Training available at the Social Care Academy for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent

Explore the principles and everyday practices of person-centred and person-led care. Through real-life examples, practical guidance, and reflective insights, learners will understand how to support individuals in a way that promotes dignity, independence, identity, and wellbeing. The course highlights the shift from traditional care models to approaches that empower people to lead their own lives, make meaningful choices, and shape the support they receive.   This course is ideal for anyone working in adult social care, including new starters, support workers, and those in enabling or supervisory roles. It is especially suited to those who want to deepen their understanding of how to deliver care that is respectful, empowering, and responsive to individual needs. It’s also valuable for teams looking to embed person-centred values into everyday practice.   This course is mapped to the “New to Care” through to “Enhanced Support Worker” roles within the Care Workforce Pathway.   This course is suitable for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) but is not mandatory learning. Read more

Gathering feedback is a crucial aspect of ensuring continuous improvement and meeting the needs of those you support. Understanding how to effectively collect and utilize feedback can lead to meaningful changes. This course will explore various methods for gathering feedback through Microsoft Forms but there are other digital platforms that can be used to gather feedback. Microsoft Forms has been selected as the core basis for this course following feedback through the Academy. Licence costs for accessing the application may be applicable and alternative platforms are available. Read more

In this first session of the webinar series, we examine major reforms introduced by the Employment Rights Bill. Topics include unfair dismissal rights, fire and rehire practices, and limitation periods. The session also addresses frequently asked immigration and sponsorship questions, including TUPE regulations. Ideal for employers seeking practical legal insights and guidance on evolving employment legislation. This is a pre-recorded webinar, held on 10 July 2025. It is part one of a three-part series. This training was designed for those in management roles, but is available for everyone to view.   Disclaimer Lester Aldridge has been directly commissioned by West Midlands Employers, who in turn have been commissioned by West Midlands ADASS to support aspects of the International Recruitment Programme. As part of this Lester Aldridge are providing a series of webinars on various legal aspects of international recruitment for care providers in the West Midlands.    Please note that the content of the webinars reflects the law at the time they were run. Given the changing nature of immigration law, these responses may not reflect the current legal position, and we would suggest that you take professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of these FAQs.   Lester Aldridge LLP would be pleased to advise you on the application of the principles demonstrated in the FAQs to your specific circumstances but in the absence of such specific advice cannot be responsible or liable to you for the content of the FAQs. Please visit for more information: http://irwestmids.co.uk/hr-legal-services-support/  Read more

In Part Two of the Lester Aldridge webinar series, the focus shifts to new duties under the Employment Rights Bill aimed at preventing sexual harassment in the workplace. This includes employer responsibilities around third-party harassment and practical steps to ensure compliance. The session also addresses frequently asked immigration and sponsorship questions, including TUPE regulations, offering clear legal guidance for employers navigating these changes. This is a pre-recorded webinar, held on 21 August 2025. It is part two of a three-part series. This training was designed for those in management roles, but is available for everyone to view.   Disclaimer Lester Aldridge has been directly commissioned by West Midlands Employers, who in turn have been commissioned by West Midlands ADASS to support aspects of the International Recruitment Programme. As part of this Lester Aldridge are providing a series of webinars on various legal aspects of international recruitment for care providers in the West Midlands.    Please note that the content of the webinars reflects the law at the time they were run. Given the changing nature of immigration law, these responses may not reflect the current legal position, and we would suggest that you take professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of these FAQs.   Lester Aldridge LLP would be pleased to advise you on the application of the principles demonstrated in the FAQs to your specific circumstances but in the absence of such specific advice cannot be responsible or liable to you for the content of the FAQs. Please visit for more information: http://irwestmids.co.uk/hr-legal-services-support/  Read more

In Part Three of the Lester Aldridge webinar series, we explore further changes introduced by the Employment Rights Bill. Topics include bereavement and paternity leave (paid and unpaid), collective redundancies, flexible working, enhanced maternity dismissal protection, adult social care negotiating bodies, and trade union rights. The session also covers frequently asked immigration and sponsorship questions, including TUPE regulations, offering employers practical legal guidance on these evolving workplace reforms. This is a pre-recorded webinar, held on 4 September 2025. It is part one of a three-part series. This training was designed for those in management roles, but is available for everyone to view.   Disclaimer Lester Aldridge has been directly commissioned by West Midlands Employers, who in turn have been commissioned by West Midlands ADASS to support aspects of the International Recruitment Programme. As part of this Lester Aldridge are providing a series of webinars on various legal aspects of international recruitment for care providers in the West Midlands.    Please note that the content of the webinars reflects the law at the time they were run. Given the changing nature of immigration law, these responses may not reflect the current legal position, and we would suggest that you take professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of these FAQs.   Lester Aldridge LLP would be pleased to advise you on the application of the principles demonstrated in the FAQs to your specific circumstances but in the absence of such specific advice cannot be responsible or liable to you for the content of the FAQs. Please visit for more information: http://irwestmids.co.uk/hr-legal-services-support/  Read more

This course is for Staffordshire Adult Social Care providers delivering care to individuals in Staffordshire or for individuals outside of Staffordshire receiving care funded or commissioned by Staffordshire County Council. Course Dates IDDSI Framework Training for Texture Modified Diets - 26th February 2026 - 09:30-15:30 - Beaconside Conference Centre (Uttoxeter Suite), Stafford Enterprise Park, Weston Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0BF  How to book this training To book a training event, add it to your cart, there will be an option to choose a training session and "purchase" it from the storefront, if there is only one training session available for that course, you will automatically be enrolled on to that session and if there are multiple dates available then you will be prompted to select an available date. Please note there is no cost for this training. Session Details This training is being held at: Beaconside Conference Centre (Uttoxeter Suite), Stafford Enterprise Park, Weston Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0BF Course Aim and Description Dining with Dignity provides complete training for chefs, catering teams, housekeepers, care home managers, carers, registered nurses, activity coordinators or anyone who could be involved in the preparation, cooking and delivery of food to residents at risk. The training has specific learning outcomes for all individual teams, including practical demonstrations and advice for the kitchen staff to include preparation, cooking and presentation of meals, theory and practical demonstrations. The training includes a workshop with group participation around the delivery of the meal service, and understanding the importance of the dining experience in relation to meeting of individual nutrition and hydration needs. Why the training? Are you providing Texture Modified Diets to individuals in your care? Do you have complaints from residents or family members about the quality/taste/appearance of texture modified diets? Are you unhappy with the presentation of Texture Modified Diets that you currently provide? Are you worried that residents may be at risk of choking or malnutrition because of inconsistencies in the preparation of textured diets? Are you concerned that you can evidence you are meeting the CQC requirements (meeting the individuals dietary needs-special diets). Do you want to improve both the nutritional content and appearance of meals provided to your residents? If the answer is yes, then this training is suitable for you.  The training will cover the following:  Essential Communication for the kitchen Why a Textured Modified Diet? The risk associated with Dysphagia (swallowing problems) Weight loss prevention Methods of cooking meat, fish, vegetables and desserts to enable the delivery of the IDDSI framework To include presentation and texture consistencies Audit tool included to check compliance. Improved dining experience for residents. Booking Changes Please note, by booking onto this training course you are committing to attending at the referenced date and time. Your space on this session has cost Staffordshire County Council and while there is not a cost to yourself or your organisation, public funds have been utilised to fund the training.  If you cannot attend, you can send someone in your place but we will require notification so we can update the course register.  If you are unable to attend or send someone in your place, we ask for 7 working days’ notice in order to have the opportunity to offer this space to others.  All bookings or unenrolment changes should be emailed to [email protected] Car Parking Please ensure that on the day you register your car registration when entering the venue, there is a tablet or QR code available in the foyer of the venue. If you don't do this you will be charged. Refreshment's Refreshments and lunch will not be provided on the day, however there are shops close by and a cafe on site. If you have any additional requirements, such as the need for British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation or mobility requirements, please let us know in advance so that we can make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs.   Waiting List If this course is fully booked, or you are unable to attend of the available dates, you can request to be added to the waiting list. Read more