Hello Cheryl,
I've assessed lots of staff meetings for NVQ4 candidates and find the most helpful evidence comes out when the candidate looks at the titles of their optional units and tries to incorporate something on the agenda that would fit at least one of the units (if not more!).  For example, if they chose Unit 411 (which is basically about delivering positive outcomes for service users), I would perhaps get the candidate to review with their team, the teams knowledge and understanding of Adult Safeguarding procedures or perhaps look at procedures staff use to safely administer medication to ensure everyone is 'singing from the same hymn sheet'. 
An agenda, as Aunty Sue has pointed out, is really important, as is a notice on the wall of your workplace advertising the fact that there will be a meeting and giving the date, place and time of it.  A blank agenda could be put on the wall asking for questions or concerns the staff would like raised at the meeting.  Then your agenda and the issues the staff want raised could be put on a final agenda for the actual meeting.
Finally, don't forget to explain the presence of your assessor and ask if staff are comfortable with the meeting being observed and documented. Have a copy of the agenda ready for your assessor to put into your portfolio and have a copy of the minutes ready for them too but make sure you don't put any full names on the minutes - initials of the attendees will be sufficient.
Hope that helps and good luck!

Hi cheryl,

From your question its difficult to know exactly what you need to do - is it an actual staff meeting or a simulation? I assume the purpose of the activity is for you to demonstrate your understanding of the purpose and requirements of staff meetings.

You might find this useful for planning what you need to include:

http://www.westberks.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=20679&p=0

I suggest you start with a written agenda, arrange for someone to take the minutes and don't forget to make a list of the 'staff' who are attending.

Good luck

Hope that helps

Aunty Sue

i have to chair a staff meeting help please

Wow, now theres food for thought!  Thank you so much you gave a beautiful explanation.

Sorry for not replying sooner titch.

The External Verifier within the awarding body would be my first port of call for an issue I couldn't resolve within my workplace between Internal Verifiers.  Other sources of information could be The Joint Awarding Body Guidance from the Department for Education and Skills (a publication outlining best practice in verification) - this has been compiled with the input of several NVQ awarding bodies.  And of course, the Assessment Strategy and Code of Practice are like your bible for best practice - they contain signposting for other sources of help too.

 

Hello again Sacoma - I just found this post after replying to your later question. 

The first bit about Govt inquiries and team work related to assessment of need would definitely best be tackled by looking at the new green paper I mentioned called The Adult Social Care Green Paper from the Department of Health.  Check the following website for further info: communitycare.co.uk.

From the theories/best practice point of view, try the same green paper to answer the 'best practice' part of the question and Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs for the theory related to holistic assessment.

Hello Sacoma,
The Government reports, inquiries and research thing is to get candidates to think about and understand how cases that hit the news can eventually affect all of us working in the care sector - I usually ask my candidates to find out about a recent failure of health and social care practice.  The news is usually littered with these!  Many chose the case of Harold Shipman; his arrest lead eventually to inquiries by the Government into failures by various bodies to communicate or have robust enough processes in place to prevent him stockpiling drugs he used to kill patients. The recent scandal at Budock Hospital in Cornwall lead to an inquiry into the poor standards of care for people with learning disabilities.

There is currently a Govt green paper out which is looking at health and social care and how it will be funded for the future as our population ages and what rights people should have - that's another area you could look into which will cover the requirements for these particular knowledge evidence questions.

The theories questions which crop up in several units, are trying to introduce the candidate to some of the psychological theories behind human growth and development.  Some names to research are Abraham Maslow and his Hierarchy of Needs theory, Darwin (sounds bizarre but if you think about it, he had the theory that only the strongest or fittest survive and develop according to the environment and their ability to adapt - how does that work in human society?), Pavlov's theory was that all behaviour was learned through cause and effect - he rang a bell whenever he fed his dogs and they salivated, first at the sight of the food and later at the sound of the bell even when there was no food!

Theorists only argue that they have the answers to the complex question 'What makes us tick?' - but they are all only theories and none have really been proven to be absolutely right.

I hope this answer helps Sacoma and good luck with your NVQ!

Can anyone please advise me? Is there a specific website, publication that I can find government reports relating to all knowledge evidence for all the units. And what is the "theories" thing all about? these are in all the units too.

You can give your feedback on the samples of draft units here:

http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/qualifications_and_training/qualificationcreditframeworkQCF/draft_units_generic.aspx

Aunty Sue

Hi looplou86,

This is best answered from you own experience.

An example could be that a C/YP wants to join in an activity which includes another C/YP who he doesn't get along with. You support him to meet his needs by agreeing that he should be allowed to join in but there are practical issues - he might start fighting with the other C/YP. You remind him of the sanctions for this sort of behaviour - this will help him to take responsibility for his own actions. You report your actions to co-workers and ask them to monitor the activity with you - their role -and you tell the other C/YP not to antagonise the C/YP.

Q4 Think of the support you give and how it fits in with what your management, the parents, co-workers, social workers etc do.

Hope that helps

Aunty Sue