Training and Development

Training and qualifications

Our Choice Care Learning Academy makes it easier for our colleagues to learn.

All social care workers can enrol straight away in an Adult Care Worker level 3 qualification, and in a Lead Adult Care Qualification if they are more experienced. We support more senior colleagues to undertake their level 5 qualifications in social care or other specialist areas to continue their learning and progression.

Apprenticeships

We have a really successful apprenticeship programme at Choice Care, and 2023 saw us being named a Top 100 Apprenticeships Employer - for the second year in a row! This is testament to our hardworking apprentices and our colleagues who facilitate their learning and care experience. We want to ensure we provide the best care possible for the people we support, whilst assisting many people of all ages with their first steps on the career ladder in the care sector.

There are huge benefits of completing an apprenticeship, as it:

• Improves knowledge and skills
• Doesn’t affect wages, contracts or working hours
• Offers career progression opportunities
• Builds confidence
• Provides flexible learning for work/life balance
• Offers qualifications equivalent to GCSE and A-levels
• Provides the opportunity to work with a Lifetime Training Learning Coach (experts within the Health and Social Care sector)
• Doesn't required attendance at a college or any other educational setting

Care home and service managers

The care home or service manager takes ultimate responsibility for the physical, emotional, psychological and educational needs of those we support. They oversee assessment and the development of individual Care Plans, making sure they're adhered to, monitored and reviewed regularly. They lead on safeguarding and promoting residents' rights, as well as liaising with other care professionals to assure total wellbeing. Managers maintain links with the local community to create opportunities for leisure, education and employment, and provide information, advice and support for family and friends.

Central and regional office roles

Roles in our central and regional offices are just as critical to providing the highest standards of care for the people we support. Our support office based teams manage the many functions that ensure the organisation operates effectively, enquiries and referrals are handled appropriately, the quality of our services is assured, and our colleagues get the support they need.

Specialist roles - Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)

Our in-house Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) team work closely with colleagues across all our homes and services to assess the behavioural, emotional and psychological needs of those we support, guided by a qualified clinical lead in each of our regions.

Practitioners contribute to assessments within the broad framework of recovery-based thinking, monitor challenging behaviours and assist in the development and delivery of interventions aimed at reducing the intensity, frequency and impact of those behaviours, promoting greater independence and positive outcomes.

The team also provides specialist training for other staff members, tailored where particular needs are recognised. They're experts who act as the first port of call for staff on matters relating to the people we support.

Our PBS team are typically trained nurses, psychology graduates, behaviourists or experienced social care practitioners with experience of helping vulnerable and marginalised people.

Meet Mark Morgan a Choice Care Account Director

I joined Choice Care in 1995, where my first role was as a Support Worker at Bramerton. Over the years I’ve gone on to work as a manager at Stoke Lodge, at Elliott House and at Heywood Sumner House. I now work as an Account Director and love developing relationships with commissioners and working on the operational side of things at Choice Care. 

From my first day of working in the care industry, I knew this was the career for me – the sense of achievement and job satisfaction you get is second to none. 

Working at Choice Care, you are supported to develop your skills with excellent career progression opportunities. The organisation’s values are strong, and those we support are at the centre of everything we do.