Recovery-promoting competencies

A Manager’s Guide containing:Competency ModelInterview GuidePerformance, Learning and Development Guide

IntroDuCtIon

reCovery ● Hope ● Relationships ● Identity, Meaning and Purpose

● Choice and Control

CoMPetenCIes ● What are competencies and why use them? ● How was the Recovery-promoting Competency Model developed?

● The Research Findings

reCovery-ProMotInG CoMPetenCy MoDeL ● Why use a Recovery-promoting Competency Model?

● Communication of values ● Recruitment and selection ● Benefits of Competency Based Interviewing ● Learning and development

IntervIew GuIDe ● Principles of good interviewing ● The rating scale ● Best practice for Competency Based Interviewing ● Meaningful relationships: example definition and potential questions ● Empowering, facilitating choice and control: example definition and potential

questions ● Inspiring hope and being hopeful: example definition and potential questions ● Developing self-esteem, identity, meaning and purpose: example definition and

potential questions ● Teamwork and partnership working: example definition and potential questions ● High quality service, continuous learning and improvement: example definition

and potential questions

PerforManCe, LearnInG anD DeveLoPMent GuIDe ● The aims of systems to manage performance, learning and development ● Principles for good practice ● Guidance for using competencies in supervision and performance management

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IntroDuCtIonThere is an increasing move towards evidence-based practice and assessing competence in the mental health sector. There has been a need for a relevant, robust and easy to use competency model that can be applied to a range of job roles. The competency model in this guide is underpinned by the values associated with a recovery orientation.

Competencies can underpin your Human Resourcing strategies relevant to engaging, supporting and developing staff. This guidance will enable you to implement Recovery-promoting competencies in your organisation to recruit, develop and manage people in a way that will contribute to your service supporting people’s recovery journeys. The effectiveness of recovery orientated tools, such as the Recovery Star, will be enhanced when in the hands of someone with strong recovery-promoting competencies.

Changing organisational culture and practice, such as introducing competencies, takes time and requires clear leadership and management commitment. A culture of collaboration, built on trusting relationships, will contribute to successful implementation of this model.

Before explaining how the competencies were developed and how to use them we will look at the fundamentals of what we mean by recovery and what is meant by competencies.

Published by

Community options2a fielding LaneBromleyKentBr2 9fL

www.community-options.org.uk

Author

sally Lawson, Head of training and Consultancy at Community options and student researcher at King’s College London

Design by

the upper roominfo@theupperroom.co.uk Tel: 020 8406 1010

IsBn 978-0-9572183-0-7

Copyright

© 2012 Community options

To order further copies email your order to:training@community-options.org.uk or visit www.community-options.org.uk to purchase downloads.

Training

to book training on the competencies, competency based interviewing, performance management, the recovery star or to discuss your training needs contact us on 020 8313 9725.

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The term recovery is used differently in various contexts and definitions have been widely debated. There are two main uses of the word in the context of mental health. Firstly there is the concept of clinical recovery, defined by the remission of symptoms and restoration of functioning as assessed by the clinician. A more recent understanding, strongly influenced by the views of people who experience mental illness, is that of personal recovery, defined by subjective experiences and living a full life in the context of an enduring mental health condition. For the purpose of this guide, recovery is seen as a process with different outcomes for different people as defined by them personally. The concept includes recognising people’s strengths, vulnerabilities and resources, their capacity to be resilient, learn and grow and successfully contend with potentially distressing experiences and symptoms of mental illness. The recovery process is a personal one, involving recognition that recovery is possible and requires the willingness to take responsibility for working towards it.

Staff can play a significant role in facilitating or impeding an individual’s recovery journey. Subtle as well as obvious differences in staff behaviour will make a big difference to a person’s identity and self-esteem, sense of being able to take control, potential to make choices and hope for the future.

The most frequently cited definition of recovery, also referred to in the cross-government’s mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages, is that of Anthony (1993) who describes recovery as:

A deeply personal, unique process of changing one’s attitudes, values, feelings, goals, skills and/or roles. It is a way of living a more satisfying, hopeful and contributing life even with the limitations caused by illness. Recovery involves the development of new meaning and purpose in one’s life as one grows beyond the catastrophic effects of mental illness.

The recovery approach takes into account that experience of symptoms, effects of medication, stigma, discrimination, disempowering services and lack of opportunity can all have consequences for self-esteem and life satisfaction. Recovery is often about changing one’s relationship with mental illness, redefining oneself potentially being as important as symptom alleviation.

There are a number of themes that emerge from a review of the literature and these are reflected in the Recovery-promoting Competency Model.

Four key themes are outlined below.

HopeA sense of personal hope makes a real difference to a person on their recovery journey and, along with personal courage, is often what enables people to grow and to cope with the challenges they face. In addition to hope being a personal character strength, hope is often inspired or sustained by others who demonstrate a belief that positive change and a satisfying life is possible. Many people report that someone expressing belief in them as a person and believing in their capacity to recover has made a big difference to their recovery. For some people it has been a turning point. Two types of hope are important, hope in general and hope regarding specific goals or issues.

Hope is not just about a feeling. Hope manifests itself in many ways including:

● Having personal goals

● Having a sense of direction

● The willingness to find ways of achieving aspirations

● The ability to persevere

Hope can be described as a forward-looking attitude that may involve recognising a need for change, accepting that need and committing to engaging with making the change happen. For some people their sense of hope is closely aligned with religious or spiritual beliefs that provide meaning and a reason to carry on through distress.

Staff need to be able to demonstrate and express their own sense of hope and optimism, including recognising and valuing a person’s progress, strengths and investment in their journey. It involves focusing on possibilities and celebrating success. Hope can be inspired by hearing about the success of people who have had similar experiences. Everyone can play a part in sharing encouraging stories.

Research suggests that hope is both dispositional (a personality trait) and situational (influenced by experience) and is therefore open to being strengthened. In clients this may be through recovery-oriented services, peer support and staff behaviour. In staff it may grow through effective coaching and supervision built around the competency of ‘Inspiring hope in others and maintaining a personal sense of hope’.

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relationshipsPersonal accounts and research suggests that having emotional and practical support, someone being there for you and the capacity to maintain relationships with peers, family and friends is important in recovery. Many people have found that forging new connections and finding roles where they can help others and validate their experiences has been instrumental to recovery.

Staff play an important role in offering empathy and understanding, being there and offering encouragement. When it comes to relationships, the role of staff is twofold. Firstly to be a person that can be trusted to act with integrity, respect and warmth (in order to build up a positive and trusting relationship) and secondly to support the client in developing the type of connections and relationships they want with others of their choosing.

Identity, Meaning and PurposeRegaining or maintaining self-esteem and self-respect, along with learning to see illness as just one aspect of self (as opposed to a dominant aspect of one’s identity) is often cited as an important aspect of recovery. At times of distress, aspects of identity (such as artist, keen gardener, and cultural identity) and roles (such as manager, friend, parent, student), get overshadowed by an identity as someone who is mentally ill. Self-acceptance, reconnecting with personal strengths, finding pleasure in interests and abilities along with meaningful roles are all aspects of recovery.

Gaining a new perspective on the past, finding a helpful explanation to make sense of earlier experiences and creating a new meaning and purpose can contribute to the recovery process. Meaning and purpose can be derived from many sources e.g. religious and spiritual beliefs, having something to give, activities, employment and working towards dreams and goals.

It can be argued that identity, meaning and purpose are internal aspects of recovery. Staff can play a role in providing the right environment to nurture these conditions. Treating people with dignity, offering acceptance and affirmation, focusing on strengths and responding to the whole person can make a significant impact on a person’s positive self-identity. Recognising the expertise and unique character traits of each individual is vital. Staff can also provide a person with support to overcome stigma and self-stigma and can take a person’s dreams seriously, engaging with what is important to the client.

Choice and ControlAn increasing sense of knowledge about mental health and illness and an understanding of potential recovery stages and possibilities can contribute to recovery. Learning to deal with loss and developing further self-awareness, along with the increasing willingness and capacity to take control in the recovery process are often features of a recovery journey. Many people cite the moment they decided to actively participate in making the changes they wanted to happen as a significant step. For some people, recovery might involve developing self-help strategies. These may include finding ways to manage symptoms and setbacks, to reduce the social and psychological effects of stress and ways to gain a greater sense of wellbeing. For some people it will involve making choices about lifestyle to manage factors that facilitate physical and mental health.

In addition to services offering choices, staff can provide information, support a person’s capacity to make informed choices, explore options and risks and discuss the implications. Sometimes a desire to help can lead to disempowering behaviour and staff must always be mindful of the ease with which this can be done.

reCovery (ContInueD)

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what are competencies and why use them?Defining the competencies needed for a role is an essential part of managing staff and services. Competencies are the bridge between the individual and the tasks required by the job. They are the blend of skills, knowledge, motivation, attributes and attitudes that combine into behaviours enabling competent and successful performance.

Identifying the competencies needed for a job can save you time and money by increasing the chances of having a job well done. Knowing the staff behaviours that are most likely to help or hinder recovery enables you to implement a process that helps you recruit and select staff that have these prerequisites to high performance. Competencies can also provide you with a systematic framework for continuous assessment and development of staff, helping you to focus on what is most relevant to success.

The competencies an organisation uses for recruitment, selection, performance management and development give a strong message to service users, commissioners and employees about the values it holds.

How was the recovery-promoting Competency Model developed?The model was founded on the results of research which adopted the rigours of occupational psychology, using job analysis techniques. Job analysis is a combination of methods used to identify the behaviour of good performers.

The methodology included the following:

● Critical Incidents - to explore staff behaviours in specific positive or negative events that had made a difference to personal recovery

● Repertory Grid Technique - to enable comparison between staff who worked in a more recovery-promoting way with those who worked in this way to a lesser degree

● A character strengths questionnaire - to identify the most significant character strengths associated with effective recovery-promoting work

● A literature review of 55 articles and books written on recovery and mental wellbeing between 1991 and 2009 - to identify prevailing themes

● A review of competency models for specific job roles such as Occupational Therapy Support Workers and Pre-Registration Mental Health Nurses

● A review of competency models in existence or development in mental health charities

Common themes emerged from all the data but each method added to the picture. Some findings were more apparent from specific methods, indicating the value of such a comprehensive methodology.

The research was supervised by Kings College London with approval from the Psychiatry, Nursing and Midwifery Research Ethics Sub-Committee.

CoMPetenCIes

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the research findingsThe research was designed to elicit behavioural competencies that promote recovery. Four Recovery-promoting Competencies emerged:

● Developing meaningful relationships with people and supporting them to develop relationships with others

● Empowering people and facilitating their capacity to make choices and take control of their recovery on a well-informed basis

● Inspiring hope in others and maintaining a personal sense of hope

● Supporting the development of self-esteem, identity, meaning and purpose

Additionally two other strong themes, described as generic competencies, were apparent. These are:

● Team and partnership working

● Commitment to a high quality service and continuous learning

Positive and negative behavioural indicators are described for each competence. The negative indicators are not always the opposite of the positive indicators, so please read the two columns of behavioural indicators independently. The lists are designed to be comprehensive but are not exhaustive.

CoMPetenCIes (ContInueD)

Developing, empowering, inspiring and supportingReflection

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reCovery-ProMotInG CoMPetenCy MoDeL

Developing meaningful relationships with peopleand supporting them to develop relationships with others

Positive indicators

Is authentic, genuine and sincere. Interacts based on honesty and integrity.

Shows acts of kindness, nurturing, compassion, encouragement and caring that do not undermine independence.

Initiates / invites engagement, conversation, rapport-building and spends time with service users on a one-to-one basis. Promotes involvement in groups. Enters into discussion about light issues and service user interests as well as troubling or distressing issues. Is accessible.

Demonstrates empathy, understanding and active listening to put people at their ease and encourage them to open up.

Offers emotional support, the sense of being believed in and ‘being there’ for the person.

Maintains good relationships with, and involves peers, family and friends whilst respecting the services user’s choice in this respect. Promotes constructive relationships in the community.

Encourages and supports the service user to build connections, and to develop and maintain good relationships and to offer support to their peers, family and friends. Creates an inclusive culture.

Shares in appropriate humour and fun.

Relates to and values the person as a whole, treating the person with dignity and respect.

Builds bridges within the community and with other organisations. Promotes the respect of, and value of, individuals in the community.

Reflects on their own motivation, attitude and behaviour to help them form good relationships with individuals.

Tries to understand what people are communicating when they are not using words.

Negative indicators

Lacks insight into the impact of their own behaviour on others.

Is abrupt, abrasive, authoritarian and disrespectful. Does not take into account the reactions of others.

Avoids some clients and neglects to give fair amounts of attention to people based on their needs. Does not make an effort with people who find it difficult to communicate.

Operates with boundaries that limit engagement to tasks. Communication style is guarded, remote and detached.

Does not adapt communication to cultural norms or personal preferences.

Does not set appropriate boundaries. Is not able to draw the line between support work and therapeutic work. May become easily upset in distressing situations due to ‘personal compassion’.

Reacts emotionally and / or retaliates in challenging situations. Can become overwhelmed in conflict or emotional situations and lose perspective.

Ignores or belittles others’ feelings.

Does not keep to their word. Undermines trust. Is inconsistent in their treatment of others.

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Empowering people and facilitating their capacity to make choicesand take control of their recovery on a well-informed basis

Positive indicators

Shares information and explains reasons for actions. Discusses the recovery process, self-help, coping strategies and stages involved in loss and change.

Asks for permission when offering practical support and does things ‘with’ the person (instead of ‘for’ the person).

Enquires about preferences and offers choices and options.

Respects the service users’ wishes and fosters self-determination.

Actively addresses power imbalances and encourages assertive behaviour.

Makes adjustments that enable the person to take control.

Has a good understanding of mental illness, social and clinical recovery, reasons for and signs of relapse.Has knowledge about the impact of an individual’s diagnosis on their behaviour, emotions, worldview and capacity. Uses this to help understand and support a person without letting it dominate their thinking.

Acknowledges when a person is taking control, responsibility, actively engaging in strategies to stay well and managing setbacks.

Shares knowledge on mental and physical illness and wellbeing.

Facilitates active choices and participation in services and treatment.

Discusses how to take steps towards independence.

Supports the person to take control over problems and illness and encourages active participation in the process of recovery.

Negative indicators

Excludes service users from discussion and decisions. Creates a climate of ‘us and them’.

Concentrates on getting tasks done (such as cleaning) as opposed to sharing the task with the service user.

Does not offer explanations regarding decisions, action and alternative options.

Does things for people rather than enabling the person to do what they can.

Asserts own power and authority. May have a need to be seen as strong.

Explains away behaviours as being due to a diagnosis, inappropriately.

Judges a person without taking into account their diagnosis, for example labelling someone as lazy when they are severely depressed.

Is directive or parental.

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reCovery-ProMotInG CoMPetenCy MoDeL (ContInueD)

Inspiring hope in others and maintaining a personal sense of hope

Positive indicators

Holds, acts on and cultivates an optimistic view of the future. Demonstrates the belief that good can be brought about. Offers reassurance and takes steps to restore hope for the future and the opportunities it holds.

Demonstrates future-mindedness by initiating positive discussions on dreams and aspirations for the future. Takes time to understand what the person wants.

Helps the service user to set motivating goals, framed in positive language.

Notices, praises and helps others see the positives including progress, achievements from the past and present, abilities, strengths and personal characteristics.

Encourages self-belief and challenges self-limiting beliefs.

Views service users as responsible and capable.

Shares relevant success stories of other people with similar mental health issues.

Celebrates small steps and works on making a difference for long-standing service users.

Encourages people to do things that they enjoy, try new things and take some chances and manage risks.

Models perseverance and helps others to ‘not give up’.

Explores options with service users regarding different ways they can move towards their goals. Influences and seeks means to achieve goals with the service user.

Thinks and acts on what a person needs for independent living. Strives to make improvements.

Negative indicators

Judges people’s ability and motivation and ‘writes them off’.

Gives up quickly when others lose interest or fail. Does not try alternative routes to success.

Colludes with low goals and does not encourage goal setting.

Does not believe change is possible.

Does not make the effort to find out what a person can do.

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Supporting the development of self-esteem, identity, meaning and purpose

Positive indicators

Treats people fairly, thinks rationally, keeps an open mind and does not let personal feelings and beliefs bias decisions and quality of service.

Seeks to understand the person and the influences in their life at present.

Supports the service user to personalise their environment. Where relevant, facilitates the person to consider incorporating things that are meaningful to their identity and culture.

Regularly gives encouragement and genuine affirmation. Recognises and values services users’ contributions and expertise. Treats people with dignity.

Helps people to see mental health as only part of the self, not as a definition of the whole person. Supports the person to confront and overcome stigma and change other people’s expectations. Reinforces self-respect.

Is polite, tactful and diplomatic.

Finds out what is ‘important to’ the person.

Respects the service users’ religious/ spiritual beliefs and supports them in sustaining or finding meaning and purpose while recognising personal choice. Supports access to networks in the community.

Offers support and encouragement in pursuing and reconnecting with meaningful activities and roles.

Negative indicators

Judges quickly without weighing the evidence from all angles.

Makes critical comments, accuses and attaches blame.

Holds negative, pre-conceived ideas.

Talks down to or patronises the person, or is dictatorial.

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reCovery-ProMotInG CoMPetenCy MoDeL (ContInueD)

Generic competency – Team and partnership working

Positive indicators

Is loyal to the group.

Takes on a fair share of work.

Adopts a consistent and agreed approach with colleagues to clients. Sticks to a strategy once it has been agreed.

Participates in discussions with colleagues and contributes ideas to determine an approach that is best for the client.

Is aware of the strengths and abilities of team members. Calls on the expertise of colleagues and external partners or specialists.

Is honest and open with team members.

Proactively shares relevant information with the team without breaching client confidentiality.

Is sensitive to the needs of colleagues, offers help and support.

Invests time and effort in developing positive working relationships with team members.

Engages in a team sense of purpose. Is aware of and guided by team goals.

Keeps the whole team in mind even when working alone. Has a sense of mutual accountability.

Negative indicators

Is unaware of the skills within the team.

Contravenes policies and procedures.

Does not ask for the opinion or advice of others and believes that they do not need it.

Completes work on the checklist and leaves other work for the next shift.

Does not treat other team members with respect.

Undermines agreements made with team members and the service user.

Is competitive more than collaborative.

Adopts a blame style. Finds it difficult to take advantage of opportunities for shared learning.

motivation

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Generic competency – Commitment to a high quality service and continuous learning

Positive indicators

Proactively reflects on their practice on a regular basis.

Is honest when things go wrong and seeks opportunities to learn from mistakes. Is willing to change their mind.

Updates their knowledge on best policy and practice.

Embraces new approaches and is proactive in identifying their own training needs.

Asks questions and seeks advice on the best way of approaching things where necessary.

Takes a pride in doing the best possible and will go out of their way to support a team member or service user.

Is proactive. Tries to anticipate what is needed and what more they can do.

Considers the impact of what they do on their service and organisation as a whole.

Negative indicators

Thinks they have nothing left to learn.

Tries to explain away things that go wrong or cover it up rather than exploring openly to gain deeper understanding.

Has preconceived ideas of how to do things based on an institutional model.

Needs a great deal of direction. Does not volunteer to take things on and waits to be asked.

Does not think about how they can apply what has been learned from training to their work.

Considers constructive feedback or questioning and the suggestion of reflection a personal attack on their work. May avoid people who give feedback or challenge others’ practice.

Does not generate new ideas.

Does the minimum necessary. Prefers an easy life.

Does not put the clients first.

motivation

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why use a recovery-promoting Competency Model?There is an increasing movement towards assessing competence in the health sector. To enable this, the competencies must be identified and defined.

In the mental health sector it is known that therapist competence has a significant bearing on intervention outcomes irrespective of the type of therapy. Behaviours that promote recovery will be relevant to a wide range of roles. Competency models make behaviours that are required, valued and contribute to success clear to employees. Competencies can be used to communicate values and performance expectations, to manage performance (including the alignment of behaviour with organisational objectives and values) and to assist in effective recruitment, to support an objective assessment and selection process and to help identify learning needs.

Communication of valuesWhen competencies are embedded as an integral part of the human resourcing strategy they give strong signals about organisational values. To demonstrate this they should be adopted in the selection process, performance management and supervision, and be a foundation for identifying training and development needs (alongside statutory requirements). The descriptions of the required behaviours within the competencies provide an indication to staff, clients and commissioners of the values that underpin organisational goals and contribute to organisational culture. Effective use of a competency model can be a factor in achieving alignment of staff behaviour with espoused values. If a culture of promoting recovery is not evident in the way people behave at work, it will not be possible to provide a truly recovery-oriented service irrespective of the service model in place.

recruitment and selectionThe interview, being one of a range of selection methods that aims to make a prediction as to how someone will perform in the future, plays a significant role in the selection process. Different types of interview have varying degrees of accuracy in predicting person-to-job matches. The competency based interview (sometimes known as the behaviourally-based criterion interview) is one of the more effective types of interview. It comprises a structured series of questions aimed at eliciting information about behaviours relevant to the job competencies and a description of situations where the candidate has been required to demonstrate the acceptable and successful behaviours.

The effectiveness of competency-based interviews is markedly improved when the development and selection of competencies has been based on job analysis as compared with less robust methods. The Recovery-promoting Competency Model was developed using a range of job analysis techniques.

Benefits of Competency Based Interviewing (CBI)The technique is more robust than styles of interview that are not founded on objective analysis. Interviews are more reliable, that is, there is more agreement between panel members, when judgments are made against clear selection criterion based on job analysis. An advantage of CBI is that candidates can see the direct link between the question and the job they have applied for. CBI also allows the candidate to present information from any sphere of life where they have demonstrated the competency. For example, some of the elements of recovery-promoting competencies may have been demonstrated in the context of parenting, volunteering, offering peer support or being a carer.

Learning and developmentIt is important that learning and development activities make a difference to employees’ capacity to contribute to current and anticipated organisational objectives. It is easy to let training and development activities (and the investment that goes with that) be driven by interests, and what is available or ‘on trend’. Whilst there will always be the need for specialist knowledge and skills, it is useful to review performance and consequent learning and development needs against the competencies known to enhance job performance. Feedback, coaching and training activity can then be provided in areas that are known to make a difference to desired outcomes.

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Principles of good interviewing

Good interviewing involves:● Creating an environment that enables the candidate to give a realistic and true presentation of their

abilities and potential

● Asking questions that enable the candidate to give information about their skills, knowledge and abilities relevant to aspects of the person specification that can be assessed by interview

● Exploring past behaviour and seeking concrete examples. This tends to produce information that is more accurate in predicting what someone will do in the future compared to asking them how they might deal with scenarios

● Posing questions in a way that enables candidates to draw on all their relevant experience pertinent to the competence being explored. Candidates may have competencies that they use in settings other than work (such as home, volunteering and leisure activities)

● Probing sufficiently to gather evidence that is enough to make a reasonable judgement of the candidate’s proficiency in each area being assessed

● Demonstrating to the candidate that staff conduct themselves in a professional, respectful and fair manner. Fairness does not imply treating each candidate in exactly the same way. It necessitates avoiding bias. It demands applying a degree of consistency but may require adjusting the environment or asking reframed and additional questions until the panel is satisfied they have the evidence to make a fair assessment against the criteria they are assessing

● Showing the candidate that they are being listened to

● Being attentive, but without passing explicit positive or negative judgements during the course of the interview as this may increase bias

● Reserving judgement until sufficient evidence has been gathered to fully assess the criteria. If a judgement is made too early there can be a temptation to gather evidence that simply supports that assessment rather than exploring whether there may be any evidence to the contrary

● Allocating a rating to your assessment for each criterion after the interview, when all the evidence has been gathered. It is important to wait until the interview is complete before evaluating because sometimes new evidence will surface as the interview progresses. Some of the situations that the candidate refers to will draw on a number of competencies.

IntervIew GuIDe

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the rating scaleThe important principles of any rating scale are that it is sufficient to differentiate between different levels of performance and that the panel have an agreed definition of what is meant by the different levels. The numbers used in rating scales need to be translated into words in order to have meaning. The following is suggested for Recovery-promoting Competency interviews:

1 Very limited or no positive evidence and/or negative evidence/contraindications

2 Falls below acceptable standards and has significant need for development

3 Meets the acceptable standards and shows potential for further development

4 Meets the acceptable standards with some evidence of strengths

5 Meets the criteria to high standards with evidence of a number of strengths

The implication of this is that scores can’t be summated into a meaningful number or cut-off point. Imagine the scenario where each of six competencies has a rating scale that scores a maximum of five and you have got two candidates that score a total of 22. One candidate could have achieved this by scoring all threes and fours (acceptable and above) and the other candidate could have high competence levels in four of the competencies and unacceptable levels, including contraindications, in two areas. The score is the same but there are clear differences between the two candidates. The differences are likely to result in different job performance and requirements for investment in supervision and development activity.

Best practice for Competency Based InterviewingThe above general principles for good interviewing and rating of responses should be adopted. Additionally, before embarking on each group of questions, a brief description of the competency to which the questions relate should be given to the candidate. Some interviewers express a reservation about this, believing that it increases the candidate’s ability to make up evidence. By providing an explanation of the area you are about to explore and assess you enable the candidate to sift the experience they have and draw on examples that are most relevant. It does not change the experience that they have to draw on.

You will want to tailor questions to your own organisational setting and the most important aspects of each competence to the role you are interviewing for. The examples in this guide align closely with the research findings on Recovery-promoting Competencies for support staff in residential and community settings. Select a number of clusters of questions in advance and obviously ask questions one at a time. They are grouped so that you can see the potential flow.

IntervIew GuIDe (ContInueD)

ask, Listen and evaluate

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Meaningful relationships example definition – At [organisation or team name] we believe that the nature and quality of the relationship each staff member has with the client makes a big difference to a person’s recovery journey. We also know that connecting with people other than service providers is important in life and recovery. We are now going to ask you some questions to draw out your skills and experience in this area.

Potential questions● Can you give me an example of a situation where you have had to encourage someone to get involved in

group activities and discussions? What did you do that worked? What might you do differently in future?

● Most people have been in a situation where they have to build up a relationship with a new client or where they are the new person coming into a job. Can you take me through one such situation and explain what you did initially to build up the relationship? What did you do to build up trust? How did you know that you had become trusted?

● Sometimes it is the small things that make a big difference. Can you tell me about a way in which you have shown kindness or encouragement recently? How have you made sure that your compassion or kindness does not undermine independence or any agreed ways of supporting the person?

● Can you tell me about a piece of work that involved developing good relationships with the client’s friends and family? What did you do? How did you ensure that you respected the client’s choices and preferences whilst doing this?

● Have you ever helped someone build connections with the community or develop good relationships with other people such as housemates, friends and family? How did you set about doing this? What was the outcome?

● Do you have any experience of building bridges between an organisation you work with or person you support and other organisations? What did you do? How did you gain respect and promote a positive attitude to your service/client etc?

● What does the term empathy mean to you? Can you give me an example of when you have shown empathy and understanding? What do you normally do to put someone at ease and help them to open up?

● This job might involve having conversations about light-hearted matters and interests as well as more serious or distressing issues. How successful are you in each of these areas? How often does your personal sense of compassion result in you feeling distressed on behalf of others? How do you deal with this?

● Can you give an example of how you have supported someone who was in distress or experiencing strong emotions? What did you do? In that situation, how did you draw the line between support and therapy?

● People don’t just use words to communicate. Can you tell us about a time when you were sensitive to what someone was communicating without words and tell us how you responded?

● Relationships are not always easy and we make mistakes. Can you think of a situation you did not handle as you would have wished? How did you reflect on that? What did you learn and what would you do differently?

● Each person we work with is unique in terms of personality, background, culture and values etc. Can you give an example of where you have had to adapt your communication style or behaviour to respect cultural norms or personal preferences? What did you do differently and why?

NB. Whilst exploring this competence and throughout the interview, be aware of evidence of any of the negative indictors such as an abrupt, authoritarian or disrespectful communication style. Also be aware of whether the candidate treats individual panel members differently in any way and whether these adjustments are helpful or inappropriate.

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empowering, facilitating choice and control example definition – We are now going to ask some questions about how you empower people and support people to make their own choices and take control of their recovery on a well-informed basis.

Potential questions● What does the word recovery mean to you in the context of mental health and what do you think is involved?

Optional supplementary question: What do you think are the stages and/or processes involved in recovery?

● Can you give an example of when you have encouraged someone to take control, make choices or assert themselves? How did you set about this and what was the outcome? Now please can I ask you for another example?

● In what ways do you think clients can be disempowered? What steps have you taken to overcome this?

● In this project there are certain rules and requirements. Have you ever had to deal with the situation where someone does not want to comply with ‘house rules’ or with suggestions that you have thought were helpful to the person? What was the situation and how did you handle it? (If the person has not handled this type of situation you could present a typical scenario and ask how they think it should be dealt with.)

● We believe it is important to get to know the whole person. We also believe it is important to understand a person’s diagnosis and how it impacts on their behaviour, emotions and worldview. Can you give a specific example and explain how understanding someone’s diagnosis has helped you understand and support a person?

● How would knowing that a client had a diagnosis of acute depression (or use something most pertinent to your client group) inform how you worked with the person or help you understand them?

● Can you describe a situation where you have helped someone become more independent? Were there any setbacks and if so how did you overcome these? What did you do to sustain the progress the person was making?

● Whilst each person has their own expertise on themselves, there can be times when it is important to share knowledge on mental and physical illness and wellbeing. Can you tell us about a time where you have done this or helped the person increase their own knowledge?

● Drawing on your own experience, can you think of a good example of involving clients in discussion and decisions? In your opinion what makes it a good example? What was your personal role in enabling the involvement?

● From your experience, can you give us some examples of effective coping strategies people have used to deal with symptoms or to achieve what they want in life? Please can you describe a situation where you have given advice to someone on coping strategies that they might find helpful? What was the advice and what was the response?

● Can you think of an occasion where you have facilitated someone to make active choices and to influence their services or treatment? How did you facilitate this?

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Inspiring hope and being hopefulexample definition – Many people say that having hope is an important aspect of their personal recovery. To inspire hope in others we also need to be hopeful and believe in positive possibilities for a person’s future. We would now like to explore how you inspire hope in others and maintain a personal sense of hope.

Potential questions● What motivates you to work in mental health? Looking over the last year can you share with us something

that has inspired you? What has been your most difficult challenge?

● What inspires you to remain hopeful? At times when work is a struggle or clients themselves are disappointed with their progress, what do you do to keep your own spirits (or sense of optimism) up?

● Can you tell me about an occasion when you have helped someone think about their future aspirations and develop plans for that? What was your role in helping the person move towards their goals?

● What do you think makes a goal a motivating one? Can you tell me of a time when you have worked with someone to create motivational goals? How did you help the person set a goal which would work for them? (If the candidate is unable to give an example of helping someone else, ask about how they set their own personal goals in a way that will help them get the results they want.)

● What do you think tends to get in the way of people setting positive goals for themselves? What do you do to overcome these obstacles or difficulties?

● Have you ever worked with anyone who was tempted to give up on a goal? What did you do to help them persevere? How successful was it? Are there any other strategies or methods that you believe can be useful for helping a person move towards their goals?

● How do you personally let others know you are hopeful? What do other people see you do, or hear you say, that would lead them to believe that you are hopeful or optimistic?

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Developing self-esteem, identity, meaning and purposeexample definition – Developing an identity beyond that of ‘someone with a mental illness’ or ‘a service user’ and finding a new meaning and purpose in life is often cited as being an important aspect of recovery. Whilst this is something that the person is largely in control of themselves, staff can make a difference so we would like to explore this with you now.

Potential Questions ● When you have a new person that you are working with, what do you most want to know about them?

Can you talk us through how you get to know a person? Can you tell us about how you have gone about discovering what is important to a client you have worked with recently?

● When working in a residential or hospital setting, how have you been able to encourage people to personalise their space?

● We would like you to think about a person you have supported who has low self-esteem. What have you done to help build that person’s self-esteem? What have you noticed that other people have done that has been effective in building up other people’s self-esteem? What behaviours have you noticed that you consider unhelpful?

● What do you understand by the term stigma? How do you think stigma affects people who experience mental illness? What do you do to help overcome the effects of stigma?

● Can you give an example of when you have encouraged someone to pursue meaningful activities or roles? What did you do personally to encourage the person? What effect did this have? Thank you, can you now give me a further example?

● Have you ever worked with someone who has religious/spiritual beliefs? How did you show respect for their beliefs and recognise their importance to the person?

● Imagine you are working with someone who has a strong religious belief that you are not familiar with. Would you engage with the person about it, and if so, how?

teamwork and partnership workingexample definition – Although there will be many occasions when you have to take your own initiative or might be supporting someone on a one-to-one basis, it is important to remember that you are part of a wider team, sometimes involving staff from other organisations. We are now going to ask some questions that address teamwork and partnership.

Potential Questions ● Can you give an example of where you have had to call on the expertise of someone within your team or from a

specialist to help you in your work? What influenced your decision to involve others and what did you do?

● Teamwork involves the capacity to give support as well as receive or ask for it. What is the most recent occasion when you offered someone support or engaged in teamworking on your own initiative? How typical of your involvement was this occasion? What would be the most typical way in which you support other team members?

● What do you think makes a good team? What role do you typically play within a team?

● How has teamwork made a difference in the work you do? Can you describe an occasion when it made a real difference to either a positive or negative outcome for a client? What part did you play in that?

● Have you ever been in a situation where you have had to discern the difference between supporting and interfering or undermining? Please describe how you dealt with this and what you took into account.

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● How do you decide what information you should share with colleagues and what to keep confidential? Have you ever had a dilemma about this and if so what did you do and why?

● Can you tell us about an occasion when you shared information or skills with another team member to help that person become a stronger member of the team?

● Can you tell us about an occasion when you helped to build the confidence and abilities of a team member? How did you set about doing this?

High quality service, continuous learning and improvementexample definition – We strive to deliver high quality services. Sometimes this is about meeting the service specification and sometimes it is about doing the small extra things that make a difference. It also means never being complacent, always wanting to learn and improve. We are now going to explore your commitment to quality and learning.

Potential Questions ● How often do you reflect on your practice? On what kind of occasion are you most likely to reflect on your

practice? Can you give an example of what you have learned recently or done differently having reflected on your work?

● What are the strengths that you bring to the role? Can you give me an example of when you have employed those strengths?

● We all have areas that we need to develop and these change according to the work we are doing. What areas are you working on, either to improve or to make sure you maintain high standards? What has led you to the conclusion that these are areas you need to work on? How are you setting about making the changes?

● Small changes and big changes can be equally valuable so we are interested in either or both. When was the last time you suggested a change? Can you tell us what you suggested and why? What part did you play after the change had been suggested?

● How do you keep up to date with changes at work in policies, procedures and practices?

● We would like you to tell us about the most recent work-related learning experience you have had. It might be a book or journal you read/a training course/conference/an e-learning package/a coaching session etc. What was the learning experience? What did you learn? What, if anything, are you doing differently since the event? Have you had any opportunities to share your learning with others?

● Could you tell us about an occasion where you feel you went the extra mile or went out of your way to support a colleague or client?

● No one is perfect. How easy do you find it to get help from others or admit to a mistake? Can you talk us through an occasion when you did this? What were the benefits of tackling the situation in this way?

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the aims of systems to manage performance, learning and development are: ● To promote good practice and ways of working that reflect the organisation’s values

● To encourage staff responsibility for active and reflective learning

● To achieve clarity for staff of their responsibilities and the required standards

● To provide a safe space for employees to receive support and discuss areas of concern (for example if personal issues have surfaced as a result of their work, they have been distressed by an event or are worried as to whether they have handled a situation in the best way possible)

● To review the impact of training on performance and discuss training and learning needs

● To recognise strengths, achievements and individual contributions to organisational objectives

Principles for good practice

effective management of performance, learning and development involves:● The employee and manager preparing in advance and considering the following: • what work has been done since the last session? • what has been done well and what strengths have been demonstrated? • if there are problems, what might be the causes/explanations? • what support might help and what solutions and options might there be?

● Considering all options and information relevant to achieving or maintaining high performance e.g. changed policies, practice and services; observation, feedback, coaching and training for improved competence; seeking feedback from colleagues, clients and partners

● Identifying and recording specific actions that need to be taken, by whom, and by when. Sharing, agreeing and signing notes

● Being explicit about the agreed boundaries of confidentiality

● Creating a climate of mutual respect, mutual responsibility and openness to learning. Ensuring an exchange that values the expertise of the manager and the employee

● Providing a private setting where interruptions are minimised and allowing enough time

● Conducting sessions on an agreed regular basis but also engaging in conversations on a frequent basis. Feedback discussions are most effective close to the point of occurrence

● Overviewing performance and development on an annual basis to explore patterns and progress, hopefully celebrating success as the basis for looking ahead to the next year.

Guidance for using competencies in supervision and performance management● Identify incidents/situations that have had a positive outcome

● Identify incidents/situations that have a had a negative outcome

● Identify issues that are giving the employee cause for concern

● For each of these discuss which of the competencies were relevant and review positive and negative indicators that contributed to the outcome

● Recognise the positives that need to be maintained

● Establish how any areas for development can be addressed with development activities such as observation and reflection, feedback, reading, courses, coaching etc

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Anthony, W., Rogers, E. S. and Farkas, M. (2003). ‘Research on Evidence-based Practices: Future Directions in an Era of Recovery.’ Community Mental Health Journal. 39 (2) pp101-114

Brown, W. and Kandirikirira, N. (2007). Recovering mental health in Scotland. Report on narrative investigation of mental health recovery. Glasgow: Scottish Recovery Network.

CIPD. (2008). Competency and Competency Frameworks. Factsheet. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Davidson, L., Lawless, M. S. and Leary, F. (2005). ‘Concepts of recovery: competing or complementary?’ Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 18 (6) pp664-667

Faulkner, A. and Layzell, S. (2000). ‘Strategies for Living. A report of user-led research into people’s strategies for living with mental distress.’ London: The Mental Health Foundation.

HM Government/DH. (2011). No health without mental health. A cross-government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages.

Jacobson, N. and Greenley, D. (2001). ‘What is Recovery? A Conceptual Model and Explication.’ Psychiatric Services. 52 (4) pp482-485

Katzenbach, J. R., and Smith, D. K. (2003). The Wisdom of Teams - creating the high performance organisation. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.

Lambert, M. J. (2005). ‘Early response in psychotherapy: Further evidence for the importance of common factors rather than placebo effects.’ Journal of Clinical Psychology. 6 (7) pp855-869

Onken, S. J., Craig, C. M., Ridgeway, P., Ralph, R.O. and Cook, J. (2007). ‘An Analysis of the Definitions and Elements of Recovery: A Review of the Literature.’ Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. 31 (1) pp9-22

Repper, J. and Perkins, R. (2003). Social Inclusion and Recovery. Edinburgh: Balliere Tindall.

Slade, M. (2009). Personal Recovery and Mental Illness. A Guide for Mental Health Professionals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Snyder, C. R., Rand, K. L., and Sigmon, D. R. (2005). Hope Theory in Snyder, C. R. and Lopez, S. J. (Eds). Handbook of Positive Psychology. pp257-276. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Thornicroft, G. (2006). Shunned: Discrimination against people with mental illness. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Whiddett, S. and Hollyforde, S. (2003). A Practical Guide to Competencies: How to enhance individual and organisational performance. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

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tel: 020 8313 9725 fax: 020 8313 9703

email: enquiry@community-options.org.uk

web: www.community-options.org.uk