European Mentoring In Social Care Erasmus Project

Project Title

European Mentoring In Social Care

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits); New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

De-institutionalisation and the increasing personalisation of services are changing the skills and attitudes support staff need in the EU care sector. Social care employers across the EU see that big changes are required so that services become person centred & driven by the values of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) such as rights, inclusion, choice & independence.
The workforce is huge and will continue to grow, with a strong tradition in many places of the medical model of care – explicitly rejected by the UNCRPD as inappropriate – which needs to be replaced with a new set of values and attitudes based on the social model. This project (EMiSC) is about helping bring about that attitudinal change by delineating and supporting the mentoring role in the social care workplace, aimed directly at front line workers who in some cases have had very little training or support, even though their ‘hands on’ role is critical to the well-being of people with disabilities.
It’s a contribution alongside other EU wide products (such as the Basic European Social Care Learning Outcomes (BESCLO) and the European Care Certificate (ECC) which are now available in 20 states) to the creation of a European Area of skills and qualification in social care. It offers formal recognition for a role which many experienced staff already undertake when they guide and help new staff. It also opens routes for mentor and mentees to formal recognition of their learning and skill.
EMISC produced a set of learning outcomes (LO) covering the mentoring function, with related assessment criteria, a mentoring assessment tool (MAT) and a Mentoring Training Course (MTC) to train new mentors. The consortium also produced a formal curriculum to support the EMISC LO. A Train the Trainer Course was produced as a start-up device for new countries, and a formal report on the issues facing the acceptance of transnational learning outcomes, using the experience of our partners.
These training products were tested during 3 cycles of mentoring, with a control group of un-mentored candidates. All were initially assessed and re-assessed at the end via the European Care Certificate exam. Results were compared to demonstrate the beneficial impact of mentoring can be shown to be. Universal (in English) and ‘localised’ versions of all products are freely available on the EASPD E-learning HUB.
A total of 387 people were involved in the project training and piloting. A total of 233 people were trained and twice assessed, of which 113 mentors were trained and involved in assessing candidates. In addition, 25 senior trainers were trained and are now able to use the MAT and undertake mentoring.
The project’s products will be used alongside the BESCLO & ECC and gets promoted by the circle of ECC users in 20 states as well as via the umbrella body EASPD’s wider membership across the EU. The aim is to spread the use of mentoring as a means of driving changes in services. Interest is already big. During the second training activity in Slovenia, 6 external ECC partners from Spain and Germany followed the training for a week.
In our study on formal and informal learning, we explain what a common European qualifications framework is about and reflect the current situation of learning from a more technical and formal viewpoint. We also give more insight into how the partner organisations of the EMiSC project have been dealing with formal and informal learning and recognition/validation in practice, in their country or region. We look at the relevant project outputs over a period of three years, i.e. since the start of the project in Sep 2015 until July 2018. We continue by mentioning how the partners have foreseen the use of the current project outputs after project end, i.e. their sustainability strategies or actions. And we finish with some critical reflections and conclusions on the outcome of our research.
Via the End User Impact Tool feedback from 89 users of support services was obtained on the difference the project had made to how their support staff worked with them. The results showed that staff mentoring had a positive impact on the quality of the service users support. Together with the results from the MAT, we can show that EMiSC makes it possible that individual new staff and mentors will be immediate, personal and professional. Implementing EMISC is a low cost means of improving care services and marks a beginning of the transfer of power to people who use services. Issues of power and control lie at the heart of attitudes of staff in care services and the UNCRPD is clear with its slogan of ‘Nothing about us without us’ that staff must be prepared to empower users to get a ‘real life’ – with all that means.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 333164 Eur

Project Coordinator

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES & Country: BE

Project Partners

• Socialna asociacija Sv. Andrej Bulgaro-Germansko sdruzhenie s nestopanska cel
• Social Care Training Ltd
• Katrijn Dekoninck (inproof: international project office)
• CENTER ZA USPOSABLJANJE DELO IN VARSTVO DOLFKE BOSTJANCIC DRAGA
• L.C.EDUCATIONAL LTD
• KEZENFOGVA OSSZEFOGAS A FOGYATEKOSOKERT ALAPITVANY
• Fundatia Transilvana Alpha