A Postural Care Training Package
This HEIF-funded project aims to explore the feasibility for commercialising an innovative package of training resources that have been designed to improve the confidence of parents and teachers who care for children with postural care needs.
The training package was developed and rigorously evaluated as part of a National Institute of Health Research, Research for Patient Benefit Study (PB-PG-0110-21045) that concluded in 2013.
The overall aim is to identify an appropriate channel to make the training available to suitable markets including: parents, teachers, teaching assistants and therapy services. The project is supported by the three institutions involved in the original research: Canterbury Christ Church University, University of Kent and East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust. The partners are all contributing respective resources to the feasibility analysis and development of a business plan.
The project aims to make a positive contribution to supporting and developing the health and education workforce in the context of recently introduced Education and Health Care Plans and Special Educational Needs and Disability reforms arising from the enactment of the Children’s and Families Bill. It is anticipated that the project will also engender further opportunities for cross-institutional research and knowledge exchange involving children with disabilities and their carers.
Funds from the Higher Education Innovation Fund have enabled members of the original research team to explore options for rolling out the ‘Train the Trainer’ workshops, developed as part of the Research for Patient Benefit and developing a sustainable route to market. All the partners (CCCU, EKHUFT & UKC) involved in the research are committed to an effective roll out of the research outputs for the benefit of patients. The plan is to run 4 training workshops for therapists working with children and young people starting in Spring 2016. The workshops will be facilitated by occupational therapists and physiotherapists from East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust and delivered through Canterbury Christ Church, Centre for Work based Learning and Continuing Development. There is already interest from therapy services in the UK in attending the workshops as a consequence of conference presentations and publicity.
The workshop and training manuals have been redesigned and rebranded to distinguish them from the materials used in the research. We have a new logo and strap line ready to take the training manual and workshops forward. A steering group will oversee the roll out of the training and discuss managerial, operational financial and legal arrangements.