We recognise that the learning and development of employees and Elected Members has a key role to play in ensuring employees have the necessary knowledge and skills to deliver a high quality and cost-effective service to the community the Council serves.
The Learning and Development policy reflects and supports our commitment to learning and development. The purpose of this policy is to ensure best practice in enabling the learning and development of employees and Elected Members to deliver Service and Organisational objectives. The policy aims to ensure equality of access to learning and development opportunity, the achievement of Best Value in all learning and development activities and to outline the support available to employees and Elected Members.
Policy statement
Falkirk Council is committed to the learning and development of employees and Elected Members, to ensure they have the knowledge and skills needed to deliver a high quality and cost-effective service to the community.
We recognise the need for lifelong learning to gain new skills, improve performance, develop careers and maximise the potential of every employee and Elected Member. It also supports our culture change programme and ambition to be recognised as a learning organisation, ensuring we are a Council which is fit for the future. We aim to provide the highest standard of learning and development and are committed to providing a wide variety and range of opportunities.
Council Values
We are committed to the corporate values: Responsive, Innovative, Trusted and Ambitious (RITA). They shape how we conduct our business and have been developed into behavioural statements. Every line manager should receive 360 degree feedback against the RITA behavioural statements and this should be included in the line manager's CPD plan. Every employee should carry out an assessment of how well they role model the values as part of the Good Conversations process.
Induction
Every new employee will receive an induction appropriate to their role in line with the corporate induction programme and will be appointed a "mentor" who will be an experienced member of the relevant team.
Managers will ensure that every new employee receives a specific induction programme appropriate to their job role, which will include learning about their own Service, tasks of the job and health, safety and wellbeing.
Elected Members will also receive Induction appropriate to their role.
Training Planning System
Training planning ensures that individuals are sufficiently skilled to meet organisational objectives and deliver a quality service. Learning needs are identified and resources planned to meet these needs at Team, Service and Corporate levels. Following a Good Conversations meeting, training may be required to provide the employee with the knowledge and skills to deliver organisational objectives.
Full guidance on the system can be found at Employee development.
Good Conversations Scheme
This involves a line manager having regular conversations with their employee(s) which focus on clarifying work related objectives for the year ahead, providing feedback and agreeing any support or development needed for employees and teams to be the best they can be. This will help build relationships, provide support and keep individuals feeling valued, motivated and engaged.
There will be 3 stages of the conversation:
- Annual conversation
- Regular 1-2-1 check-ins
- Team check-ins
Full guidance on the scheme can be found below:
- Downloads
-
Good Conversations
DOCX file, 382.1 KB
Adult, Justice and Children & Families Social Work Services have a different scheme in place – Employee Development and Performance Review (EDPR). This enables them to comply with professional standards from bodies such as SSSC.
The ethos of Good Conversations is reflected in this process. Regular conversations are required to be held with employees where relationships are built up, support is provided and individuals feel valued, motivated and engaged.
Leadership Development
Line Managers have a key role in leading people through organisational change and implementing the vision and strategy of the Organisation. We will ensure that all line managers have the opportunity to attend accredited leadership learning at a level appropriate to their role. This will allow them to maximise motivation and engagement levels within their teams, create a shared culture and values, and manage relationships confidently.
Management Development
Line managers have a key role in ensuring effective delivery of quality services through the employees whom they manage. Planning and organising the resources available to them. We will ensure that all line managers have the opportunity to attend accredited management learning, at a level appropriate to their role. This will allow them to maximise individual, team and organisational performance.
Elected Member Development
The role of Elected Members is integral to achieving the strategic goals, vision and values of the Council. We are committed to supporting the development of all Elected Members to enable them to perform effectively in their current role and to develop to meet future challenges.
More information can be found at Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework for Elected Members.
Methods of Learning and Development
We provide a variety of methods, sometimes referred to as blended learning, by which employees at all levels can learn and develop. This increases accessibility, flexibility and opportunities to learn, which not only suit the learners' style but also supports the time and resource constraints of Services as well as being proven to produce better results. These include:
- Online courses which all employees can access
- On the job training
- Coaching
- Skills and knowledge courses and events which can be accessed at Face to Face training
- Mentoring
- Shadowing
- Resources including books, research papers, audio and film, webinars and podcasts.
Elected Members will also have access to a range of learning opportunities appropriate to their role including access to the CPD Framework for Elected Members Development Programme.
Volunteering
The Council encourages volunteering as it is a good way to help others and at the same time learn something new. Evidence shows that helping others can also help our own mental wellbeing. The Employee Volunteering Policy has more information.
Coaching
Coaching is a 1-1 process to help employees deepen their learning and improve their performance. Coaching is forward looking and goal oriented. It assumes that all employees have the necessary ability to find and use the resources they require to do their job. The purpose of coaching is to help the employee define for themselves what they want, discover options, develop strategies and move towards these outcomes.
Coaching will develop the knowledge and skills of our leaders, managers and employees. We are committed to developing a coaching culture throughout the organisation. We will do this by:
- Providing a coaching service to all line managers and employees
- Developing the skills of our managers to enable them to coach employees.
Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Every employee and Elected Member will have access to Health, Safety and Wellbeing training courses including what is on our e-learning platform OLLE. The training will be relevant to their role to enable the safe delivery of services.
Evaluating Learning and Development
All learning and development activities will be evaluated to measure their contribution to the achievement of the Council's objectives and to ensure Best Value. The Organisational Development team will evaluate learning and development activities in line with the Corporate Evaluation Strategy. A copy of this is available on the intranet. Learning and development activity will be evaluated against the following criteria:
- How the learning and development activity met the needs of the individual on the day
- The amount of learning that occurred because of the training
- The impact of the learning on individual performance
- How learning and development contributes to the achievement of Council goals.
Directors, Heads of Service and Line Managers will contribute to the evaluation process by ensuring that the Good Conversations Scheme or equivalent and the Training Planning System are implemented and that pre and post course briefings are undertaken as appropriate.
Exit Interviews
We are committed to being a learning organisation and one of the ways we can learn is from talking to those who are leaving the Council. We will ensure that the information gained from Exit interviews influences the learning and development opportunities made available to employees.
Approved Learning and Qualifications
Approved learning can be defined as:
Any job-related learning which is necessary to allow the employee to perform effectively in their current role.
This includes any learning required by an employee to allow them to develop their knowledge, skill or attitude to assist them to perform their current role to the required standard. The Council's Training Planning helps managers identify whether learning is approved or not.
Employees will be entitled to receive time off to travel to and attend approved learning. Where the learning takes place out with the employee's normal working hours, the employee will be entitled to time off in lieu at plain time. Where the line manager deems that time off in lieu does not meet operational requirements, payment at plain time may be made.
The Council will pay all costs associated with approved learning including the cost of course fees and course materials. Subsistence and excess travel costs will be paid as per current Conditions of Service.
Approved qualifications can be defined as:
Any qualification which has been identified as essential, as opposed to desirable, for the employee in their current role.
Employees will be entitled to receive time off to travel to and undertake any learning assessment or examination leading to an approved qualification. Where the activity takes place out with the employee's normal working hours, the employee will be entitled to time off in lieu at plain rate.
The Council will pay all costs associated with approved qualifications including the cost of learning assessment, examinations and course materials. Subsistence and excess travel costs will be paid as per current Conditions of Service.
Employees who are required to sit formal examinations as a result of undertaking approved learning or qualifications will be granted up to half a day study leave per examination. This will apply to examinations of 2 hours and above.
This section applies to Elected Members to the extent that any necessary learning or essential qualifications are those required by statute or determined by a decision of Council.
Developmental Learning/Qualifications
Developmental learning /qualifications can be defined as:
Any learning/qualification which, although completion may assist the employee develop personally and/or professionally, is not required to allow the employee to perform effectively in their current role.
More information can be found at how to apply for developmental learning and qualifications.
Information for managers on how to process an application for developmental learning and qualifications.
Repayment of Learning/Qualification costs
There will be no requirement for an employee to repay any costs paid by Falkirk Council associated with:
- Approved learning
- Approved qualifications
- Developmental learning (except in circumstances stated below)
Where an employee leaves the service of the Council or fails to complete a Developmental Qualification, the line manager may, if it is considered appropriate, demand repayment of costs paid by the Council.
Elected Members will require to repay costs of Developmental qualifications paid by the Council in line with the conditions and process approved by the Executive (and any similar successor body).
Further information can be found at How to Manage Repayment of Developmental Learning and Qualification costs or contact the Organisational Development Team or Social Work Workforce Development Team.
Continuous Professional Development
We are committed to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and will encourage and provide appropriate support to employees to allow them to fulfil the CPD requirements of their professional body.
Equality monitoring of training applications
We gather and monitor employee equality information in relation to training to make sure that employees can access training. We include the following information in our equality reporting for protected characteristics:
- Those refused training, comparable to the make-up of the workforce
- Those who have applied for training, comparable to the make-up of the workforce
- Those who have attended training, comparable to the make-up of the workforce.
Training applications and outcomes should be recorded on Resourcelink by Services.
Application of Policy
Employees may refer questions of interpretation or problems related to the provisions or to the application of this policy, in the first instance, to their line manager. If this procedure fails to produce a satisfactory result to the employee concerned, recourse may then be made to the Council's Organisational Development team.
Roles and Responsibilities
Human Resources Manager
The Human Resources Manager is responsible for the direction and approach of learning and development provision and for ensuring that this is in line with the Council's objectives. The Human Resources Manager will ensure that the general approach to learning adopted by all Services is consistent with the Council's Learning and Development Policy and its commitment as an equal opportunities employer. They are responsible for:
- Formulating, implementing and monitoring a Falkirk Council Learning and Development Policy
- Annually planning Corporate Learning and Development activities which integrate the learning and development needs of all Council Services
- Ensuring the provision of support to Services in the creation of annual learning plans which bring together the strategic development needs of the Service with the personal development needs of individuals and specific groups
- Ensuring the development of systems which will monitor and evaluate the learning and development of Council employees and Elected Members
- Ensuring the development of systems which will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of learning and development provision
- Developing effective partnerships to promote the sharing of learning and development resources
- Ensuring the development and delivery of workshops for managers and employees to support the Good Conversations scheme
- Ensuring the provision of a 1-1 coaching service to employees. The coaching will be based on the individuals learning objectives
- Providing advice to Service regarding applications for time off to attend training under the Employee Rights Act 1996, section 63D.
Organisational Development Team
The Organisational Development Team will assist Services by providing an internal learning and development consultancy service to meet team and Service training needs that cannot be met by Corporate training events. The team will:
- Provide support to Services to implement the Good Conversations scheme
- Develop and deliver accredited in-house Leadership and Management Development Programmes
- Develop and deliver appropriate personal effectiveness programmes
- Source appropriate external learning providers to deliver Corporate learning programmes
- Provide a comprehensive internal consultancy service to teams and Services
- Support the development of management skills, behaviours and processes through the development of Leadership and Management frameworks
- Develop and undertake evaluation activities to ensure learning and development provides Best Value for the Council
- Provide a 1-1 coaching service to employees. The coaching will be based on the individuals learning objectives.
Social Work Service Training and Workforce Development Team
The Social Work Service Training and Workforce Development team leads on the coordination and delivery of approved service specific training, learning and development for the workforce. This includes Assessors and Verifiers in the Falkirk Social Services Assessment Centre who comply with requirements from Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) regarding the delivery of vocational qualifications.
Key responsibilities for the team are ensuring:
the registration of the workforce with the regulatory body- Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) through the provision of required learning and development within timescales
effective management and administration of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) online system; providing information about CPD opportunities and events, processing course applications, attendance and evaluations
effective management and administration of the Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) e-portfolio system
the development of learning and development plans linked to organisational need and priorities and employee development and performance reviews.
the service maintains its strong commitment to Practice Teaching through the coordination and facilitation of student placements and support for practice educators and link workers.
opportunities are created for workforce collaboration in the design, delivery, and evaluation of training, learning and development
the service maintains a commitment to reflective practice; prioritising regular support and supervision and time for staff to engage in self-directed study, including research and reading.
Directors, Chief Officers & Head Teachers
Directors, Chief Officers and Head Teachers are responsible for ensuring individuals receive the learning & development necessary to allow them to carry out their jobs effectively and for ensuring that appropriate resources are made available to allow the learning and development to be undertaken. Also, ensuring that employees are made aware of the Council's Learning and Development Policy and the opportunities available to them for personal and professional development. Other responsibilities are to ensure that:
- The Good Conversations scheme or equivalent is implemented within their Service
- The learning and development needs of individuals and teams are identified and plans formulated to meet these needs
- Learning & Development aligns with our Business Plan and Our Priorities
- Where a Service-based learning function exists, resources are co-ordinated effectively with those of the Organisational Development Team to maximise use of resources and available expertise to achieve Best Value
- Any facilitators or providers of learning, working within their Services are fully aware of and adhere to this policy.
Line Managers and Supervisors
It is the responsibility of each Line Manager/Supervisor to:
- Implement the Good Conversations scheme or equivalent within their division/team
- Discuss with employees their performance in their jobs and identify areas where learning intervention can improve their effectiveness
- Allow each employee access to appropriate learning and development opportunities
- Undertake pre and post course briefings with individuals to discuss the objectives of the learning and the desired outcomes and to discuss whether the desired outcome has been achieved, what personal benefits were gained and how the new knowledge can best be utilized to improve performance
- Ensure each employee has a personal development plan
- Maintain records of learning applications and the result
- Advise employees of the reason for refusal of any learning
- Consider and respond to requests for time off to attend training under the Employee Rights Act 1996, section 63D
- Ensure each new employee receives a specific induction programme suitable to their job role.
Individual Employees
Each employee has responsibility for taking ownership of their own learning and development to maximise use of opportunities available to them by:
- Alerting their line manager to any learning needs which they identify
- Participating in appropriate learning and development activities
- Participating in a pre-course briefing with their line manager to discuss the objectives of the learning and the desired outcomes
- Participating in a post course briefing with their line manager to discuss whether the desired outcome has been achieved, what personal benefits were gained and how the new knowledge can best be utilised to improve performance
- Participating in the Good Conversations scheme or equivalent and contributing to the development of an annual personal development plan.
Facilitators
On occasions, we may have the need to use external facilitators to deliver learning and development. These facilitators are not employees of the Council and are employed by external organisations but may have expert knowledge of performance areas which we don't have within the Council. However, they must still adhere to all Council Policies and Procedures while working in our Organisation.
Trade Union Learning Reps
Employees who are members of a trade union can seek information and advice about learning or training from their Trade Union Learning Representative. Further information can be found in the Time off for Trade Union Duties & Activities Policy .
- Downloads
-
Time off for trade union duties and activities policy
PDF file, 90.8 KB
Induction Mentors
These are experienced employees who have volunteered or been nominated by their section to assist a new employee in the first few weeks of their employment. They are a valuable source of information for the new employee and can help them develop their understanding quickly, regarding the team, section and Service. The induction mentor will be a contact for the new employee, be available to assist with queries, and generally share their experiences of the Organisation.
Corporate Parenting
All employees are Corporate Parents. Information on what corporate parenting means for you, for the Council and how you can support care experienced children is available here
Additional learning and development opportunities will be made available to employees depending on their role and whether they are interested, with line manager support, in taking on an enhanced role, such as mentor, befriender, committed friend to care experienced children.
Policy and guidance have been developed to support employees and managers become the best corporate parents they can be and can be accessed here