Training, Staff Development and Learning Management lie at the heart of service delivery and success in today’s justice system in Probation Services, Magistrate’s Courts and Legal Services. In this era of continual change and revision and tasked with the achievement of national goals, the spotlight is not only focused on the overall system but the performance and skills of individuals and the role they play.
With their emphasis on skills based development, regular appraisals and professional accreditation the needs of these professional sectors are uniquely addressed by SDMS V Staff Development and Learning Management for Windows and its related products.
Working with Probation Services
SDMS Ltd has been working with Probation Services Regional Training and Assessment Consortia since they were created by the Home Office as part of a national expansion of probation officer recruitment in 1998. A critical part of our work with probation services has been the design and development of a software system, which supports the recruitment process and develops an applicant monitoring system to produce data at a national level. Initially commissioned by the Midlands Training and Assessment Consortia and later extended by the Home Office to all Consortia, SDMS was commissioned to develop software to support this recruitment and monitoring process with the aggregation of data at a national level.
Continuing this development process SDMS software was further enhanced with two consortia to extend its QCF Manager Module to take into account the element of probation officer qualifications. Subsequently, this led to the release of a comprehensive QCF Learning and Skills system for the management of all aspects of QCF awards. SDMS V Staff Development and Learning Management is therefore eminently suited to training and employee development with a need to integrate course management,enrolement and completion together a framework of professional competencies making it an ideal system for the delivery of the Probation Qualifications Framework.
Working with Magistrates Courts
Similarly, SDMS is eminently suited to Magistrates Courts. Providing a single system for the management and administration of training and development for all Courts staff - from administration to Magistrates. Key data on magistrates can be held to make training management simpler and easier - panel membership with any special training for family or youth matters. SDMS V Staff Development and Learning Management provides facilities to hold required skills from the framework and standards for Magistrates training and track these against individual Magistrates development and as part of their record of achievement. Skills can be assessed with the fully integrated Appraisal Module allowing assessment and the identification of further training needs.
Working with Solicitors and Legal Services
Whatever the size of the legal practice, SDMS V Staff Development and Learning Management provides a set of fully integrated modules to support the continuing professional development of solicitors and others. It provides a set of tools for professional staff to assume responsibility for their own training and development. Training and development plans can be set out for individual staff (on line where required) and their delivery monitored against training courses and CPD undertaken. CPD records can be maintained for and by individual solicitors – on line where required. The CPD hours requirement is tracked with reminders for managers and individuals. These features are part of a single system for the management and administration of training and development for all staff.
Software Systems Putting Customers at the Heart of Things
With experience and expertise built up over 20 years, SDMS provides a unique set of learning management and personnel software systems to support all elements of the justice system (SDMS Ltd originated in government funded FE project work in the late 1980s to develop national staff development policy guidelines for the DES and MSC and the value of “a training database”).
SDMS Software available for Probation, Magistrates Courts and Legal Services includes:
| SDMS V Staff Development for Windows |
| SDMS V e-Training for Web and Intranet Access |
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| SDMS V QCF Learning and Skills for Windows |
| SDMS V e-HRP.Net Web Access (More...) |
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| SDMS V HRPersonnel for Windows |
| SDMS V e-SD.Net Web Access |
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| eFront Enterprise e-Learning |
| Performance Appraisal (More...) and e-Appraisal |
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| SDMS V Recruitment and Selection for Windows (More...) | |
SDMS V e-Recruitment | |
| Integration with Corporate Systems and Bespoke Services | |
A Training and Learning Management System
SDMS V Staff Development and Learning Management provides a comprehensive Training Management System addressing all aspects of the learning and employee development. An integrated system that encompasses: Course Planning and Scheduling, Bookings, Enrolments and Attendance, Approval and Notifications, Trainer, Rooms and Resource Scheduling, Estimated Training Costs and Budget Management, (Training Income and Revenues). And of course, extensive Reporting and Workflow with Templates and Emails.
Beyond this, the system offers optional Staff Development tools for Training and CPD Planning, Training Evaluation, Training Needs Records and Appraisal.
Web Self Serve and Line Manager Access
Whether it is simply to offer course information on the web or devolve staff development to Managers, employees and staff, SDMS Web e-Training provides: On Line Enrolment and Delegate Booking with Approval; On Line Course Records and Administration with Self-Serve for Staff and Managers and Training Coordinator Access for departmental or team staff development. These functions are especially designed to support the greater moves to devolved management and greater ownership of Staff Development and Learning. Using the Employee self-serve features staff can enter their own training and development plan on line and maintain their own CPD records as well as apply to go on accredited courses.
Web for Smaller Organisations: e-SD.Net
Designed specifically for the smaller organisations who nevertheless wants to obtain the benefits and cost savings; inherent in the web e-SD.Net Web Access Module provides a seamless and fully dynamic intranet and web access system for SDMS V Staff Development and Learning Management for Windows: Workgroup Edition. Designed for those who want to reap the benefits of supporting employee training and learning with on line access; e-SD.Net provides a simple and cost effective web solution. Simple and easy to use and simple and easy to implement it is nevertheless comprehensive allowing On Line Applications, CPD Records Log and Training Plans and Needs to be managed on line by the employee or manager.
Appraisal and e-Appraisal
For organisations who see performance appraisal or staff review as a critical part of their learning management philosophy, we provide a fully integrated module to support this. The increasing trend to implement Staff Appraisal and Review systems as part of overall terms and conditions for staff and at the same time reduce the costs of implementation is met by the SDMS V Appraisal module – providing; Appraisee Pairing, and Appraisal Meetings Record with Agreed Targets. Most forms of appraisal can be implemented with the software including 360 degree review. Targets and Training Needs are linked to the training enrolment system. The Web e-Appraisal allows Appraisers and Appraisees to complete appraisals On Line.
Skills and Competencies
Skills and competencies are fully integrated into the functions of SDMS. Profiles of skills requirements can be set out for each type of staff and post and flagged as requirements for individual members of staff The achievement of individual competency can be assessed with subsequent “skills gap“ profiles being available. Skills can be defined as outcomes of training courses and are assigned to delegates and staff successfully completing the courses. Individual skills records are automatically updated.Training needs and appraisal assessment and targets can be framed in terms of skills and competencies, Skills and Competencies have made a major resurgence in thinking about learning management and organisational change and development in recent years. They have come to establish a common language in organisations to make more precise what we are trying to achieve by training and learning provided to employees, how these will change the profile of the workforce and the services that can be provided by it to customers and clients.
Personnel Administration and e-HRP.Net for Web Access
The extensive and rich functionality of SDMS V HRPersonnel for Windows provides companies with a modular Personnel Administration System offering an extensive Core System and a range of optional modules - in addition to the core system; modules cover: Posts and Contracts, Pay Details and Payroll Integration, Employee Development (Appraisal and Training), Part Time Staff Module, Line Manager Access, Organisational Charting and Crystal Reporting. It is a truly modular system available in a variety of technical formats from a Workgroup for the smaller organisations to thin Client for the very large.
e-HRP.Net Web Access Module and provides a seamless and fully dynamic intranet and web access system for SDMS V HRPersonnel for Windows. It helps you simplify and reduce the cost of many day to day administration tasks by providing easy to use browser access for employees, managers and administrators. Cut out unnecessary paper forms and the time taken to complete them, and at the same time improve communication and collaborative working with between staff.
The Probation and Magistrates Edition has many features specifically designed for Personnel Administration in the Public Sector. These include:
• Multi-posting: Job Sharing and Part Time Contracts
• Establishment and Recording of FTEs
• Pay Scales and Pay Points with Discretionary Points and Bars
• Automatic Increment Administration
• Equal Opportunities Records
• Payroll Export to Bureau or Software
• Pensions Records
Equal Opportunities and CRB
All essential Equal Opportunities data can be held in employee personnel files including; Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Age and Disability. All major reports can be selected by these criteria and the software includes specific Equal Opportunities Reports and Matrices. CRB Checks as well as Professional Registrations and Renewals are recorded.
Post and Organisation Structure
Establishment and Post management is specifically designed around the organisation's needs with the ability to accommodate the simplest to the most complex post and job structures. Job sharing, full time jobs with supplementary part time contracts or multiple part time contracts are all supported. FTE's can be defined globally, by Staff Type, Post Type or by Person. Organisational Charting is available with analysis. Pay Scales with Spinal Columns, Minimum and Maximum Points, Bars, and Discretionary Points can be held within employee contracts as well as Weekly or Hourly Pay scales.
Jobs, Spinal Columns and Rule Based Salary Increments and Uplifts
SDMS V HRPersonnel has extensive salary management features. Comprehensive details of Wages and Salary can be held with the ability to auto calculate monthly (period) gross amounts for passing to payroll. Increments can be managed within the software, whether resulting from Annual Increases, Performance Management or obtaining Certified Qualifications. Annual Salaries, Pay Scales and Points, Weekly or Hourly Rates can all be accommodated within the software. Calculation of gross can take into account; Holiday, Lateness, and Sickness and Absence Rules. Full time staff with additional part time contracts can be managed. Monthly gross figures can be printed for passing to payroll or exported in Excel™ format for electronic entry. Export to Payroll is included and payroll Integration Services allow SDMS V HRPersonnel to be fully integrated with the organisation's existing Payroll Software, bureau or alternatively with Earnie™ Professional Payroll offered by SDMS.
