Five Good Friends Helpers: Support work training that builds confidence and connection
Most companies offer some sort of training or education for their workers but it’s often outsourced or delivered online. Employees may be asked to complete mandatory courses to adhere to legislative requirements. Or external providers may be brought in to run skills workshops.
At Five Good Friends, we look at training a little differently; we focus on learning rather than training. We have a dedicated Learning and Development team of 11 people who support the educational needs of our Helpers (support workers).
We spoke with Catherine Craft, our Learning and Development Manager, about why our education model looks and feels different.
A human approach to aged care and disability support
When Helpers (our name for support workers) join Five Good Friends, they often don’t have formal qualifications in health care. They come on board to provide companionship or help with household tasks, such as cleaning or laundry. They come with a willingness to help and make a difference to the lives of our Members.
We take the time to get to know each of our Helpers so we can match them with a like-minded Member - someone they can form a genuine connection with. After all, letting someone into your home to support you requires trust. We believe those relationships should be based on friendship and connection.
Catherine explains how learning new skills helps to support meaningful bonds that have been created, especially as a Member’s needs change over time, as they age. She shares an example of what a home care support scenario might look like when care workers are assigned to a Member based on existing skills alone.
“If it’s an aged care Member and they need cataract surgery, for example,” says Catherine, “Once they come home from hospital, they may need help with eye drops for a short period. If their original Helper isn’t trained to assist with this, we have to bring in a second Helper. Then, when the eye drops are no longer needed, that second Helper steps out of the Member’s life".
“Later, if the Member needs support in the shower, a third Helper might be brought in who has those personal care skills. Meanwhile, the original Helper - the one with the strongest connection - is left doing the least personal tasks, like ironing.”
This fragmented approach didn’t align with Five Good Friends’ person-centred approach to home care, so our team made a shift. Rather than bringing in new Helpers every time a Member’s needs changed, we started upskilling the existing Helper, so they could stay on the journey and continue building that important relationship.
“When the Member needs eye drops, we teach their Helper how to safely support them. That way, there’s no disruption to the bond they’ve built,” Catherine says.
Support work training for Five Good Friends Helpers
We offer a wide range of courses for Helpers. Some focus on specific support needs such as medication management, mobility, safe swallowing, or personal care. Others are designed to strengthen life and business skills like time management, technology use, and communication.
The courses are time-friendly too. “Some only take 10 minutes. Our longest course might take a week if someone is working full-time and studying an hour a night” Catherine explains.
We use micro-credentialing to deliver exactly what a Helper needs, when they need it. Rather than enrolling in a full three-month medication management course, for example, Helpers can complete short modules focused on the specific medication their Member currently uses. It reduces unnecessary training and ensures they learn what’s relevant now.
If they want to explore further, they can. Our entire course library is open to all Helpers at any time.
“Our courses are high quality,” says Catherine. “So, if a Helper later wants to study at TAFE or pursue further qualifications, we can provide course evidence for prior recognised learning.”
Another aspect of our micro-credentialing is learning what support is needed and the level of support the Helper is happy to provide. For example, our micro-credentialing Personal Care courses are broken into three tiers so Helpers can learn at the level they're comfortable with:
- Standby – This gives Helpers the skills to support a Member who needs a little help getting into the shower but can wash themselves. It teaches Helpers about bathroom safety and avoiding burns.
- Partial – Adds guidance for assisting a Member with harder-to-reach areas like feet or the back, while extending on safety principles.
- Full assistance – This teaches Helpers to wash every part of a Member’s body.
Want to develop lasting skills and build meaningful connections as a care worker? Learn more about becoming a Five Good Friends Helper.
The Five Good Friends learning philosophy
What really sets us apart is that not all learning happens online. Many of our courses involve face-to-face, hands-on instruction, often in the Member’s own home. This one-on-one instruction gives Helpers confidence in applying their new skills, in the context that matters most.
“We have a team of training facilitators who are qualified in nursing or disability, and also hold training and assessment qualifications,” Catherine explains. “They visit Helpers in the Member’s home to demonstrate how that individual Member likes things done, whether it’s taking medication or having a shower. This kind of tailored, practical training is rare in the community support sector.”
Some of the training modules are completed online, and we have undertaken research into what style of learning suits our Helpers best. “Most of our Helpers are visual learners,” Catherine says. “So, our online training includes videos, colours, graphics, pictures, and animations to make learning engaging and accessible.”
Aged care and support work training: The Five Good Friends difference
At Five Good Friends, we don’t deliver cookie-cutter training just because it’s a compliance requirement. We design learning experiences for moments when someone needs or wants to grow - and that makes all the difference.
“To truly learn something, you have to value it. You have to love it!” says Catherine.
The results speak for themselves. The most recent data shows that, on average, each Helper completes 19.8 courses.
“They choose topics that are relevant and learn out of a sense of dedication and connection. They want to keep supporting their Members and when those Members need extra help, they’re prepared to step up. It’s quite beautiful, really,” Catherine explains.
Are you ready to get started? Get in touch with us at Five Good Friends to find out more about how we help people lead engaged and successful lives in the homes and communities they love.
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