Supporting Carers: Learning Communities to support practice

Care and support workers are often disadvantaged in being able to access educational opportunities. Individual carers are generally not well networked and those in organisations are overlooked in plans for personal development training, resources often going to higher profile groups. The School for Health at the University of Bath developed and piloted a blended learning programme for care and support staff working with young adults with Asperger’s syndrome (AS). The “blended learning” approach and the use of e-tivities contributed to the development of a learning community which both mirrored and reinforced the existing care and support community of practice. It offers a model for the development of care and support staff working in other fields.