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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are negative experiences in early life and childhood that can have an impact on health and wellbeing throughout life.
South Gloucestershire is committed to developing a co-ordinated and consistent ACE-informed approach, with a focus on recognition, prevention and early intervention and the cultural change that may be needed to support that. An ACE-informed approach is moving away from asking ‘what is wrong with you’ to asking ‘what happened to you’. It is more than just knowing about ACEs; it is using that knowledge to work together to:
- Prevent ACEs in future generations, including breaking the cycle within families
- Recognise the signs and symptoms of ACEs to enable appropriate early intervention to build resilience 
- Recognise the impacts of ACEs already experienced in children and adults and help them to receive support
- Support and build resilience in communities, families and children who are at risk of exposure to ACEs

The ACE Ambassador Network includes professionals from across public sector agencies, VCSE organisations and communities, and experts by experience. As well as delivering ACE-awareness raising sessions, the network offers opportunities to share updates and best practice and to build professional relationships and support. We hope that this network will be the mechanism by which cultural change will occur.

This training session is for participants who have signed up to be ACE Ambassadors from a variety of settings and backgrounds. Participants will already have basic awareness of ACEs and their impacts across the life course. This session is aimed at managers or staff in any sector who work with adults or children and would like to know more about how to facilitate the culture change needed to become ACE-informed. This course is FREE of charge. If you would like to find out more about joining the network but are unable to deliver training, please contact aces@southglos.gov.uk

Participants should have been identified within their organisations as ACE Ambassadors and have notified aces@southglos.gov.uk of their interest in the role prior to attending.

This network is aimed at all practitioners, leaders and managers who have specific responsibility for overseeing vulnerable/disadvantaged children within their setting. It is also for those practitioners who would like to develop their knowledge of working with vulnerable /disadvantaged children. You will have the opportunity to attend three network sessions over the year.

Building on the success of the previous Disadvantaged Group Networks where we have explored specific groups through spotlights, we are now aiming to consider how a variety of approaches can enable you to enhance the progress of children who may be vulnerable or disadvantaged in your setting. These network sessions will be an opportunity for you to consolidate, reflect and respond to the needs of the children who may be vulnerable or disadvantaged in order to raise aspirations to enable all children to reach their potential. They will support you to move beyond monitoring and data, by understanding different approaches you will be informed to strategically implement changes in response to the specific needs of your cohort.

Session 1 – (Feb) Focus – Responsive planning – inclusive quality first teaching
Session 2 – (May) Focus – Interventions - to target or not to target?
Session 3 - (Nov) Focus – Research informed practice – what works for vulnerable children?

Each session will aim to include current research and thinking and will provide you with ways in which you can proactively narrow the gap for children in your care who are at the most disadvantaged. They will provide you with the tools you need to become an Early Years Pupil Premium Champion.

YOU WILL NEED TO BOOK ONTO EACH SESSION SEPARATELY.

This network is aimed at all practitioners, leaders and managers who have specific responsibility for overseeing vulnerable/disadvantaged children within their setting. It is also for those practitioners who would like to develop their knowledge of working with vulnerable /disadvantaged children. You will have the opportunity to attend three network sessions over the year.

Building on the success of the previous Disadvantaged Group Networks where we have explored specific groups through spotlights, we are now aiming to consider how a variety of approaches can enable you to enhance the progress of children who may be vulnerable or disadvantaged in your setting. These network sessions will be an opportunity for you to consolidate, reflect and respond to the needs of the children who may be vulnerable or disadvantaged in order to raise aspirations to enable all children to reach their potential. They will support you to move beyond monitoring and data, by understanding different approaches you will be informed to strategically implement changes in response to the specific needs of your cohort.

Session 1 – (Feb) Focus – Responsive planning – inclusive quality first teaching
Session 2 – (May) Focus – Interventions - to target or not to target?
Session 3 - (Nov) Focus – Research informed practice – what works for vulnerable children?

Each session will aim to include current research and thinking and will provide you with ways in which you can proactively narrow the gap for children in your care who are at the most disadvantaged. They will provide you with the tools you need to become an Early Years Pupil Premium Champion.

YOU WILL NEED TO BOOK ONTO EACH SESSION SEPARATELY.

This 1-day course provides excellent underpinning knowledge for both staff and managers who work in any agency or setting that supports people (and their families) experiencing Loss and Bereavement, including at End of Life stage.

The course will enable participants to understand the meaning of ‘end of life’, the experience of loss and bereavement and its impacts on self and others.

It links to the CQC's standards on:
* Caring: specifically around compassionate care, and providing a personalised approach and emotional support
* Responsive: for example supporting informed choices; open and sensitive approaches to support a comfortable and dignified death; listening to users and carers regarding end of life care.
As well as the Care Certificate, Standard 5: Work In A Person-Centred Way 

Who should attend: All adult social care staff and managers supporting the needs of service users/carers.

Please Note: The course is not suitable for people who have suffered a personal close bereavement within the last 12 months.

After attending this course (Module 1) you may also wish to attend 'End of Life: Providing Care & Comfort - Module 2' (also a 1-day course).

The standard charge for this course is £80 per day. Please refer to our Course Charges on the Home page for information on discounts and exemptions, particularly for agencies in the adult social care sector.

Comments from previous participants: 
"Very interesting and easy to understand"
"Excellent"
"Very good, looking forward to module 2"
"Friendly atmosphere - felt at ease"
"Very informative & thought provoking"

This course is for South Glos Council INTEGRATED CHILDREN'S SERVICES Staff only. Investigating any safeguarding issue is the classic search for the truth, and building evidence is essential. Some people have hidden agendas and mislead, some people construct lies to avoid scrutiny. How then do we teach staff to identify and capture lies? What strategies do we have to challenge lying behaviour and also maintain working relationships?

This 1-day course is specifically for all council-employed Adult Social Care practitioners: Social Workers, OTs, Social Work Assistants, OT Assistants; Senior Practitioners, Team & Service Managers.
It is a “core” internal training course which builds on and complements the existing multi-agency Safeguarding Adults training programmes that provide a foundation of knowledge and skills.

The course will enable all adult social care practitioners in South Glos Council to:

1. Update their understanding of the legal duties and principles in relation to safeguarding adults (e.g. within the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act).

2. Increase their confidence to work to national and local expectations and processes for safeguarding adults.

3. Refresh and refine their skills and knowledge around working with risk, effective decision-making and communication to promote confidence in adult safeguarding.

This course is open only to line managers working for South Gloucestershire Council. Managers are expected to manage the performance of individuals in their team and this isn't always an easy task. This course covers good management practice in a setting where managers are encouraged to learn from each other's experiences and are able to get HR advice on current issues. The standard charge for this course is £70 per day. Please refer to our Course Charges on the Home page for information on discounts and exemptions.

Please note you have to do this training programme in order.
South Gloucestershire Council has launched a new interactive training programme that gives Health and Social Care Workers the skills, knowledge, confidence and practice to apply and comply with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The programme is made up of interactive learning workshops. The new skills and knowledge gained from the workshops are then applied in the workplace and you will send us evidence. You'll be given feedback as you acheive the required good practice and compliance standard of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The programme is designed for Care Provider managers, Social Worker and Occupational Therapy staff and managers, nurses and all other professionals working in health and social care. You can select from a series of modules as relevant to your job which are listed below.

How the programme works -
You attend a module workshop
You then submit evidence of what you have learned in the workplace (usually within six weeks)
You receive feedback which may be shared with your employer.

Once you have achieved the required standard for compliance and good practice in line with the MCA code of practice you will be awarded a certificate for that module.

Continuing Professional Development
This programme can be used by Social Workers as a basis for Accredited Learning under the South Gloucestershire Council/ University of the West of England Integrated Professional Development Programme.

The standard charge for this course is £40. Please refer to our Course Charges on the Home page for information on discounts and exemptions.

This training is aimed at council staff working to support adult social care services in South Gloucestershire - particularly staff working in customer services, brokerage, business support, housing services and commissioning teams - as well as related agencies in the health and voluntary/independent sectors.

Strength based approaches are not new in Adult Social Care. The aim of this 3-hour workshop is to enable delegates to gain a consistent set of underpinning knowledge and to consider ways to apply a strength-based approach in their own role, as well as being aware of how the approach is being used more widely by social care practitioners in operational teams.

You may already be familiar with the term and be able to identify aspects of it in you and your team's current practice. We will share ideas and experiences, and during the session you will have the chance to explore what it means for you and your colleagues.

Charges: This course is currently free.

This training is aimed at council staff working to support adult social care services in South Gloucestershire - particularly staff working in customer services, brokerage, business support, housing services and commissioning teams - as well as related agencies in the health and voluntary/independent sectors.

Strength based approaches are not new in Adult Social Care. The aim of this 3-hour workshop is to enable delegates to gain a consistent set of underpinning knowledge and to consider ways to apply a strength-based approach in their own role, as well as being aware of how the approach is being used more widely by social care practitioners in operational teams.

You may already be familiar with the term and be able to identify aspects of it in you and your team's current practice. We will share ideas and experiences, and during the session you will have the chance to explore what it means for you and your colleagues.

Charges: This course is currently free.