Latest News from Workforce Development
Change to Booking Process
Please note that going forward we will be sending out schedule invites for the majority of the training sessions booked through the Workforce Development Training Directory. For online training sessions, you will receive a Teams invite. For face to face sessions, you will receive a schedule invite (it will be made clear in the invite that it is a face to face session). There will be the occasional exception as some trainers prefer to send out their own invites, this will be made clear when you book.
Family Group Conference Service
- Family Group Conferencing is a family led decision making meeting in which a child’s wider family network come together to make a plan about the future arrangements for the child.
- This session is MANDATORY for any member of staff within Children's Services who is likely to be involved in a Family Group Conference
- It will be held on Friday 9 December 2022 from 10:00–11:30am – via MS Teams
For more information, click on the following link: Training Directory
Foster Carer Reviews
- Every carer has an annual review which looks at their practice & development over the last year & serves as an annual appraisal. It is important that carers understand the importance of this process & how to get the most out of their review. The training explains why we have reviews, what they are used for & how to make effective contributions.
- Target Audience is Foster Carers & Fostering Supervising Social Workers primarily but spare places will be available to practitioners working with children in foster carer in Darlington.
- It will be held on Thursday 1 December 2022 from 6.00-8.00pm via Zoom.
Introduction to Trauma Informed Caring for Foster Carers
- Looked after children who have experienced pre-placement traumas are at risk of being traumatised in every care setting including being re-traumatised with foster carers. This is often due to a lack of knowledge about the effects of traumatic events & a limited understanding of how to work effectively with traumatised children. This re-traumatisation can be reduced & prevented with basic knowledge & by considering trauma informed language & practice.
- Foster Carers & Fostering Supervising Social Workers primarily but spare places will be available to practitioners working with children in foster carer in Darlington
- It will be held on Wednesday 14 December 2022 from 10.00-2.00pm at Morton Park Business Training Centre
Mind of My Own Introduction
- DBC Children’s Services purchased Mind Of My Own in September 2019 to offer young people open to our services a new way of communicating & sharing their views with us. There is an expectation from Directors to Heads of Service that staff attend training in order to understand how the app works, encourage young people to sign up to the app & learn how to use the app themselves when working with children & young people.
- This session is for DBC ONLY - Any practitioner in Children's Services working with C&YP e.g. Social Workers, Personal Advisors, IROs, Building Stronger Families
- It will be held on Tuesday 13 December 2022 from 9.30-10.30am via MS Teams.
For more information, click on the following link: Training Directory
Darlington XTRA
Learning & Skills Darlington
Welcome to Learning & Skills Darlington. They are a local training provider offering a wide range of learning opportunities for all ages. They offer a wide range of learning & training opportunities for all ages, including:
- Adult & Community Learning
- Functional Skills
- English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
- Distance Learning (DL) & Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Family Learning
- Intensive Support
- Higher & Further Education
- Apprenticeships
- Study Programmes & Pre-Apprenticeship Programmes
E Learning Modules Available:
Zero Suicide Alliance on-line training
- For further information click on the following link: Training Directory
Council for Disabled Children - SEND Basic Awareness
- For further information click on the following link: Training Directory
SCIE Mental Capacity Act E Learning Course
- For further information click on the following link: Training Directory
The MS Society - MS Awareness Course
- For further information click on the following link: Training Directory
Community Care Inform
Just a reminder for DBC staff who have access to Community Care Inform that there are lots of useful articles etc. available online:
- Community Care Inform Adults [external link]
- Community Care Inform Children [external link]
Safeguarding Adults & Children
For details of Safeguarding Adults & Safeguarding Children training, visit the Darlington Safeguarding Partnership Website[external link]
Training Materials
The Workforce Development intranet pages contain some useful information, training materials & resources available to Darlington Borough Council staff.
Livingwell Darlington
You can also find us on Livingwell Darlington
Foster Carers 
We have an extensive range of courses available to Foster Carers in Darlington including:
- Contact for Looked After Children
- Foster Carer Review
- Good Practice in Recording
- Introduction to Trauma Informed Caring for Foster Carers
- Loss & Grief for Looked After Children
- Managing Allegations
- Mind of my Own Introduction & Training Session
- Moving Children On
- Preparing Children for Permanency
- Specialised Trauma Informed Training
- Understanding Self Harm in Young People
- Working with Young Trans People in Care
Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
CAMHS run a rolling programme of training including the following awareness raising sessions:
- Anxiety, Worries, Fears & Phobias
- Attachment Difficulties
- Attentional Difficulties
- Childhood Trauma & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)
- Deliberate Self Harm
- Eating Difficulties
- Emotional Wellbeing & Communication
- Emotionally Based School Avoidance
- Low Mood & Depression
- Social & Communication Difficulties
If you are interested in any of the CAMHS or Fostering sessions listed above, click on the Training Directory link where there are further details including dates & times, learning objectives & target audience. If the course is appropriate to your role & you would like to attend then please email us at [email protected] to book a place.