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October 2007
Sunfield wins National Training Award for putting families at its heart
Sunfield has won a National Training Award for an innovative staff-training programme which is aimed at helping staff understand the challenges faced by families bringing up a child with profound autism.
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The school has been transformed by training that changed staff attitudes to pupils’ families making it a truly family-centred organisation - no mean achievement for a residential establishment where parents are not daily visitors.
The National Training Award judging panel commented:
"If you want to know what difference a day makes - the answer is to be found in Sunfield. An ordinary day spent training at Sunfield has an extraordinary impact."
Chief Executive Professor Barry Carpenter said:
“This National Award recognises the dedication and hard work put in by Sunfield, and gives a clear sign of our ethos and commitment to being a family focused organisation. As a member of a family with a child who has special educational needs, I feel both personally and professionally proud of this award.”
Sally Conway, Head of Family Services, added:
“Training has always been key to moving the organisation on from one that kept parents at the periphery of their child’s life, to one that now enrols both the child and its family and places them at the centre of its work.”
Since 1999, 570 staff have been trained during 47 training days. Training is designed to improve staff communication skills so that they can sensitively handle the issues affecting pupils’ families. Training helps staff understand the emotional needs of families and the impact of placing a child in a residential setting.
As a result of the training, staff now speak to each family at least once a week, and photographs and video footage of the child are emailed regularly.
Staff support students to send a weekly letter home to parents, siblings and grandparents, and families who are not able to have their child home regularly or who are having difficulties with their child at home are actively encouraged to use family centres, provided free by Sunfield, to maintain contact. Families also join in with day trips and staff-led activities.
Sally explains:
“Service delivery has improved dramatically, and regular contact and positive partnerships with our families is now embedded in practice.
"Nurturing the child/family bond has enhanced emotional development and improved the lives of both the child and their family.”
The benefits of the training have been felt far from Worcestershire. It has been delivered to national and international organisations in areas such as adult residential services and day schools, and showcased at professional conferences in Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.
Sally added:
“This award demonstrates that Sunfield, through its commitment to staff training and developing practice, is now regarded as a model of innovation. It stands as a beacon of best practice within the national and international special education field, and its work with families is universally acclaimed.”
ENDS
For further information contact:
Sally Conway Head of Family Services
01562 882253
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Sunfield, Woodman Lane, Clent, near Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY9 9PB Tel: 01562 882253
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