Training Other Professionals in Psychological Skills and Knowledge

We carry out a range of training interventions in organisations. Our experience and formal training as educators allow us to bring effective models of delivering training for other professionals, including online learning, coaching, mentoring, and experiential learning.

Design of the Training Interventions

Our approach and methodology incorporate the following characteristics, which have been shown by research and our experience to contribute to effective training:

• Training events should be seen as part of a continuous learning and improvement process, with other supporting activities – not as a one-off event to be ‘ticked off’.
• Course content based on a training needs analysis [TNA] identifying Organisational, functional and personal needs.
• Focus on real life work situations likely to be encountered by trainees.
• Flexible interactive training styles designed to meet the diverse learning styles and previous experience of participants.
• Content, course material and delivery take account of needs of staff with disabilities – for example, accessible media.
• Training timetable designed to accommodate staff with a variety of work patterns – for example, one-day courses available in half-day modules.
• Being action-oriented - targeted at changing those work behaviours that will maximise an organization’s effectiveness.
• Training needs to be interactive/participative - trainers need to help the individuals to go through the stages from the exposure to new information to the appropriate application of that learning.
• Training sessions need to be part of a wider programme of support for the desired behaviour change – for example, access to further examples and case studies on the intranet; opportunities to share ideas with others from within the organisation and elsewhere, etc.

Training needs analyses

In order to design the training we carry out training needs analyses [TNAs]. The training needs analyses will look at training needs at an organisational level and at an individual level. A diversity audit may assist with this process. We will consider the training needs of the staff team within the context of the larger social environment.

The person analysis will focus on which employees require. This may involve determining how well employees understand and meet their objectives in a forensic context. The person analysis will be focused on gathering and interpreting data to identify areas for personal and organisational performance improvement. Much of this data might be collected by looking at desk records, correspondence and performance reports.

Ideally, we would like to carry out selected individual interviews and design a questionnaire to collect data for the training needs analysis. The scope of the TNA and the methods to be employed will need to be discussed and agreed with the organisation. We will consider any necessary organisational constraints relevant to the design and delivery of the training.

The TNA will involve a consideration of the context within which the various staff groups operate within the organisation and the relevant issues highlighted by others outside the organisation. The TNA will also focus on the relevant tasks performed by course delegates. We will develop measures to use in the TNA. At an individual level, individuals will bring their unique patterns of needs, values and goals.

We could carry out a task analysis to identify the skills required for effective interaction. We could also carry out a person analysis matching individual’s level of knowledge against the ideal standard of knowledge and performance.

There are, of course, clear training needs which can be identified from each organisation’s corporate plan. It will be important to collect information on the organisation’s adherence to its policy on rehabilitation of offenders in the context of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Two other techniques can be utilised: Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) and Critical Incidents Technique (CIT). With the HTA we will identity training needs by breaking down major tasks in the procurement process and identify the relevant sub-tasks and training needs arising from these sub-tasks.

The Critical Incidents Technique involves a number of steps these are:

• Determination of the general aims of job roles and how they interface with the equality and diversity agenda;
• Preparation of plans and specifications for collecting critical incidents about the activity;
• Collection of incidents from interviews and observations, etc.;
• Analysis of incidents, including developing categories of incidents; and
• Interpreting and reporting.

Other components of the job which are considered to be critical but still require attention will also be analysed.

The scale of work required for the TNA will be dependent on the information that is already available within each organisation and the extent to which such analyses have already taken place.