Competence profile of an in-house educator of professionals providing elderly care (ComPro project).

Background: The main goal of the study, conducted within the multicenter ComPro project (Competence Profiles for Learning Supporters in Elderly Care) and funded by the Leonardo da Vinci Programme in 2006-2008, was to define the competences profile of a person responsible for the inhouse education of professionals caring for the elderly persons in social care institutions.

Methods: The qualitative (3 focus group interviews) and quantitative (the KODE®X questionnaire) approach was used to study opinions of 106 care professionals and 39 managers in social care institutions, and 35 teachers in vocational schools for workers in social care about desired competences of an in-house educator.

Results: The factor analysis with Varimax rotation performed separately for each group of surveyed professionals showed 4 factors in each, which had different components with the highest correlation rates. In the managers group--factor 1 correlated most with communication and organisational competences; among care professionals--with professional knowledge and their job specific skills; among teachers--with social and didactical competences.

Conclusions: The most expected competences were different in each position, what may reflect the need of creation of a job description and a post of an in-house educator in social care institutions.