Delivering increased flexibility and choice for UK and international clients
When the Covid-19 virus shut down the world in March 2020, many organisations had to quickly revise their face-to-face training to deliver online learning. Our training team did a fantastic job of rising to the challenge, and within weeks we had a virtual training offer, we adopted new digital learning strategies to produce an online version of the Core Star training course by May 2020.
Now the Outcomes Star virtual training delivery has been implemented for a while. It’s time to evaluate the engagement and benefits and explore the importance of high-quality Outcomes Star training in a classroom or a virtual learning setting.
Why is engagement so crucial to learning, especially online?
If you’ve ever taught a course, you’ll have seen how easy it is for learners to refrain from paying attention, participating or putting forth effort. The level of engagement and understanding directly impacts an individual’s ability to apply Star information and skills we teach in practice.
A key challenge for us was how to emulate our in-person Outcomes Star learning experience in a live synchronous virtual environment. We were determined to create the same high level of engagement, enjoyment, and interactivity learners experienced face-to-face and virtually to ensure the Outcome Stars are understood and used well.
Key members of our training team upskilled and undertook industry leading LPI online training course designer and facilitation qualifications to meet the challenge.
We also explored technology options and now mainly deliver training using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other platforms upon request.
Creating virtual training was an exciting evolution for us. We learned how to use embedded tools such as polls, chat, whiteboards, and breakout rooms to bring people together for valuable discussion, practice, and collaboration. We discovered we could use these tools to stimulate thoughtful and fruitful interactions to enable peer learning virtually. We now use a range of interactive activities that support and reinforce content to help virtual learners connect with the content.
We have been delighted with the engagement and participation levels. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and reassuring. We know virtual learners feel confident in their understanding of the Star and have a positive outlook on their learning experience.
We found organisations welcomed the flexibility, saving time and money.
Traditionally face-to-face learning is a one-day event. If you can’t get everyone on your team there, they miss the training, which is now a thing of the past with remote training. Our remote Star training option is also available in ½ day modules, suiting clients not wishing to close a department for a whole day, reducing travel costs and time, and supporting geographically dispersed teams with networking opportunities. Training remotely means we can also match your service with trainers knowledgeable about your sector, wherever you are.
Virtual Core Star training advantages
- ½ day modules
- Reduced travel costs
- Less time away from the job
- Convenience of not needing to travel physically
- Opportunities for isolated or dispersed teams to interact and network
Whilst many organisations opt for the ease and convenience of virtual training. There are many situations when training your staff face-to-face is the right, if not better, option. There are several advantages to conducting face-to-face training as opposed to doing it virtually to consider.
Face-to-face Core Star training advantages
- Being part of group learning ‘live’ is a powerful learning method
- Fosters connection and collaborative social interaction
- Strengthens workplace relationships
- Trainers adapting to body language leads to better learning results
- No option to multi-task
Why is Outcomes Star training so important?
When the Outcomes Stars are used well, they have the capacity to transform lives and improve services in a wide range of social provision sectors.
We learned early on that although the Star looks like a simple and intuitive tool, training to understand its values and how to use it properly is vital. Without training, the Journey of Change, the User Guides, and the detailed descriptions of the scales (the numbers on the Star) can too often be put to one side by practitioners. Unfortunately, using the Star in this way undermines the meaningfulness of the data and the benefits for the practitioner’s keywork and the person receiving support.
The Outcomes Star is a trauma-informed relational tool that supports change in keywork relationships. It helps practitioners and the people they support to have better conversations.
It does this by helping create a better quality of listening to develop a shared understanding of a person’s life, priorities, and needs from their perspective, using an evidence-based conversational framework to guide the conversation.
As well as the tools themselves, training and guidance around the Outcomes Star emphasises flexibility in responding to a client’s window of tolerance and preferences – for example, about when and how to introduce and discuss the different outcome areas.
There is also guidance about identifying appropriate action plans in a trauma-informed way that is sensitive to the client’s capacity to drive things forward themselves.
It’s important to understand the Star’s focus on engagement, choices, and actions is more valuable than a tool that measures the severity of problems because the Journey of Change breaks down complex, personal change into small steps.
It helps spotlight the positive shifts and incremental progress that can be overlooked. Identifying and celebrating the small steps that make a difference in people’s complex lives is a key benefit of the Star– helping to counter-act any reliance on unrealistic expectations, which can have a detrimental, demotivating effect.
The Outcomes Star tools have many features that directly support trauma-informed working that we explore in detail in training, including:
- Relationship-based
- Empowerment
- Focuses on the present, not someone’s history
- Strengths-based not deficit-based
- Holistic
Outcomes Star training equips practitioners and licensed trainers with a deeper understanding of the theory and values behind the Star so that they can build this into their practice, training, and induction processes.
Whichever training delivery option you choose, our flexible hybrid offer will meet your practitioner and manager’s need to understand and use the Outcome Star well in your service.
- Understand how to co-create sustainable outcomes for people receiving support
- Measure outcomes for adults and children
- Analysis your data and innovate service delivery
Making an impact
As part of our strategic review in 2019, we surveyed our clients to find out what difference the Star makes. We expected broadly positive findings, but the appreciation and impact delighted us.
Here are a few highlights:
- 87% of Star users report that their keywork is more effective as a result of using the Star
- 81% said that Star data reports enabled them to monitor and report on their outcomes more effectively
- 95% say that the Star supports good conversations and collaboration between staff and service users
- 92% say that it helps service users to get an overview of their situation
- 93% say that the Star supports person-centred, strengths-based working
- 92% say that the Star motivates staff and service users because it makes change visible.
Licensed Trainers and the CPD Community
Licensed Trainers (LTs) are individuals who have received training and achieved the LT qualification to deliver training and support effectively within their organisations. Licensed Trainers become part of a community of Outcomes Star trainers.
The ‘train the trainer’ route can be cost-effective for large organisations.
At the end of 2021, we launched our of CPD sessions for Licensed Trainers to educate, inform, and inspire for free. Our CPD program has increased workplace engagement, improved communication, and generated significantly more opportunities to share top training tips and good practices via professional peer-to-peer learning.
In 2022, we delivered a wide range of informative and interactive sessions focussed on supporting our community of licensed trainers (LTs) globally. We aim to provide key ‘takeaways’ in every session for licensed trainers to use in their own training rooms immediately. The intensive development and delivery process results have been very positive, and over 66% of our Licensed Trainers globally have already attended sessions.
These sessions cover a range of subjects and draw on specialist knowledge and information across Triangle and beyond.
Please view our 2023 CPD calendar to book.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information on becoming a Licensed Trainer.
New resources for Licensed Trainers coming soon
New dual face-to-face and virtual training slide deck and training manual will be available for Licensed Trainers from March 2023. Read more.
We look forward to training you soon, face-to-face or remotely, to demonstrate how well the Stars measure service user progression and distance travelled, how they can highlight areas for service delivery improvements, and illustrate your social impact to funders. #Enablinghelp
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The Outcomes Star is available under licence with training in the UK and internationally.
We usually need around 4-6 weeks’ notice to organise a trainer and materials, so please speak to us about your timescales.
Training prices start from £240 per person.
If you have any questions about remote training or new Stars, or want any information on the new Star Online or anything else, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@triangleconsulting.co.uk
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