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Solihull Approach Code of Practice for delivering Solihull Approach training and Solihull Approach groups

By attending, booking or commissioning a Solihull Approach training, you agree to comply with the Code of Practice for delivering Solihull Approach training and Solihull Approach groups.

Code of Practice – Version V5 – 06.11.20 (Terms and Conditions)

This code of practice is updated as an ongoing process. This document supersedes all prior Solihull Approach Agreements and Code of Practice.

Solihull Approach Code of Practice (Terms and Conditions)

Cascading the Solihull Approach

Training requirements of trainers to cascade

A cascade is where practitioners who have been trained by the Solihull Approach team (or Trainers trained by the Solihull Approach team) then deliver training within their own area.

All trainers must have completed a 2 Day Foundation training and provide the Solihull Approach office with a copy of their certificate (or inform the office when, where and by whom they were trained if their certificate has been mislaid).

All trainers must have completed the Train the Trainers course and provide the Solihull Approach office with a copy of their certificate (or inform the office when, where and by whom they were trained if their certificate has been mislaid).

All trainers must return a signed copy of the Agreement and this Solihull Approach Code of Practice to the Solihull Approach office.

The trainers will then be Solihull Approach Registered Cascade Trainers, and their details will be held on a register.

Training Delivery

All training must be delivered according to the Solihull Approach Training Manual. However, see ‘Creativity and innovation’ below. For the theory-into-practice process to begin, the foundation training must be delivered over two separate days, with about two weeks in between.

It needs to be emphasised in the training that the Parenting programme ‘Understanding your child’s behaviour’ is ten sessions long, the Antenatal Parenting Group ‘Understanding pregnancy, labour, birth and your baby’ is 5 or 6 sessions long, and the Foster Carers course ‘Understanding your foster child’s behaviour’ is 12 sessions long and the Postnatal training six sessions, Postnatal Plus training eight sessions, i.e. the Parenting Group must not be shortened.

Group Delivery

All groups must be delivered as per the relevant Solihull Approach Group Facilitators’ Manual.

Creativity and Innovation: Training Manuals and Resource Packs

The Solihull Approach understands and encourages creativity in the development of Solihull Approach resources and groups. If you would like to make changes to activities within the training, please contact the Solihull Approach Manager or Director to discuss your ideas. Some ideas that have been well-trialled are then forwarded to a project group for consideration for the next print run. This is also the case for Resource Pack content.

Of course, you will use your own anecdotes, case studies and experience to deliver the courses.

Numbers of delegates

The optimum number is 12. Training evaluations have shown that above this, the experience for delegates deteriorates because of the interactive nature of the courses. The absolute maximum is 14, but this should only be in exceptional circumstances.

For Advanced Training, e.g., the Brain Development seminar, the number can be up to 50, depending on the training—see the specific trainer's manual for guidance.

For the Whole School Training (Understanding your pupil’s behaviour), primary schools are usually trained as one unit of up to 50 staff. Very large schools, with staff groups of larger than 50, may need other arrangements.

Resource packs and manuals required

During the training, each delegate must have access to the relevant resource pack. This means that for a training session for 12 people, there should be 12 resource packs available.

Each delegate must also have easy access to a resource pack in the workplace. The optimal situation is that each delegate has their own resource pack. Budgetary constraints mean this is not always possible, but delegates should still have access to a resource pack. This is to support moving theory into practice and to move training into practice. (The practitioner can read more about theory, application and brain development. The resource pack acts as a learning resource with reflections, a reminder of the training and as a distance learning course.)

If you are providing free training or charging for training you will need to make sure that delegates will have access to resource packs after the course, so when setting the training up you will need to advise delegates that the Gold Standard is that they should have their own resource pack. If this is not currently possible, they need easy access to a resource pack. They should also have their own Trainers’ Manual or Facilitators’ Manual, which they use when delivering a course or group, or easy access.

For example, for the Solihull Approach parenting group (Understanding your child’s behaviour), the foster carer group (Understanding your foster child’s behaviour) and the antenatal group (Understanding pregnancy, labour, birth and your baby), each delegate must have individual access to the Facilitators’ Manual and the appropriate resource pack when they run a course.

For the Whole School Training (Understanding your pupil’s behaviour), each school should have access to a selection of resource packs appropriate to the size and composition of their school. Each delegate attending training is required to have a whole school booklet to support theory into practice.

For the Solihull Approach to Management and Solihull Approach Reflective Supervision training, each delegate must have their own Supporting Information Booklets.

Photocopying slides from PowerPoint presentations, resource packs (except where explicitly stated), or supporting information booklets is not permitted. To do so would be considered a copyright infringement.

Support for delegates

Some thought will need to be given to how you encourage delegates to set up relevant mentoring and support, whether in their role as practitioners working with families or as facilitators delivering groups. This may be in the form of work discussion groups or individual mentoring.

Support for trainers

Trainers will also need support, perhaps in the form of joining a trainer’s workgroup or mentoring.

Registering your Cascade Training and the delegates

In order to track activity around the UK and elsewhere, please register your cascade training with the Solihull Approach office. Please provide the trainers' date, venue, and names for each training session, plus the delegates’ names and email addresses for those who have completed the course and have a certificate.

Registering groups

Agreement forms

Agreement forms are to be signed by practitioners attending Train the Trainer, Parenting Group Facilitator and Parenting Train the Trainer training.

Governance

Please return copies of your evaluations for each training to the Solihull Approach office. These are periodically analysed and written up for the website or publication. All results are evaluated against a baseline of thousands of delegates.

Please return copies of the parent evaluations from each session included in the relevant group facilitator manual to the Solihull Approach Office.

Charging for the Solihull Approach

Training

We recognise that practitioners are operating in a changing financial environment, with increasing pressure on departmental budgets and changing funding mechanisms.

The Solihull Approach cascade training system was designed so that practitioners could cascade the training free of charge to their colleagues. This is still the preferred model and also the most prevalent one.

However, some practitioners will now need to charge a small fee to cover room hire, refreshments and training materials.

If you are charging a fee above this amount, you will need to apply to have an Approved Solihull Approach Training Delivery Arrangement. Please contact the Solihull Approach office for details Tel: 0121 296 4448 or email: solihull.approach@uhb.nhs.uk.

This Code of Practice covers all these different systems. You will need to register for the training with us, not exceed the optimal number of delegates, etc.

If you are employed to arrange the rollout of the Solihull Approach in an area, please let us know. We are interested in tracking activity around the UK. You will need to ensure that the area follows the Code of Practice, as detailed in this document.

We do not generally support individual private trainers or commercial training companies to deliver the Solihull Approach.

Groups

If you are delivering any of the Solihull Approach groups for parents or carers and applying a charge, you need to contact the Solihull Approach office to apply to become a Solihull Approach Licence Centre for delivering groups.

Creativity and Innovation: applying the Solihull Approach in new subject areas

If you are developing a way of working or a resource that uses the Solihull Approach model as part of it, then please do acknowledge the Solihull Approach in the text or in the references.
If you are setting up a service based on the Solihull Approach, please include ‘Solihull Approach’ appropriately, for example, in the description or as part of the title.
If you are applying the Solihull Approach in a new subject area, where the Solihull Approach is the main model, we would be really interested to hear from you. We are also interested in partnership working where appropriate. For further details, please contact the Solihull Approach office.

This code of practice is updated as an ongoing process. This version supersedes all prior Solihull Approach Codes of Practice. To view updates, visit our website: https://solihullapproachparenting.com.