STAR STUDENT POLICE INSPECTOR RECOGNISED WITH NATIONAL AWARD

A police inspector with over 25 years’ experience at Warwickshire Police has won a national learning award as part of the Learning and Work Institute’s national Festival of Learning at a ceremony on Tuesday, 3 November, held online for the first time. Inspector Paul Barnsley completed eight distance learning qualifications with North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College after online mental health training set him on the right track following a period of absence from work. Paul has been announced as the national winner of the Learning for Work award which is sponsored by NOCN.

Paul was so impressed with what he learnt that he has encouraged more than 30 of his colleagues to sign up for the training. He went on to study challenging behaviour, children, and young people’s mental health, learning disabilities, and understanding autism, and has brought what he learnt back to the workplace.

As a result of his studies, Paul was selected to be part of a pilot scheme led by Warwickshire Police to diagnose dyslexia amongst colleagues. He became accredited by the British Dyslexia Association as a dyslexia assessor and screens new recruits to the force, helping to signpost those that need support.

Paul has also been instrumental in setting up a Disability Network for Warwickshire Police which enables colleagues to share information, knowledge, and best practice amongst colleagues. The staff portal is available to all colleagues and helps to encourage them discuss issues and share possible solutions.

As a result of Paul’s work, Warwickshire Police has introduced a Personal Supportive Passport initiative which will enable colleagues to flag support needs as they move around the organisation supporting its goals to become a ‘Disability Confident’ organisation.

Paul has helped Warwickshire Police to promote diversity and gain acceptance for learning difficulties and disabilities. As part of a joint agency project with the NHS, Paul worked with mental health nurse Alex Cotton MBE (founder of the “It Takes Balls to Talk” initiative aimed at increasing awareness of men’s mental health) who has been an influential driver in major initiatives within mental health services.

As a result of this partnership, Warwickshire Police is currently operating a mental health triage car which takes a police officer and a psychiatric nurse to incidents involving mental health crisis. This person-centred approach enables people to be treated on an individual basis sometimes in a home setting rather than at a police station.

Paul spent a lot of time researching mental health online to help him better understand his own experience and initially signed up for a college qualification in mental health awareness. As he worked through the course and made progress with his own recovery, Paul realised that what he had learnt was going to be highly useful in the workplace.

Paul is one of the students on the distance learning programme, delivered online by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, to have completed the highest number of courses. He found his studies so useful that he has been promoting the courses, which are free to students and easy to access online, across his contacts including to neighbouring Leicestershire Police and within the NHS.

Paul said, “The college courses opened my eyes and I have been finding what I have learnt highly beneficial in helping the way I interact with police service users. I believe that it is always important to take a person-centred approach to policing. Once you know what to look out for and understand something about different communication styles, it is possible to adapt your behaviour to improve interactions and put yourself in a better position to help. I am really grateful to the college for the role these courses have played in helping my recovery.”

Marion Plant, OBE FGCI, Principal and Chief Executive of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College said, “I am delighted to hear the fantastic news that Paul has won this prestigious award. It is always great to hear that our courses have made an impact on our students and the organisations in which they work. I am really pleased that Paul has derived personal benefit from our distance learning courses and it is very encouraging that he has generated so much interest in distance learning because the courses are so easily accessible and there is no fee for students that complete their course.”

Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police Martin Jelley said, “It is good to hear how Paul has benefited in his rehabilitation from distance learning with the college and I would like to offer my congratulations to him. I am hugely committed to the health and wellbeing of my staff and am pleased that these courses are making a positive contribution to his colleagues and potentially those within other organisations.”

Stephen Evans, chief executive of Learning and Work Institute said, ‘Paul’s desire to better understand his own experiences of mental ill-health sparked a passion for promoting disability and mental health awareness at work. His commitment to furthering his own knowledge and that of his colleagues, and to improving working practices has had a significant impact across the whole of Warwickshire Police. Paul is a very worthy winner of this year’s Learning for Work award.

‘Festival of Learning awards celebrate the commitment and achievements of outstanding adult learners, tutors, projects and employers. These stories show us how transformative lifelong learning can be, not just for individuals but for families, communities, and society as a whole. As we look to build back better after the pandemic, we need to redouble our efforts to provide access to lifelong learning opportunities for all.’

NWSLC distance learning courses are free to most* adults and can be accessed flexibly online without having to come in to college. They are short courses (12 weeks or less) that lead to Level 2 qualifications and can be completed offline on paper if preferred. Organisations that are interested in offering the programme to their teams should get in touch by emailing distance.learning@nwslc.ac.uk or calling 0330 058 3000.

*Terms and conditions apply.