	Training and Supervision

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

PA-TS 1: Personnel Development and Training

The agency's training and development program provides personnel with the information necessary to competently provide services.

PA-TS 1.01

The agency implements a training and development program that enhances the knowledge, skills, and abilities of personnel and prepares personnel to assume their responsibilities.

Update: Revised Interpretation - 06/01/10

PA-TS 1.01 Original Interpretation:

The agency allocates sufficient resources to support personnel development and training through a structured program that uses a variety of educational methods. For example, training can be provided through direct supervision or through the agency's quality improvement activities. Training can also be provided through conferences and workshops offered within, and external to, the agency.

Interpretation: The agency allocates sufficient resources to support personnel development and training through a structured program that uses a variety of educational methods. For example, training can be provided through direct supervision or through the agency's quality improvement activities. Training can also be provided through conferences and workshops offered within, and external to, the agency. The agency may also support training and professional development by encouraging staff to join and participate in professional organizations; helping staff to identify training and educational experiences that are credit bearing; and offering tuition reimbursement or financial assistance, whenever possible.

Research Note: Research suggests that insufficient training programs can cause both a recruitment and retention problem for agencies. Workers may choose to leave an agency when they have not been adequately prepared and supported for the position they have been hired to fill.

PA-TS 1.02

The personnel training and development program:

promotes cooperation among personnel;
includes an education and training program that provides opportunities for learning and skill enhancement;
encourages creativity and innovation in program development and service delivery;
promotes awareness of, and sensitivity to, cultural backgrounds and needs; and
rewards and acknowledges the contributions of personnel.

PA-TS 1.03

The personnel training and development program:

is reviewed annually and revised in accord with an assessment of the agency's training needs;
outlines specific expectations regarding training required of personnel in different positions and categories;
provides the opportunity for personnel to fulfill the continuing education requirements of their respective professions; and
provides opportunities to support advancement within the agency and profession.

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	PURPOSE: The agency supports personnel and promotes personnel competence by providing regular supervision and training on relevant service delivery topics.

RELATED FILES


	PERSONNEL The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organization's tasks under the organization's administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards


	SUPERVISION Assumption of responsibility for directly overseeing and evaluating the work or work products of personnel within an organization. Also includes inspecting the act or process of accomplishing a function or activity.


	TRAINING Instruction so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient in a skill or body of knowledge.


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	PROGRAM A system of services offered by an organization. For example, an organization providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programs to different populations, e.g., a mental health program for adolescent teens. The word "program" can be used interchangeably with the word "service" or to describe specific programs.


	RESEARCH For purposes of COA accreditation, all forms of internal or external research involving persons served except internal program evaluation and outcomes research, or educational projects performed by students and interns that are part of their professional training.


	ASSESSMENT An evaluation, which utilizes professional expertise and skills in the collection and analysis of data to understand and describe the nature of service needs of an individual, family, or group. Assessment, as in needs assessment, is also used to determine priorities of program planning and service development for the organization as a whole. See also DIAGNOSIS.