consolidation of learning is available? We provide a Managers Handbook that will provide your senior staff with a range of ideas for reinforcing learning back in the workplace. Alternatively, we are happy to provide on-site PKIP facilitation for your groups of staff as an optional extra should you require this.

Frequently Asked Questions

Option One Option Two Option Three Option Four

1. A group of learners, or an individual, will be allocated an

age band to complete - including the assessment and the case study (and questions 1 & 2) – in a given period of time

2. This is followed by a group or 1:1 learning event, focussing on that age band - discussing questions 1 & 2 and exploring, as a group, the local and organisational responses to questions 3-5

3. This cycle is repeated by the group or individual, for each

age band in turn, until the whole programme is completed.

4. The organisation can decide on the time allocated to each

age band (e.g. 2 weeks or 1 month)

5. There is an individual or locality based consolidation per age range – to embed into practice and agree local responses.

6. This highly structured approach will enable learners to

develop their confidence in applying their learning, and embed child development conversations into team culture, within a governable period of time.

1. A learner undertakes all the learning modules for each age band in turn

2. Learner passes the assessments for

each age band

3. Partial online completion of the PKIP – learner reads all the case studies, and completes questions 1 & 2 for each case study

4. Learner then participates in an

organised group follow-up discussion or reflective session – to discuss questions 1 & 2, and explore local & organisational responses for questions 3-5

5. There is a co-ordinated

consolidation of learning across groups of practitioners – to embed into practice, and agree appropriate responses

1. A learner undertakes all the learning modules for each age band in turn

2. Learner passes the assessments

for each age band

3. Partial online completion of the PKIP – learner reads all the case studies, and completes questions 1 & 2 for each case study

4. Learner then participates in 1:1

session with manager/mentor to discuss questions 1 & 2, and explore local & organisational responses for questions 3 – 5

5. There is an individual/ locality-

based consolidation of learning – to embed into practice, and agree appropriate local responses

1. A learner undertakes all the

learning modules for each age band in turn

2. Learner passes the assessments

for each age band 3. Learner completes all Case

Studies and all PKIP questions independently online

4. Learner only involves their line

manager/ mentor or buddy on a needs basis

5. There is no requirement

for formal consolidation of learning, from PKIP case studies, with colleagues or managers

6. This approach would suit organisations with or without existing in-house development arrangements

Grow-wise Implementation Options

We have drawn up the options detailed below in a way that will allow commissioning organisations to decide for themselves which package will suit their workforce’s needs and their budgets – but we are happy to discuss individual training proposals should your requirements differ from those outlined below. Organisations will have 12 months, from the point of sign-up, for their designated staff to complete the Grow-wise programme. Staff can commence the programme at any point during the 12-month period, but will need to have completed it before the 12-month deadline (see Terms & Conditions for full details) Options for larger organisations:

Up to 150 Staff Up to 300 Staff Unlimited Staff

Private/Profit Making

£3,750

£7,500

£10,000

Statutory

£3,000 £6,000 £8,000

Voluntary/Non-Profit

£1,500 £3,000 £5,000

Purchasing in bulk generates a saving of £5 per head compared to individual Per Head costs below

Options for smaller organisations (less than 100 staff):

Per Head 20 Staff 50 Staff

Private/Profit Making

£30 £540 £1,350

Statutory

£25 £450 £1,125

Voluntary/Non-Profit

£15 £270 £675

Purchasing for a group will generate a 10% reduction

For further details, or to discuss your organisations specific needs, please contact:

Liz Maslen, Children’s Workforce Development Manager Nottinghamshire County Council T 0115 977 3004 E [email protected]

Subscription Packages

We thought you might like to have a go at some of the assessment questions that are used within the Grow-wise Programme – so here’s a selection to get you thinking!

1. When might you expect a baby to begin showing separation anxiety?

a. 3 months b. 8 months c. 12 months

2. Which of the following skills should be attained by a baby who is 9 months old? a. an ability to sit and lean forward b. an ability to use a cup c. an ability to walk independently d. an ability to crawl upstairs

3. How many words would typically be seen in the vocabulary of an 18 month old? a. 5 b. 20 c. 500

4. How long is the typical attention span of a three year old? a. 6 minutes b. 9 minutes c. 12 minutes d. 15 minutes

Test Your Child Development Knowledge!

5. By what age does a child develop an ability to understand another person’s perspective

(known as Theory of Mind)? a. 2 years b. 5 years c. 11 years

6. Zac has an autistic spectrum disorder. Which of the following difficulties is he most likely to

have?

a. Difficulties in socialising, communicating and interacting with other people

b. Difficulties in writing his name

c. Difficulties in processing numbers and co-ordinating movements

d. Difficulties in saying words, resulting in him stuttering

7. By the age of 11 years, how many words would you expect a young person to string

together in a sentence?

a. 4 words

b. 5-7 words

c. 7-12 words

d. 20 words

8. Teenagers are increasingly listening to noise, whether in a loud, noisy environment, e.g. in

a shop, or via their ear plugs or headphones when playing music. Hearing loss is an

increasing issue for the adolescent. How many teenagers are said to be showing signs of

hearing loss?

a. 1 in 3

b. 1 in 6

c. 1 in 12

d. 1 in 50

Answers: 1. b 2. a 3. b 4. b 5. b 6. a 7. c 8. b

Legal statements: 1. 'Grow-wise' is a product jointly created and owned by Nottinghamshire County Council and

the University of Nottingham. 2. 'Subscriber' is the individual or organisation subscribing for the provision of training via the

Grow-wise programme and 'Staff' includes nominated employees of the Subscriber. 3. 'Registered User' is the individual or organisation registering to use the Grow-wise

programme. 4. The copyright in all material shown on this site, downloaded from it or provided by Grow-

wise belongs to Grow-wise unless otherwise stated by the owners, and may not be used except as provided by the terms of the relevant subscription.

5. Grow-wise is entitled to require that any user of the programme enters a password [and username] provided or approved by Grow-wise before being able to access the information contained on it or to download information or documents from it.

6. Registration details will be provided by Grow-wise and may not be used by anyone other than the person or people entitled to them by virtue of the subscription paid. Use by any unauthorised person will entitle Grow-wise to terminate the right to access the site and the right to use the material obtainable from it of the individual or organisation whose registration number has been so used.

7. Passwords and/or usernames may not be used by anyone other than the person entitled to them by virtue of the subscription paid. It is the responsibility of the individual subscriber to keep such details confidential. Use by any unauthorised person will entitle Grow-wise to terminate the right to access the site and the right to use the material obtainable from it of the individual or organisation whose password and/or username has been so used.

8. Details of the subscriptions available and the entitlement to access this site and the information available from it are shown under the heading 'Subscription Options'.

9. In the event that the subscription is by way of a number of payments or by periodic payments, then non-payment of any amount due will entitle Grow-wise to withhold provision of any material or updates to the Subscriber unless and until that payment is made. The obligation to provide material or updates or any other service to a Subscriber will be suspended during such time as the Subscriber is otherwise in breach of the Subscriber's obligations.

10. 'Material' means documents/materials created, owned and copyrighted by Grow-wise. Material downloaded from the programme may under no circumstances be used other than as authorised by the subscription paid to Grow-wise.

In particular, the subscriber is responsible for ensuring that:

i. no material is provided by them directly to a non-subscriber unless that person, although a Subscriber is expressly given the right to use the material by virtue of the terms of the subscription;

ii. material is not used by the Subscriber to provide training to any third party, except with the written authorisation of Grow-wise or where the terms of the subscription permit such use. Otherwise, an individual is entitled to use material only for his/her own training and an organisation is entitled to use it only for the training of its own employees.

Terms & Conditions of Use

The registered user is responsible for ensuring that: iii. no material is provided by themselves directly or indirectly to a non-subscriber

unless that person, although not a Subscriber is expressly given the right to use the material by virtue of the terms of the subscription ;

iv. material is not used by themselves to provide training to any third party, except with the written authorisation of Grow-wise or where the terms of the subscription permit such use. Otherwise, an individual is entitled to use material only for his/her own training and an organisation is entitled to use it only for the training of its own employees.

11. Except to the extent that a specific statement of suitability is made on this programme or otherwise in writing by Grow-wise, in respect of the material to be downloaded, the Subscriber is responsible for ensuring that it is suitable for the Subscriber's purposes and no warranty as to its fitness for any purpose is given by Grow-wise or any liability for any loss is accepted by Grow-wise as a consequence of its non-suitability.

12. Regardless of and without prejudice to any other remedy available to Grow-wise, Grow-wise will be entitled after becoming aware of any breach of these terms by the Subscriber to terminate its agreement with the Subscriber and will have no obligation to refund any amounts paid by the Subscriber to Grow-wise. Such termination will be notified by Grow-wise in writing to the Subscriber within 14 days of that termination.

13. The business address for Grow-wise is: Children’s Workforce Development Team, C.F.C.S., 3rd Floor (Centre), County Hall, Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7QP

Subscriptions: Allowing nominated members of staff/learners within an organisation access to/full use of the Grow-wise programme, and materials for the subscription period. The number of staff/learners allowed access, as advised by the subscribing organisation, is shown above (see “Subscription Options”). Dependant on the type of subscription taken out, if the number of staff/learners requiring access increases, Grow-wise should be informed and will require payment of an additional fee proportionate to the increase in the numbers of staff/learners for that subscription period. It is the responsibility of the subscriber to ensure that all staff nominated to undertake the programme have done so, and to check that they have completed the course fully. There will be no refunds for staff who fail to access or complete the training within the 12-month subscription period. Should a subscriber fail to complete the programme with 12 months and wishes to complete, then another 12month subscription will be required in full – however, subscribers will not need to repeat modules already completed. Subscribing organisations will be provided with a full list of all staff who have completed the programme, and those who have accessed the programme but not completed it. Website Links: Grow-wise is not responsible for the contents or reliability of linked websites and does not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them. Grow-wise cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time. General: We will try to ensure that our programme is always available for your staff. In the event that the programme is unavailable at any time and for any period up to 10 working days (for whatever reason) we shall not be liable even if this means you cannot access the programme during that period. Should the programme be unavailable for a longer period because of an event outside our

control, we shall not be liable. If however, access is restricted longer than 10 working days, because of a technical fault with our own e-learning platform, we will compensate subscribing organisations at a fixed rate of 5% of their per head fees for any staff currently registered and using the programme. An Event Outside Our Control means any act or event beyond our reasonable control, including without limitation server failures, software failures, strikes, lock-outs or other industrial action by third parties, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack, war (whether declared or not) or threat or preparation for war, fire, explosion, storm, flood, earthquake, subsidence, epidemic or other natural disaster, or failure of public or private telecommunications networks. Should access be restricted towards the end of a subscriber’s 12-month period, an extension to that period will be provided in line with the number of days access that was lost. Placing an Order: You may place an order with us either by phone, or by email. We will then send you an email acknowledging your order, which will confirm the order details, and details of how to access the purchased Grow-wise programme. A binding contract will only come into force between us once you have received this confirmation email. Please take the time to read and check our confirmation of your order and notify us within 24 hours if any of the details need amending. If we reject an order (for whatever reason) we will inform you as soon as possible. Description: All descriptions, specifications, advertising, and overview information displayed on our website, and within our marketing materials, in relation to Grow-wise, are issued or published for the sole purpose of giving an approximate idea of the training to be provided. They will not form part of the contract between us. The programme delivered may differ in non-material respects from the information provided on our website. We may make any change to the specification or design of the programme which is required to conform with any applicable safety, statutory or regulatory requirement, or does not materially reduce its quality. Price of the Services: The price(s) for the programme will be provided prior to you placing an order with us. Unless stated otherwise, all prices stated are exclusive of value added tax (will we be charging this?) All prices are subject to change without prior notice. Payment: We must receive payment in full for your agreed subscription before your staff can access the Grow-wise programme. Payment for the programme will be taken by card payment, or by invoice. Cancellation: You may cancel any order you place with us, and receive a refund in respect of such, at any time before staff have been granted access to the programme. You will not be able to cancel an order once they have been given access.

If you do not access the programme during the twelve (12) months following the date on which your order was confirmed, we reserve the right to cancel the order and withdraw your access to the programme. You will not receive a refund if the order is cancelled as described in this paragraph. The programme will be deemed to have been “accessed” when the relevant online course is commenced or any associated materials are loaded or viewed by someone utilising your account. These terms and conditions (including in relation to any non-contractual obligations) shall

be governed by and interpreted in accordance with English law and subject to the exclusive

jurisdiction of the English courts.