Search for Learning and Development Services and Pathways

This inspiring and engaging three day programme is for existing female managers who wish to progress in their careers and aspiring managers and leaders. We have created the content so women at all stages of their careers can benefit from it.

The programme seeks to address the under representation of women in management roles and is designed to build confidence, informal networks and develop our collective understanding of women as future leaders in their lives, team and workplace.

This three day programme will provide participants with an opportunity to focus on personal and professional goals and give ongoing support to achieve them. The workshops are designed to be engaging, fun and interactive, as well as impactful and thought provoking.

Participants will consider themes such as self-awareness, self – leadership, personal impact and influence, and how the actions the take can help them flourish in careers and gain greater job and life satisfaction. It will contain a mixture of discussions, self reflection and self-stud. There will be essential pre-course work, networking and homework tasks in between sessions.

Please note: This is a women only programme,

This course is free to South Gloucestershire Council staff. For all external delegates there is a charge of £368.

You will embark on 100 days of change and at the end of the programme create a 12 month plan.

Day 1: The FREEDOM Method – This day is about self-leadership and personal development. The stages are - find out about yourself, review where you are now, experience and learn, explore possibilities, decide, overcome obstacles and make it happen, you will also begin 100 days of change.

Day 2: Personal impact and influence – leadership, generating presence, influence and persuasion, assertiveness and negotiation, personal networks and goal review

Day 3: Inspirational women and leadership – review of progress and achievement – inspirational women – leadership styles - mentoring – career advancement - goal setting for 12 months.

VENUE: Kingswood Civic Centre Room F-17

There will be a break for Easter, no course on 9th and 16th April 

Butterflies and Bees is changing its name to Therapeutic Parenting Pick 'n' Mix

In order to do this course you must first have done Why and How? Attachment and Emotional Health For Young People Looked After; or another kind of training on attachment; or have had some partnership/carer consultation through Thinking Aloud.

This is a psychoeducational group for adults who care for children who have experienced trauma and loss.

Why do the course?
Entering the world of children who have experienced trauma and loss can present many challenges. They may act in ways that bring up intense emotions in the people who are caring for them and often get trapped in cycles of placement breakdowns, low self worth and long term mental health issues. There is no easy solution to this, but by gaining a better understanding of the worlds these children are living in, we open up space for repairing the negative impacts. This ultimately will lead to a reduction in distress and better social and emotional wellbeing.

What will we be doing on the course?
This course presents offers:
1. A guide to the world of these children
2. Tools needed to navigate and survive in them.
The course is not designed to provide a “magic wand” to fix these children but act as a foundation or refresher for carers to continue to build their reflective capacity, knowledge, and skill set.

Do I need to do this?
You will get the most out of the course if you come with an open mind and the understanding that even the most experienced carers benefit from an opportunity to refresh and reflect on these skills. The course facilitators aim to role model this with the philosophy that no one is the expert and everyone has something to bring to the group from their lives.

Primary aims - Carers will gain…
1. Carers personal tools e.g. self care, self reflection
2. Child specific tools
3. A workbook: information and theories

Key learning methods:
1. Discussion
2. Reflection
3. Practice (role play and tasks to do at home each week)
4. Direct teaching from facilitators
5. Peer learning*

Please feel free to share your knowledge and tips with other carers when things are raised in the group. There are things to be learned from everyone


Please note: By booking onto this course, you are consenting to your contact details being passed onto the trainer. This is so they can send the Zoom invitation to you.

This course is for first line and middle managers only.

If you are unable to attend Team’s meetings due to a disability we will provide you with a face-to-face induction. If you need this please email HRlearningandDevelopment@southglos.gov.uk.

It sets out the foundations of knowledge and skills needed for development within a management role, and enables managers to identify further training and development needs. The programme consists of 5.5 days over a six month period with ten hours of self-directed learning. It will be delivered through a blended solution including face to face and online training, psychometric assessment, 360 review, action learning sets, individual coaching, individual reflection, skills practice and e-learning. The topics included are personal development as a manager, leadership and communication, developing individuals and teams, managing employee performance, decision making and managing change, resources and stakeholder relationships. This six month First Line Management Programme provides participants the opportunity to go through the following topics with a cohort of council peers, rather than as standalone training days. The benefit of this can be enhanced networks and greater learning as reflection and improvement is an integrated part of the programme. Participants also benefit from a 360-degree feedback to inform their development and a MBTI psychometric profile.

Please note there is a charge to attend this course for external delegates of £900. South Gloucestershire Council employees individuals teams will be recharged £200 to cover costs.

Please click here to view and download the course handouts.

This training is organised by South Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership and is targeted at all staff from all agencies who are working directly with children, or adults who are parents.

This training session will cover: The laws and policies that relate to safeguarding children and YP What we mean by safeguarding and how some children can be harmed What signs to look out for How ACE's impact families and children Local and inter-agency procedures that are in place The role of early help Appropriate information sharing Responding to allegations.

Requirements for face-to-face training:

• Participants must arrive on time and allow time for parking.
• Participants should attend the full training day, participants should be rebook for a different date if they are unable to attend the full day.
• Please note that there is not a requirement to print off the handouts.

What is the STAR programme?


The STAR Programme has been designed to support South Gloucestershire's Children's Services to embed our Practice model. It brings together Signs of Safety, Trauma Informed practice and Systemic approaches.

This inspiring and engaging three day programme is for existing female managers who wish to progress in their careers and aspiring managers and leaders. We have created the content so women at all stages of their careers can benefit from it.

The programme seeks to address the under representation of women in management roles and is designed to build confidence, informal networks and develop our collective understanding of women as future leaders in their lives, team and workplace.

This three day programme will provide participants with an opportunity to focus on personal and professional goals and give ongoing support to achieve them. The workshops are designed to be engaging, fun and interactive, as well as impactful and thought provoking.

Participants will consider themes such as self-awareness, self – leadership, personal impact and influence, and how the actions the take can help them flourish in careers and gain greater job and life satisfaction. It will contain a mixture of discussions, self reflection and self-stud. There will be essential pre-course work, networking and homework tasks in between sessions.

Please note: This is a women only programme,

This course is free to South Gloucestershire Council staff. For all external delegates there is a charge of £368.

You will embark on 100 days of change and at the end of the programme create a 12 month plan.

Day 1: The FREEDOM Method – This day is about self-leadership and personal development. The stages are - find out about yourself, review where you are now, experience and learn, explore possibilities, decide, overcome obstacles and make it happen, you will also begin 100 days of change.

Day 2: Personal impact and influence – leadership, generating presence, influence and persuasion, assertiveness and negotiation, personal networks and goal review

Day 3: Inspirational women and leadership – review of progress and achievement – inspirational women – leadership styles - mentoring – career advancement - goal setting for 12 months.

This is a half-day workshop specifically designed for practitioners in the council's adult social care division.

It aims to give an overview of
• court room etiquette and processes.
• recording techniques for the recording of essential evidence
• key court forms , providing a guide to completion of the Court of Protection forms to increase worker skills and confidence in writing court documents.

Delivered by Penny Cumine/Maria Sweetman

Please note participants will need to attends both days. There is a £25 cost for the manual that you need to attend this course, someone from the Public health team will be in touch to request payment/ or to request a cost code for SGC employee’s.

On this 2 day workshop-style course, packed with case studies based on real life and using practical A.C.T.I.O.N.S.© plan, individuals will learn skills to help others proactively (including mental health crises) as well as themselves.

We take an in-depth look at common mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety, challenge stigma and learn about stress, alarm bells, coping methods, recovery, self-care and so much more!

With a strong focus on how to get help beyond the medical model, Fundamental Wellbeing First Aid creates hope and positive action.

This course qualifies you as a ‘Mental Wellbeing First Aider’ . This is relevant to people who wish to support adults, children they work with and or colleagues. Delegates will receive a handy resource pack including a combined workbook & manual and e-certificate.

Mockingbird has launched within the Fostering Service, here at South Glos. The Fostering Network are running ‘Introduction to Mockingbird’ sessions online.
All sessions are delivered by our experienced Mockingbird coaches and provide a great opportunity for attendees to learn all about Mockingbird and ask any questions they may have.
What does the session cover?
What is Mockingbird?
• The key fidelity of the model
• Key roles and responsibilities
• Impact of Mockingbird

Who can attend?
Introduction to Mockingbird sessions are available to services that are currently working with The Fostering Network to deliver Mockingbird and are open to both new and existing social workers and staff across children's services. Please feel free to extend the invitation to staff working in residential, adoption, SGOs as well as your managers, senior leaders, panel members and IROs etc. Essentially these sessions are open to any staff in your service who you feel will benefit from learning more about Mockingbird.

The Purpose for the support groups

Jakie Dyer will be giving a presentation during this session on 'Chronic Sorrow'.

We realise that fostering can be really difficult at times. Perhaps the only people who really understand it are other foster carers and so therefore we want to give you a place to meet up.

There will be biscuits and/or cake, coffee, tea, and an opportunity for an informal chat at all of the meetings.

Although these will be informal meetings, each session will have a brief agenda, attendance list, and agreed group rules. This is to help those who don’t know anyone and feel awkward about coming along to a new meeting, to feel that they won’t be left alone on the side-lines.

These sessions should be recorded on your Personal Development Plan (PDP).