Training Programme

[Link to children's cascade training examples]

[Link to the MHAS Training site at Manchester University for more background to the tools and protocols and to find relevant references. ]

The training programme, which has been developed in response to feedback from earlier waves, is designed to support sites as they begin to modernise their services. All training is free of charge to participants and funding is provided to help with travel and accommodation. Joint sites are required to undertake both adult and children’s training and all stages of training must be completed before your site can start to fit digital aids.

Adult training is provided by the Institute of Hearing Research (IHR) in Nottingham for up to four members of staff per site. One day of generic training in Manchester is followed by two days of hands-on training in Nottingham, where sites which have selected the same patient management system and audiological equipment are trained together. Those who have been through the training then cascade the learning back to the rest of their colleagues supported by specialist trainers from IHR. When selecting which staff should go to Nottingham, it is important to bear in mind that they will be the future Cascade Trainers for your site. Adult sites also receive two or three days of on-site training for all their staff from the manufacturer of their assigned moderate power digital hearing aid.

Children’s training is run by the University of Manchester and all training for children’s services takes place in Manchester. The programme comprises two days of generic training, with three days of hands-on training at a later date, to cover both theory and practical tuition.

First wave experience highlighted the importance of good communication and links between health and education services. The training reinforces this by asking that staff from both teams attend the full hands-on training. One Teacher of the Deaf summed up the course saying ‘it was excellent overall and will make the information we receive from clinics and hospitals much more meaningful’. The hands-on training incorporates a lot of issues and it is essential that the key concepts from the generic training have been absorbed.

Children’s sites will be offered one additional day of on-site training to cover topics negotiated with cascade team leaders.

Pascale Acquah is the MHAS training coordinator and can be contacted on 020 7296 8159 or pascale.acquah@rnid.org.uk.

Click here for examples of how Cheshire managed the children's cascade training.

[article extracted from Summer 2003 newsletter]