Childcare Workforce Development Team Guide to Recruiting and Managing Childcare Staff Appraisals Regular staff appraisals should be carried out to identify the training needs of staff. A programme of continuing professional development should be applied so that these needs are met. Appraisal is a way of regularly and systematically recording an assessment of an employee’s performance, potential and development needs. The true aim of an appraisal system is to develop, not to blame, reward or praise. If an appraisal is conducted properly it will help the employee to form an objective view of their past performance, as well as encourage better performance for the future. Appraisals should be at least once a year and every 6 months is even better and ideally this will be stated in an appraisal policy. The formal appraisal meeting should not be the only opportunity that staff members have to talk one-to-one with their manager. Appraisal should form an integral part of the performance management process, linking closely to staff supervisions. A staff appraisal should ideally be done by the employee’s direct manager, supervisor or line manager. It should be done by someone who is familiar with the employee’s work and who has regular contact with that employee in the workplace. It should also be done by someone who has the authority to take any ideas or opportunities forward i.e. if the employee requests to do some training, the appraiser should be able to either agree this themselves or be able to take this to someone more senior to make a decision. It is important that managers also receive appraisals from the setting owner/ management committee as often as other staff members do. In the interests of fairness, all appraisals should follow a set format. The manager should take brief notes and the staff members should sign them to confirm they are accurate. Both the manager and the staff member should keep a copy of the notes. The format should encourage open discussion rather than simple box ticking. A review form is the simplest way to do this. Appraisals need to cover the following areas: • • • • • • • • Reviewing the period since last appraisals Major achievements Planning for the period ahead Support or guidance Areas of difficulty and possible ways to overcome them Career progression Identifying training and development needs Personal and work based well being All information contained within this guide is current on 01/01/2011. However, for all statutory and legal requirements, it is recommended further advice is sought from the appropriate organisation. Factsheet C3 Childcare Workforce Development Team Guide to Recruiting and Managing Childcare Staff To prepare for an appraisal, a manager can consider the employee’s performance and development needs and gather other peoples feedback if it is needed. However, there is no need for any preparatory written notes or reports, because the appraisal report should be drawn from the discussion during the appraisal meeting. It is important that the appraiser considers how they can conduct positive and constructive appraisals. Here are some of the important things they should consider: • Make sure adequate time is free for the meeting , ideally 1 to 1.5 hours • Meetings should be one to one without interruptions. • Staff should be given at least two weeks notice of an appraisal meeting. • Managers should try not to cancel or change appraisal meetings. • Targets should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based). • Manager should encourage employee to discuss issues rather than talking at them. All staff appraisal documents should be kept for current staff and filed confidentially. Staff appraisal forms should be made available to the employee at any point they wish to view them. How appraisal sits within the performance management framework Supervision Appraisal Description A regular 1 to 1 meeting between the supervisor and supervisee Focus Organisational, professional, safeguarding concerns and personal objectives An annual meeting (reviewed every 6 months) between the supervisor and supervisee Longer term performance review and development planning / objectives. identifying what has gone well, and what hasn’t gone so well over the last year setting measurable objectives/targets in line with team objectives/targets for the coming year having an opportunity to identify learning and development to help staff member carry out their role Managing the business Work related meetings / chats Dealing with day-to-day issues as they arise. All information contained within this guide is current on 01/01/2011. However, for all statutory and legal requirements, it is recommended further advice is sought from the appropriate organisation. Factsheet C3 Childcare Workforce Development Team Guide to Recruiting and Managing Childcare Staff Typical frequency 2–6 weeks depending on job and individual requirements Characteristics Planned & structured. Some preparation Annually (with 6-monthly review) Planned & structured. Significant preparation. As required on any working day Ad hoc, when required Supporting Documents Acas Appraisals Guide [PDF 825KB] Example Staff Appraisal Template [WORD 81KB] Example Staff Appraisal Policy [WORD 22KB] Useful organisations Acas Independent advice, guidance and training for employers and employees www.acas.org.uk National Helpline 08457 47 47 47 All information contained within this guide is current on 01/01/2011. However, for all statutory and legal requirements, it is recommended further advice is sought from the appropriate organisation. Factsheet C3