Promoting training uptake and completion in home and community support services

An overarching objective of the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) Disability Support Services Two Year Work Plan 2011-2013 is improving the accessibility and sustainability of training for workers in the disability sector.

This project aimed to develop a better understanding of barriers and enablers to effective workforce training for home and community support workers in small MoH funded home and community support services. A key focus was on identifying factors supporting the successful uptake and completion of the National Certificates in Health, Disability and Aged Support level 2 (Foundation Skills) and level 3 (Core Competencies) qualifications for Maori, Pacific and rural workers.

Providers who participated in the research were selected based on the following criteria:

• those who had accessed the training grant scheme administered by Disability Workforce Development within Te Pou
• represented diversity in location (focus on rural and provincial)
• Maori and Pacific providers
• agency size
• covering all national regions.

Due to practical constraints, ten home and community support services supporting fewer than 1,500 disabled people funded under a MoH disability support services contract were identified and their training staff personnel interviewed.