Search for Learning and Development Services and Pathways

This 3-day practical, practice focused workshop will introduce attendees to key systemic practice ideas, skills and techniques which we can all use in our day-to-day work with children and families. Each day will provide attendees with some systemic theory with practical examples of how these ideas can then be used with children, young adults and families.

This course will be an opportunity to meet practitioners from different parts of the service, learning together and trying and experimenting with new ideas and approaches.

Day 1 – What goes on in families?
Day 2 – How we work with families?
Day 3 – Working with risks and networks

Who is this course for? This course is open to all staff who work either with or supervise practitioners who work directly with children, young adults or families. No previous experience of systemic practice ideas or theories is required – but you are of course most welcome if you have accessed systemic training in the past.

This course sits alongside and compliments the STAR programme and is a key component of our practice model.

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.

PLEASE NOTE: This course is for internal Adult Social Care staff only.

Reflective Practice in Supervision. A two workshop programme for supervisors.

This programme is for Senior Practitioner OT’s and Social Workers and Managers who provide supervision. It will support you in your Supervisor role whether you are a new or experienced Senior Practitioner or manager.

Aim of the Programme and context

Research and practice demonstrate that Social Workers and Occupational Therapists must have access to regular, good quality supervision; it is an importance element to achieving effective practice, providing advice and support as well as promoting professional resilience and wellbeing. Regular supervision is essential to achieve a high-quality service (DoH 2015, BASW 2013, COT 2015) and this is endorsed and supported by the relevant professional bodies and managers in the Department for People. (South Gloucestershire Supervision in Adult Social Care Policy 2021).

This duet of workshops has been developed for supervisors who want to revisit and develop their skills, knowledge and application of reflective supervision as an effective means to meet organisational, professional and individual objectives.

The course consists of two half-day workshops held in person over a two-month period to give participants an opportunity to apply their learning. The workshops will be for a closed group of twelve people, the group size maximising the opportunity to participate; each workshop combines inputs from the facilitator with interactive exercises that promote reflection and application using examples of supervision practice provided by the learning group.

To make the most of this learning opportunity, participants will be expected to read the agency policy prior to the first workshop and between workshops complete short tasks to encourage the application of ideas and theory to their current supervisory experiences. Participants will be provided with material electronically, after each workshop to complement and reinforce messages from the sessions.

Course content is informed by the Knowledge and Skills Statement for Practice Supervisors (DOE 2015), Post-qualifying Standards for Social Work Practice supervisors in Adult Social Care(DHSC 2018) the Professional Capabilities Framework (SWRB2012), Employer Standards (particularly Standard 5) all of which promote the principle that staff should receive quality supervision that provides opportunities for challenge and reflective learning; this will enable them to sustain standards of professionalism, competence, credibility and currency.

PLEASE NOTE: This course is for internal Adult Social Care staff only.

Reflective Practice in Supervision. A two workshop programme for supervisors.

This programme is for Senior Practitioner OT’s and Social Workers and Managers who provide supervision. It will support you in your Supervisor role whether you are a new or experienced Senior Practitioner or manager.

Aim of the Programme and context

Research and practice demonstrate that Social Workers and Occupational Therapists must have access to regular, good quality supervision; it is an importance element to achieving effective practice, providing advice and support as well as promoting professional resilience and wellbeing. Regular supervision is essential to achieve a high-quality service (DoH 2015, BASW 2013, COT 2015) and this is endorsed and supported by the relevant professional bodies and managers in the Department for People. (South Gloucestershire Supervision in Adult Social Care Policy 2021).

This duet of workshops has been developed for supervisors who want to revisit and develop their skills, knowledge and application of reflective supervision as an effective means to meet organisational, professional and individual objectives.

The course consists of two half-day workshops held in person over a two-month period to give participants an opportunity to apply their learning. The workshops will be for a closed group of twelve people, the group size maximising the opportunity to participate; each workshop combines inputs from the facilitator with interactive exercises that promote reflection and application using examples of supervision practice provided by the learning group.

To make the most of this learning opportunity, participants will be expected to read the agency policy prior to the first workshop and between workshops complete short tasks to encourage the application of ideas and theory to their current supervisory experiences. Participants will be provided with material electronically, after each workshop to complement and reinforce messages from the sessions.

Course content is informed by the Knowledge and Skills Statement for Practice Supervisors (DOE 2015), Post-qualifying Standards for Social Work Practice supervisors in Adult Social Care(DHSC 2018) the Professional Capabilities Framework (SWRB2012), Employer Standards (particularly Standard 5) all of which promote the principle that staff should receive quality supervision that provides opportunities for challenge and reflective learning; this will enable them to sustain standards of professionalism, competence, credibility and currency.

The training consists of two presentations that provide an introduction to the Autism Spectrum.

Part 1 looks at themes such as what Autism is, traits & behaviours associated with Autism, the social challenges that autistic people face day to day, coping mechanisms, and barriers to employment.

Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 356 008 896 29
Passcode: Ai9rc3R3

Part 2 briefly recaps the themes from part 1 and looks at themes such as the different types of Autism, skills and abilities commonly associated with Autism, mental health, the pros and cons of the two different models of disability, advice on how best to support autistic residents and colleagues you may work with, and famous people on the spectrum. Part 2 also features interactive elements such as a quiz.

Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 391 634 673 017
Passcode: w5kD9WC7

Both presentations feature videos.

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.

Please click here to view and download the course handouts

Please have a digital copy (or print if you prefer) of the course WORKBOOK to bring along to the session. (All other resources are available for digital download and storage via the same link should you wish to use them during or after the event)

Also, please be aware that some of the resources contain sensitive content, that you may find upsetting. This training aims to educate and raise awareness, but it can evoke emotional responses, particularly for individuals with personal connections to child or adult bereavements, or the incidents themselves.

If you find the content overwhelming, we encourage you to prioritise your well-being. Take breaks, reflect on your boundaries, and seek support from trusted individuals or professionals as needed. For assistance during or after the training, please reach out to the trainer or your line manager in the first instance, contact Interchange the staff counselling service, or you can also access Thrive.

We are committed to creating an inclusive learning environment and promoting empathy and respect for all.

The 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. Effective child protection depends not only on reliable and accepted procedures for all staff involved with children, but also on their skills, knowledge and judgement and the ability to work together co-operatively. Staff with lead roles in child protection require specialised training in order to carry out their work with abused children and families. Please note it is recommended to leave a minimum of 3 months between attending Introduction to Child Protection and Advanced Child Protection.

Please DO NOT book onto the Advanced Child Protection course, unless you have attended the Introduction to Child Protection course. The knowledge needed for this course is dependent on you having attended the previous session. Thank you.

The multi-agency South Gloucestershire Safeguarding Adults Board oversees the Joint Policy and Procedures for Safeguarding Adults in this area. It is essential that a wide range of staff working in local authority, health and social care agencies are fully aware of the key issues in safeguarding vulnerable adults and of how the policy affects them in their front-line roles. The half-day Raising Safeguarding Concerns course is essential training for all front-line staff and managers who are involved in providing services to adults at risk and who work directly with service users. The course content is mapped to the learning outcomes in the local Safeguarding Adults Training Standards (published Dec 2017) as well as to relevant national occupational standards including the Care Certificate (Standard 10). Course attendance is monitored by the Safeguarding Adults Board. The standard charge for this course is £49. Please refer to our Course Charges on the Home page for information on discounts and exemptions.

We are restricting numbers from each organisation to 4 individuals per course.

If you organisation require a large number of individuals to complete this course, then it maybe possible for in house training to be organised.
Please contact HRlearninganddevelopment@southglos.gov.uk with your requirements.

Link to join session:

Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 399 576 653 86
Passcode: RwTCxa

This Disability and Neurodiversity Awareness training will explore and demystify many of the topics and questions around this important subject.

We’ll look at topics including definitions, language, the Equality Act and reasonable adjustments, and have an in-depth look at ADHD and autism.

The training will be delivered in a conversational style, with questions and discussion encouraged, and we promise there will be no homework!

Please note: All attendees must have already attended Signs of Safety Awareness session or Signs of Safety 2 day training to be able to attend this course