Performance and development

If you are a frontline social care employee, your performance and development will follow the Social Care Capability Framework.

Performance development is an ongoing process of regular check-ins between you and your manager. It can:

• set the foundation for a healthy relationship
• enable you to feel connected
• give you the confidence to perform at your best
• provide a protected space to talk through problems
• support your career development
• facilitate discussions around expectations, progress, challenges, successes and opportunities to thrive
• build individual alignment with Essex County Council (ECC)

What to expect from a check-in

A check-in typically includes meaningful conversations about:

• performance and progress
• wellbeing
• two-way feedback
• careers and development
• goals and objective setting
• learning and development plans

Subjects covered and how long you spend on each will vary. You may not cover all areas in one check-in, but focus on what is important at that time. 

We recommend you have a check-in conversation with your manager at least once every eight weeks. You should arrange these sessions and your line manager should prioritise them.

Find out more about performance and development conversations:

• Why Performance and Development Conversations Matter (video on My Learning)

Where to capture your conversations and actions

You should use the My Performance platform, which is a valuable and confidential tool for managing and tracking your performance and development. You should use the platform to capture and keep track of your:

• check-in conversations: record the notes and actions from your check-in conversations
• objectives: create objectives and keep track of your progress
• development plans: build development plans and keep track of your progress, linked to My Learning

For guidance on planning effective development conversations, see the Performance Development Hub on My Learning.

For guidance on using My Performance, take a look at our updates and helpful reminders on My Learning.

Improving performance

The guidance above is intended to help both line managers and employees when performance objectives and expectations are being met.

However, we understand that there may be situations where performance does not align with expectations. If you need help with more formal performance improvement measures, see the improving performance page.