How to use our new induction resources

With the launch of our new induction toolkit, we’ve put together a handy guide on how to use it.

Research suggests that how we induct new staff impacts how likely they are to remain with an organisation. It’s important that people feel welcomed and confident in their ability to do their job from day one.

A great induction can also help you save time and money, as well as enable you to deliver a higher quality of care.

That’s why we’ve launched our new induction toolkit, designed to help managers plan and deliver a supportive and inclusive induction for new starters at all levels across all types of roles in adult social care.

All new starters should have an induction tailored for their particular role, but with consistent quality. A good induction should be:

• compassionate – recognising the challenges new starters face, providing them with the support to enable them to succeed
• inclusive – recognising each individual, tailoring to their needs, and creating a consistent sense of belonging for all
• collaborative – providing opportunities for new starters to work with and get to know your staff, those you provide care and support to, and to understand their role in the team.

Standardising your organisation’s induction can save you time and money, making the steps repeatable and easily improved.

How do you use the new manager’s induction toolkit?

The toolkit will support you in making sure new starters feel included, how to be on-hand to provide regular support, and how to ensure you equip them with the knowledge and resources they need to do their job effectively and support your organisation to deliver a safe, responsive, and well-led service.

When you access the toolkit, you’ll find a number of resources that will help you prepare for the arrival of a new staff member and guide you through this initial period broken down into helpful milestones, such as their first day, week, month and beyond.

You’ll also find several checklist documents, which are intended to be used to keep track of the important stages of the induction process.

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to read through the preparation documents, such as the ’72-hours out’ checklist, which are intended to help you get everything you need in order to deliver an effective induction from the first day.

The checklists and downloadable resources can all be personalised to your service, enabling you to create an induction that is perfect for your organisation and roles.

Jane Borland, Care Manager at Rathgar Care Home, says: “They provide a one-stop to everything we need to do… I also love that you have given us the documents to use so we are not having to go away and put one together. Really comprehensive.”

You’ll also find guidance on how to ensure you include consideration for disabled workers and protected characteristics, which may involve you making reasonable adjustments or changes to working conditions.

Finally, there’s information on how you can assess the effectiveness of your induction to ensure you’re improving the experience for future staff, including a review survey that you can use to gather feedback.

Get started with the new toolkit.

Coming soon: free-to-access national induction programme

Skills for Care is working with NHS England to create a new free-to-access national induction programme for health and social care. It’s designed to support and equip new starters with a clear understanding of health and social care, helping to build a sense of belonging and support retention.

It’s been developed with over 2,000 staff and people who access care and support from across health and social care so brings together the key information that has been proven to help people settle in their new role and be effective.

The induction is a recommended resource for employers to use alongside their organisational induction. It doesn’t replace or duplicate the Care Certificate or Manager Induction Standards.

Print this page