The second task of Practice Leadership is Allocating and Organising staff.
Frontline Practice Leaders organise and support staff to work individually and as a team. This helps ensure:
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This video introduces how to allocate and organise staff.
Shift plans: Organising what staff do each shift
Staff need to know what they are expected to do on each shift, how to provide support, and how to work with other staff, if there are any on shift. Shift plans communicate this information to staff.
Shift plans capture information about the regular patterns of activities that occur in a service on a daily and weekly basis. For example, in a group home a shift plan should include information about what the people you support do in the mornings and evenings each day of the week.
Shift plans are sometimes called house routines in group homes. Whether they are called shift plans or house routines, they should include key information about the regular activities of each person supported. For example, their:
A good shift plan:
View an example of a shift plan used in a group home.
Shift plans capture information about the regular patterns of activities that occur in a service on a daily and weekly basis. For example, in a group home a shift plan should include information about what the people you support do in the mornings and evenings each day of the week.
Shift plans are sometimes called house routines in group homes. Whether they are called shift plans or house routines, they should include key information about the regular activities of each person supported. For example, their:
- personal and self-care activities
- Ieisure, social and educational activities
- domestic and household tasks
- community based activities
- contact with family and friends
- appointments
A good shift plan:
- Provides information about the sequence of events that is likely to happen
- For example, a morning shift plan indicates what time each person usually wakes in the morning, what they do once they get up, when they eat breakfast, when they attend to their personal care and so on
- Provides information about the support needs of each person and how to support them
- Focuses on the people you support first and then staff tasks
- For example: 7 to 7:30am: Jo makes her breakfast. Jo will choose her breakfast – show her some options. Jo makes her breakfast with verbal prompts from staff
- Guides staff in how they should organise their time on shift
- Provides structure to the work staff do and the support they provide, but also allows for changes to routine based on the preferences of the people you support and what is happening that particular day
View an example of a shift plan used in a group home.
Shift plans vs no shift plans
You may hear staff say that they don’t need shift plans because they have worked in the service for a long time and know what to do. The problem is the unspoken routine in the service may be more staff centred than person centred.
Staff inconsistency can be an issue in services. There might be some staff who regularly support people to be engaged in meaningful activities but other staff who do not. This means that staff from the same service work in different ways, and some staff recognise the importance of engaging in activities whereas others do not.
Shift plans are a good starting point for establishing consistency. They communicate expectations to staff about what should happen on shift and information about how to best support each person.
This table lists the advantages of shift plans and problems of not having them.
Staff inconsistency can be an issue in services. There might be some staff who regularly support people to be engaged in meaningful activities but other staff who do not. This means that staff from the same service work in different ways, and some staff recognise the importance of engaging in activities whereas others do not.
Shift plans are a good starting point for establishing consistency. They communicate expectations to staff about what should happen on shift and information about how to best support each person.
This table lists the advantages of shift plans and problems of not having them.
Advantages of having shift plans |
Problems not having shift plans |
Helps staff know what to do on each shift and how to do it |
What happens each shift, when and how depends on who is working, resulting in inconsistency across staff |
Helps staff prioritise and plan activities |
Staff make decisions about how to use their time, which may not be in accordance with how each person you support wants and needs it |
Inform and remind staff of what the people they support do each day and how to support them |
A lack of predictability for the people who receive support |
Provides a way for staff to record and share their knowledge about how to best provide support |
New and casual staff have to learn for themselves how to work in the service and provide support |
Ensures each person receives support when they want and need it |
Opportunities to regularly engage people in activities may be missed |
Planning before and during shifts
Shift plans help staff to plan what is likely to happen on their shift. They can be referred to before and during the shift. Having shift plans does not mean that staff need to follow a rigid routine. What happens each shift will still change according to day-to-day changes in the lives of the people they support. For instance, preferences, appointments and events.
Staff who are working together need to plan together before and during the shift. They need to work out the key activities that will happen and who will be responsible for them. The shift plan should also include information about how staff should be allocated.
One way is to allocate staff to different areas of the house (e.g., kitchen, lounge room, bathroom) or activities (e.g., cooking, cleaning, leisure), rather than to specific individuals. An advantage of allocating staff to areas or activities is that they are better able to support more than one individual at any time and as people pass through different areas or activities. Then there is less chance of the people you support having to wait for support or being disengaged.
As the shift progresses, staff working together must continually update each other and when required modify the plan.
Staff who are working together need to plan together before and during the shift. They need to work out the key activities that will happen and who will be responsible for them. The shift plan should also include information about how staff should be allocated.
One way is to allocate staff to different areas of the house (e.g., kitchen, lounge room, bathroom) or activities (e.g., cooking, cleaning, leisure), rather than to specific individuals. An advantage of allocating staff to areas or activities is that they are better able to support more than one individual at any time and as people pass through different areas or activities. Then there is less chance of the people you support having to wait for support or being disengaged.
As the shift progresses, staff working together must continually update each other and when required modify the plan.
What happens when there is no shift planning?
Without planning among staff on shift there is potential for problems to occur. Such as:
This video demonstrates what can happen when there is a lack of planning and organising on shift.
- Staff working on the same activities as each other, rather than separate activities
- Staff wandering around providing ad-hoc and uncoordinated support
- Staff feeling that the workload is unfairly shared, which can lead to friction between staff
- The people you support being disengaged
This video demonstrates what can happen when there is a lack of planning and organising on shift.
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Questions
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Download Activity
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- What problems did you see with the way staff were organised in this scenario?
- What impact did it have on each person who was being supported?
- If you were the Frontline Practice Leader in this service, what would you do to improve how staff were organised?
What happens when there is good shift planning?
To ensure staff are effectively planning together and sharing information, the Frontline Practice Leader must facilitate or observe staff discussions. As they cannot always be present at the service, the supervisor must establish an expectation that staff plan with each other at the beginning of and during shifts.
Let’s look at the same scenario as before, but this time take note of how staff plan and organise their shift.
Let’s look at the same scenario as before, but this time take note of how staff plan and organise their shift.
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Questions
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- What did the staff do differently in this scenario, compared to the previous video?
- What impact did it have on each person who was being supported?
- If you were the Frontline Practice Leader, how would you set the expectation that this way of planning and organising among staff needs to happen every shift?
Developing shift plans
Shift plans must include useful and relevant information. They require time and effort to be developed. There is no one way to make a shift plan. Each plan must be designed in a way that best communicates information.
Good shift plans strike a balance between providing too much and too little information. They should be easy to follow and act upon, and not take too long to read.
You could use one document or several. View examples of different types of shift plans.
There are various ways of developing shift plans. You could use one or a combination of the following:
To develop a good shift plan, you need to know the people in the service well.
Once shift plans are drafted, they will need to be reviewed by staff who work in the service. You can ask individual support workers to provide comments or they can be reviewed collectively in team meetings.
Once developed, the shift plans must be regularly reviewed to ensure they are up to date and contain relevant information.
In this video, Frontline Practice Leaders talk about the shift plans in their services.
Good shift plans strike a balance between providing too much and too little information. They should be easy to follow and act upon, and not take too long to read.
You could use one document or several. View examples of different types of shift plans.
There are various ways of developing shift plans. You could use one or a combination of the following:
- The Frontline Practice Leader can write it
- One or more knowledgeable support workers can write it (e.g., a support worker who regularly works a particular shift)
- Staff working on shift can jot down their main tasks and then combine this information
- The Frontline Practice Leader or a support worker can ask the person/people you support for their input about their routine and how they like to be supported
- The Frontline Practice Leader can collate and condense information already written about each person in their individual plans and discuss a draft plan with the staff team.
To develop a good shift plan, you need to know the people in the service well.
Once shift plans are drafted, they will need to be reviewed by staff who work in the service. You can ask individual support workers to provide comments or they can be reviewed collectively in team meetings.
Once developed, the shift plans must be regularly reviewed to ensure they are up to date and contain relevant information.
In this video, Frontline Practice Leaders talk about the shift plans in their services.
Watch this video of a person being supported by three support workers to make a cup of coffee in three different ways. Then answer the questions below.
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Questions
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Download Activity
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- What would it be like for the person receiving support in three different ways to make their coffee?
- Imagine you are the Practice Leader in this service: What would you do to establish consistency in how staff support this person to make his coffee?
Planning with the people you support
Part of shift planning is communicating to the people you support what their day will look like and planning it with them. There are different ways to do this.
A plan of the day is one way of communicating to the person you support what they can expect will happen. Some services use pictured plans to represent the key activities for the day. View an example of a pictured plan.
In other services, staff spend time with each person on each shift to plan with them what will happen during the shift. The plan may be developed verbally, by writing it down, or using pictures. Here is an example of a plan that is written each day so the person knows what will happen.
A plan of the day is one way of communicating to the person you support what they can expect will happen. Some services use pictured plans to represent the key activities for the day. View an example of a pictured plan.
In other services, staff spend time with each person on each shift to plan with them what will happen during the shift. The plan may be developed verbally, by writing it down, or using pictures. Here is an example of a plan that is written each day so the person knows what will happen.
7-9am: |
Wake up, shower, wash my hair. |
10am: |
Go for a walk. |
12-3pm: |
Go to the bank and shop. Buy lunch. |
5:30pm |
Ring mum. |
6-7pm: |
Make dinner. |
7-10pm: |
Have a chat and watch TV. |
Summary
Frontline Practice Leaders must organise and allocate staff so that each person receives the support they need and want. They must ensure there are shift plans, and that staff plan before and during shifts, and with the people they support. Having these things in place contributes to staff knowing what to do on shift, consistency across staff, and ensuring people are supported to engage in meaningful activities and relationships.
In the next module, we look at how to directly improve staff practices by observing them, giving feedback, modelling and coaching.
In the next module, we look at how to directly improve staff practices by observing them, giving feedback, modelling and coaching.