SUSTAINING THE MODEL
Developing a social practices approach
As is illustrated in the sections above the work involved in developing a model of learning based on a social practices approach was not explicitly recognised in the remit of tutors or carers/support staff. The time involved in nurturing links between different agencies and sharing information highlighted the developmental nature of this way of working. While the researcher in this project was able to work across a range of learner activities and share information between tutors, carers and support workers it still took a considerable amount of effort to build an accurate picture of learners' lives. The way in which the researcher made further contacts was primarily through developing tutors' existing links ( e.g. to a particular carer/support worker). Due to time constraints not all links were explored and in many instances, (where learners went to FE college for example), the researcher was unable to develop collaborative work.
Tutors who were employed full-time as opposed to doing sessional work had perhaps more room for developing their work in this direction. However they tended to see their role more as developmental in terms of raising awareness with and training carers/support staff rather than working intensively with additional learners:
We're [tutors] pulled in a lot of directions, and I think I couldn't necessarily open up the service here to as many people as I would like to. For instance, I think for me to go out and train up carers and support workers to work in that way with their clients then, yeah, I would definitely do that, and I can definitely see the value of it, but I don't know if I could necessarily open up the service to anyone to come for a group every single week because I just don't think I've got the capacity, time-wise, to do it (interview with tutor).
Organisation constraints
Tutors engaging with the project reported a number of organisational constraints that frustrated the development of their work. Primarily they were concerned about the extra time involved in realising a social practices approach and in particular engaging effectively with carers. In addition tutors were often funded from a variety of sources which contributed to both insecurity and difficulty meeting the demands of different funding criteria. Ricky's tutor (vignette 2) was funded on a project basis which in his case meant that the tutor had to, either run the same project again and change the learners, or alternatively develop a new project enabling her to keep the same learners. In order to maintain contact with Ricky and continue his progress, Ricky's tutor had to encourage him to enrol on a new horticultural project. Similarly vignette 1 above illustrated the tension experienced by Tom's tutor in trying to balance her role within FE while at the same time fostering learning in Tom's placement that was relevant to his everyday life. Tom's tutor was required to develop and deliver work material and lead people through an accredited course. In one instance this involved making use of existing FE literacies resources which then had to be adapted for use with people with learning difficulties. Managing this while also realising connections with carers and relevance to learners' lives within a two-hour weekly slot was problematic. Joint planning of a more co-ordinated approach for these learners was difficult to realise given the tutor's remit and resources.
A further difficulty emphasised by tutors was that they could often feel isolated experiencing little contact with other tutors. Opportunities to exchange ideas and approaches were limited. For some engaging in the research project and having access to the VRE and meetings with other tutors was particularly helpful in developing their own practice.
As referred to in section one care organisations were particularly sensitive with regard to their client's confidentiality. At times this prevented discussion with tutors about opportunities to extend learning beyond the literacies class. One means to address this may be for tutors to have the opportunity to engage in person centred planning for people with learning difficulties.
Training for support workers/carers
Carers and support workers within the project reported the necessity of having access to tutors to discuss learners and, in particular, to seek confirmation of their role in assisting learning opportunities. While this may have involved only a few minutes of conversation it was difficult to realise for tutors often working with a large group of learners. Sally's support workers' formal remit was to ensure that she got to her literacies class safely and on time. Linking these staff more carefully into the aims of the class and supporting Sally outwith the class, required building better and ongoing communication. In addition support workers (who varied with different shifts) often held different perceptions of their role as support workers. In such situations training for carers/support workers could help nurture better understanding of the potential contribution of literacies to learners' lives, particularly aspects of their independence. This also needs to be reflected at a policy level within care organisations so that the role of carer/support worker can be formally recognised as one that encompasses assisting clients in everyday learning opportunities. Emphasising the link between literacies and independence may be crucial in this process.