Quality Assurance and Safeguarding
At Switch Now, we are committed to providing high-quality, personalised education, training and support for every Co-worker. We welcome external monitoring and scrutiny and use feedback, outcomes and review processes to continually improve our provision.
The external oversight arrangements differ depending on whether a Co-worker's placement is education-funded or Local Authority social care-funded, but our commitment to safeguarding, quality and positive outcomes remains the same.
However our Co-workers are funded to attend Switch Now, they remain at the centre of what we do. We are committed to providing a safe, inclusive and supportive environment where Co-workers can develop their skills, build confidence, achieve meaningful outcomes and work towards greater independence.
Our standards are underpinned by:
Protecting safety, wellbeing and dignity.
Recognising individual strengths, needs and aspirations.
Monitoring provision, progress and outcomes.
Ensuring staff receive appropriate induction, training, supervision and development.
Working collaboratively with families, employers and other professionals.
Welcoming feedback, monitoring and external scrutiny as opportunities to strengthen our provision.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility at Switch Now.
We recognise that some Co-workers may be particularly vulnerable and require additional support with communication, personal safety, relationships, community access and risk awareness.
Our safeguarding arrangements include:
- Safer recruitment and appropriate checks
- Safeguarding and Prevent training
- Clear procedures for reporting and responding to concerns
- Appropriate risk assessments
- Professional boundaries
- Staff supervision and ongoing training
- Appropriate information sharing
- Partnership working with relevant professionals and agencies
Protecting Co-workers and promoting their safety and wellbeing is central to everything we do.
Monitoring outcomes
We believe quality is demonstrated through the experiences, progress and outcomes of our Co-workers. Depending on the individual's programme and funding route, we monitor progress in areas such as:
- Confidence and communication
- Functional, social and vocational skills
- Independence and independent living skills
- Work experience and volunteering
- Employment or further education and training
- Community participation
- Personal goals and Preparing for Adulthood outcomes
We use this information to review whether our education, training and support remain appropriate, effective and focused on each Co-worker's aspirations.
Education-funded Co-workers
For Co-workers whose placement is funded through an education route with their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), Switch Now operates within the relevant education quality assurance arrangements as a qualified post-16 Alternative Education Provider on the Cambridgeshire County Council Framework.
We monitor:
- Individual learning goals, progress and achievement
- Attendance, engagement and personal development
- Functional and vocational skills
- Work experience and work-based learning
- Qualifications and achievements
- Preparing for Adulthood outcomes
- Progression into employment, volunteering, further education or training
- Safeguarding and wellbeing
- Feedback from Co-workers, families and professionals
- Gatsby Benchmarks, where applicable
Social Care-funded Co-workers - Local Authority
For Co-workers whose placement is funded through Local Authority social care, the commissioning Local Authority has an important role in ensuring that support is safe, appropriate, meets assessed needs and contributes to agreed outcomes.
Switch Now works closely with Local Authorities, social care professionals, families and other relevant professionals.
Monitoring and review considers:
- Safeguarding, health and wellbeing
- Personal safety and risk management
- Quality and suitability of support
- Progress towards agreed outcomes
- Independence and life skills
- Community participation
- Employment and volunteering opportunities
- Staff suitability, training and supervision
- Communication, concerns, complaints and feedback