Firstly, I’d like to wish you a happy and fulfilling 2014.

As the New Year starts we often think about developing new skills or improving the ones we have already. At The Richardson Partnership for Care, training and skills are priority all year round – for both our service users with acquired brain injury or learning difficulties and our staff.

We have a low turnover of staff in our care homes, which means continuity and stability for our service users. We also encourage staff to increase their learning and develop their skills, and they often come to us with requests to study in areas relating to their work.

For example:

• Karen Hurrell, Manager at The Mews, and Wendy Coleman, Manager at 32 Duston Road, are starting a Brain Injury Management level 6 course this month.

• Louise Pittam, Manager of our Admissions and Referrals Team and Dexter Griffin, our Maintenance Manager, will be taking part in leadership courses to assist them in their management roles

• In December, Jacky Johnson, Manager at 144 Boughton Green Road, and Service Manager Jane Payne, completed a three-day intensive top-up course in Crisis Prevention. This enabled them to reinforce and update their skills in managing disruptive situations in a respectful, non-invasive way. It also ensures that they are certified by the Crisis Prevention Institute and can provide training in Crisis Prevention to our other staff members.

We’re proud of our team and welcome their requests for additional training.