Buddy shifts lead to better care outcomes and support worker longevity.
A buddy shift or a ‘shadow shift’ is an opportunity for you utilise an experienced team member who you are comfortable with, to assist a newer team member to learn how to support you, how you want to be supported.
Nobody wants to have someone just thrown into their home, I mean maybe, but not many that we’ve met. That’s why having a new person in your home being facilitated by a team member your know and trust is the key to a lasting support worker client relationship.
Every provider/ person will do a buddy shift differently. That’s why it’s really important to familiarise the team member with what you need and have a very specific outline of what will be covered, communicated and discussed during that time.
Our Quad Care Team have a framework we use to keep things on track, a checklist that both the person training and the new team member are responsible for covering off together. It includes reviewing and updating the support plan together, considering things like your likes and dislikes, where you like things in your home kept, meeting the client’s family member, going on an outing together, how you prefer or not your money handled. Things to talk about and topics the client prefers to avoid along with any other things that are important to you.
If this is important to you, you can enquire about our services here.
And you can learn why we get how bloody important this stuff is here.
Buddy shifts are your opportunity to identify whether the new team member is right for you. Remember not everyone is right for everyone! That’s why we do buddy shifts (if you want them!) They’re an opportunity for the person to grow and learn, as well as for the person teaching.
Confident support staff that are comfortable with how you like things done, are more likely to stay, and more likely to experience role satisfaction.
If you feel there are gaps in the persons knowledge, you can contact your Team Leader or your Service Manager and request another buddy shift or two. You might even need an extra buddy shift at a different time because your morning routine is different to your night routine.
At Quad Care one of our core values is ongoing learning, so this is an opportunity for everyone to grow and learn things they might not have otherwise known. It is also an opportunity for us to identify gaps as a business to improve our annual staff training.
Your feedback is important to us so, because it can change the way we do things for the better tell us the good the bad and the ugly so tell us via phone, or here!
Remember, as challenging as it is to have someone new in your home. It is so, so important that everyone feels safe and valued wherever they are. No one wants to be disrespected or feel unsafe, ever. So be clear and concise with your feedback or ask someone you trust to assist you to provide this in a way that is comfortable for you. If you don’t think someone is the right fit, speak up! Don’t waste time with someone who’s not the first fit.
You can read more about finding the right fit with support staff here.
You can learn more from the NDIS website here.
