Lunchtime Learning – Health and Safety Law – recognising and controlling hazards
On completion of this session delegates will have a better understanding of workplace Hazards and precautions put in place to control them.
Children’s Social Care
Talking Life has one of the most comprehensive portfolios of Children & Family social care training in the U.K. We have specialist teams able to deliver everything from refresher & update training on Safeguarding Children to one-day and longer courses on Achieving Best Evidence, Understanding Section 47 and Attachment & Loss.
Talking Life trainers bring a wealth of experience, both as practitioners and as teachers to the training they deliver to clients in Children & Families Social Care. We have included many of the more popular and important courses here; however, if there is a topic missing from this extensive list, please feel free to contact us by phone, email or via our website and we would be happy to discuss your requirements with you.
Our Children’s Social Care Courses
Authority & Supervision; Difficult and Challenging Conversations – developing frameworks for thinking and action
Supervision, both in name and practice is subject to competing tensions – between the needs (for example) for support for individual supervisees and teams, the needs for organisations to provide overview, quality assurance and evidence of its ‘work’, and of course, the needs of service users and others for accountable and transparent process and planning. Supervisors themselves are likely to experience such tensions in terms of time (or lack of it), competing work and professional priorities, recording (what and where?!), as well as (at times) keenly feeling the ‘emotional labour and challenge’ of working in a field characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
This half-day workshop considers issues around ‘authority’ and supervision; focusing in particular on areas which provoke intense anxiety, such as performance management, and ‘game playing’ in supervision and the importance of engaging in ‘difficult conversations’.
Themes introduced include: working in a diverse environment, the nature and limits of supervisory ‘authority’; the parallels between supervision and practice; the importance of contract/agreement around supervision and the idea of ‘candour’ in work relationships.
Evidence-Based Children Assessments
The session aims to support practitioners to undertake a good quality, analytical, evidence-based assessment to inform the decision making and care planning for children, young people and their family.
It covers the theory, principles and value base that underpins best practice in assessment and care planning, including SMART outcome focused objective setting.
Intersectionality Awareness
In this session we will be exploring what intersectionality is, some of the key concepts and principles and what we can do to take an intersectional approach when working with people
Supervising and assessing the ASYE year
The Assessed and Supported Year in Employment for social workers in England, is now well established and involves a holistic approach to assessment based on the Professional Capabilities Framework. These courses are designed to assist employers in developing supervisors to meet the ASYE requirements. The one day programme is for participants who have already completed an In-Trac core supervisory skills module, whereas the two day programme is a standalone course. The aim of both programmes is to support supervisors to use their supervisory skills in the holistic assessment of newly qualified social workers in their first year of employment.
Legal Training for IROs
A 1 day course for IRO's on legal responsibilities within their role.
Physical Disengagement Training
This session is aimed at individuals who work in the community and is intended to provide the practical skills to disengage a potential attacker.
Disengagement Training
This session is aimed at individuals who work with, support or care for children, young people or adults and provides practical techniques to release and re-direct situations whereby we are grabbed or held.
Safeguarding Disabled Children
This one-day introductory programme of Social Care training Safeguarding Disabled Children aims to explore good practice in the protection of disabled children from abuse, and promote effective working together for all those concerned for their safety and welfare.
Mental Health First Aid Refresher
Bereavement & Loss – coping with the loss of service users
The course will give an overview of the impact of grief and bereavement. Looking at whats “normal” to what the actual “family”/social care workers who are exposed to grief
An Introduction To Court Skills
The course is designed for ASYE / newly qualified Children Act Social Workers to assist you in the understanding of the Family Justice System and to prepare you for attending Court in support of your care plan.
It contains in-depth descriptions and definitions of the proceedings and individuals involved in the family court alongside their roles and the Public Law Outline. The aim is to explain what is required to produce quality social work evidence based upon SWET’s, to identify appropriate care plans and determine which orders are required and to persuasively present your evidence to the Court.
Assessing the needs of children in situations of parental alcohol /substance misuse
To provide participants with an opportunity to develop their understanding of how appropriate assessment of risk can be used to consider the impact of parental substance use on children and to plan appropriate child focused responses. Underpinning knowledge The course will be underpinned by appropriate research, theory and knowledge drawn from service user reports, serious case reviews, inspections and government inquiries.
Practising with Confidence & Assertiveness
In a relaxed and informal atmosphere, participants will explore the makings of professional authority and how to respectfully demonstrate it in day to day practice. It will consider the essence of professionalism and reflective practice in continuing professional development in health, social care and social work settings. It will also consider the contribution it makes to strengths based working and outcomes for customers and effective, evidence based decision making as well as its role in the resilience and efficacy of workers in a whole systems approach. It will examine confidence in decision making and respectful assertiveness, including saying no and using emotional intelligence to address the potential for conflict
Engaging Reluctant and Resistant Families
This course will enable workers who are engaged in work with children and families to develop effective ways and build confidence in working with difficult behaviour, in order to recognise potential impacts on professional dynamics and multi-agency child protection work when professionals are faced with working with families who are hostile and evasive.
Working with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Children & Families
Appropriate Adult/PACE
The role of the Appropriate Adult was created in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984, with the intention of safeguarding the rights and welfare of young people and vulnerable adults in custody. When someone is arrested by the police and taken to a police station they have three basic rights;
• The right to free and independent legal advice
• The right to have someone informed of their arrest
• The right to consult the Codes Of Practice (concerning police powers and procedures)
Having identified a young person or a vulnerable adult, the custody officer has a duty to request the attendance of a responsible adult, ( known as an ‘Appropriate Adult’) .This role is different to that of a solicitor. An Appropriate Adult can be a family member, friend or a volunteer or social / health care professional.
Caring for Children with Disabilities
Communicating with Disabled Children
Child Sexual Abuse
Assessing Parenting Capacity
This course aims to develop practitioners’ knowledge and understanding of parenting assessment and analysis and the importance of multi-agency working.
Communicating with Children with Additional Needs
Working with Male Perpetrators of Domestic Abuse
Down Syndrome Awareness
Down Syndrome is a chromosomal disorder, affecting around 1 in every 1000 babies born in the U.K. In total about 60,000 people are known to be affected by it and this course is designed for individuals who want to ensure best practice in the care, assessment and support of individuals with Down Syndrome, particularly those who support adults with learning difficulties.
LD Awareness
Learning Disability problems affect around 1.5 million people across the UK. but having a better understanding and awareness of different learning disabilities and how they affect individuals is an important part of working within this area.
Families with NRPF and UASC
The support provided by local authorities under Section 17 & Section 20 of the Children act, 1989, has been recognised by the government & courts as being an essential safety net to protect the most vulnerable children and families who have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) from destitution. This course will provide delegates with a clear understanding of the legislation and case law in relation to families with NRPF and UASC (Unaccompanie Asylum Seeking Children). It will examine the complexities involved in the completing of these assessments and the importance of getting the assessments right, not just for the children & families but to prevent a legal challenge for the local authority under the Human Rights Act, 1998 in addition to the arrangements for working jointly with the UK Border Agency
Assessing Risk in Assets Based Social Care
Autism and Supporting Children
Multi Skilling the Team
Whilst working in Teams, It is crucial that all team members have a breadth of skills which enable both roles to be covered in times of absence and for promotion opportunities when vacancies arise (succession planning).
Management Oversight Training
A primary focus for children’s social care authorities, and so that they meet Ofsted requirements, is to ensure that managers carefully oversee casework assessments, plans and reviews so that these demonstrate timely and purposeful work with children. Good quality and consistent Management Oversight is essential so that an authority can deliver its service priorities. Following Ofsted inspections, lack of Management Oversight is commonly reported as being a major issue.
To address this our Management Oversight training is absolutely specific and unique to each of our clients in the same way that the issues and work practices in that client’s service are also unique. Talking Life will work with you and your nominees as we design and deliver a development programme to your chosen audiences. Afterwards, we feed back to your organisation the voice of your delegates in order to ensure that all of your staff have an investment in establishing and maintaining meaningful Management Oversight.
This is generally a one day programme of delivery, however it can be expanded to become a wider syllabus with a second day being added that addresses leadership and supervision development issues. You will see below the links that Ofsted make between Management Oversight and Supervision and you may feel this is an opportunity to embed both these modules within a wider Managers’ Development Programme that your Organisation might already have in place
Management Oversight Development
A primary focus for children’s social care authorities, and so that they meet Ofsted requirements, is to ensure that managers carefully oversee casework assessments, plans and reviews so that these demonstrate timely and purposeful work with children. Good quality and consistent Management Oversight is essential so that an authority can deliver its service priorities. Following Ofsted inspections, lack of Management Oversight is commonly reported as being a major issue.
To address this our Management Oversight training is absolutely specific and unique to each of our clients in the same way that the issues and work practices in that client’s service are also unique. Talking Life will work with you and your nominees as we design and deliver a development programme to your chosen audiences. Afterwards, we feed back to your organisation the voice of your delegates in order to ensure that all of your staff have an investment in establishing and maintaining meaningful Management Oversight.
This is generally a one day programme of delivery, however it can be expanded to become a wider syllabus with a second day being added that addresses leadership and supervision development issues. You will see below the links that Ofsted make between Management Oversight and Supervision and you may feel this is an opportunity to embed both these modules within a wider Managers’ Development Programme that your Organisation might already have in place
Analytical Reports and Defensible Decision Making
Signs and Symptoms of Child Abuse and Neglect
Safer Care & Managing Allegations
Men who Foster Care
There are over 30,000 men currently fostering in the UK, 40-45 per cent of all approved foster carers. Nearly 80 per cent of them are part of a heterosexual couple.
Most looked after children will have experienced poor quality relationships with men living with often absent or abusive, unpredictable fathers who give out confusing signals. Within these experiences, children develop their own unique view of what men and fathers are like and how they behave. These viewpoints will heavily influence a child’s behaviour and emotions when joining a foster family.
Male foster carers can provide valuable experiences of âinvolved fathering’ for looked after children. For many children in care living with a male foster carer has been their first positive experience of an adult male, giving them the chance to explore how to form trusting relationships with men and to have contact with men who understand their needs.
However, evidence suggests that many male foster carers experience marginalisation. Male foster carers need to feel, and should be, valued, respected, trained, supported and, most of all, involved.
There is an urgent need for fostering services and the wider public to recognise and respect the role men can also play in transforming the lives other people’s children.
Fostering agencies can contribute to this process by recognising the issues, by learning from the experiences of their male foster carers and promoting positive practice.
The challenge is now for all fostering services to empower their existing and potential male foster carers, and to reassure them that they have a crucial role to play, either as sole foster carers or as half of a fostering couple.
Chairing Sensitive Meetings
This course supports members of staff who chair a variety of different types of meetings which all have the same theme in common, they are all sensitive meetings e.g. Adult & Child Protection Meetings, Safeguarding Meetings, HR Meetings, Disciplinary Meetings, Restructuring Consultation etc.
Producing Reports for Social Workers
Medicines Management & Competency Assessment
Autism For Foster Carers
Writing Reports for Court
This Writing Reports for Court Training course is designed to provide social workers with the skills necessary to create and defend written statements and reports in a tribunal or court.
Children’s Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
This course is designed to increase the theoretical knowledge of social care professionals on the up to date legal framework, code of practice and human rights that covers the clients’ capacity to make decisions, protection of their cognitive decision making process, and understanding the principles of proper care towards these vulnerable people.
Theraplay Techniques
Nurtured Heart
Mediation Skills for Social Workers
This course will provide participants with an insight into to the available methods complimentary to, and instead of formal processes for conflict resolution; including skilled use of communication and questioning.
Particularly, but not limited to acquiring the skills to re-establish working relationships after a formal dispute has been resolved.
This course will introduce participants to a range of skills, competencies and knowledge/experience that make up the mediator skill-set.
Embracing Change
A course for participants to understand the change process as well as the pace of change and how we can control our journey positively. Also to become resilient and maintain a positive mindset throughout the whole process; to embrace and take an active part in the process every time.
The course will enable participants to build the skills and confidence to enable them to self navigate through the change journey understanding how much control they have. They will develop resilience to positively embrace change and motivate themselves throughout and beyond.
Sibling Assessment
This Sibling Assessment Training course enables practitioners to understanding the dynamics of sibling groups with specific issues or complex histories. The course explores the impact of both placing children together and separating them. A range of theories will enable practitioners to consider short medium and long term issues for placement of siblings. Alongside this practitioners will be supported to consider the impact of trauma on children and young people and how this may be triggered in sibling relationships even long after they have been removed. Practitioners will consider the impact across the whole of a child’s development of remain or separating from siblings.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)
The aim of this day is to introduce participants to the area of Adverse Childhood Experiences through a mixture of presentation of key concepts and scenarios, allowing participants to gain a greater understanding of the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences with case studies relevant to their daily roles.
Education of Looked after Children
The aim of this course is to develop and build foster carers' knowledge of how they can support the education of Children in Care.
Managing Adolescence for Foster Parents
The aim of this course is for participants to learn how Looked after Teenagers change as they grow older and how these changes impact their behaviour. They will learn skills to apply this understanding to their day to day care.
Supporting Parents in Managing Adolescence
Motivational Interviewing and Solution Focused Interventions
Due to the increase in the popularity of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Solution Focussed therapy as interventions both in addictions and general health and social care practice, this Motivational interviewing training course will give practitioners the skills to engage with their clients using motivational interviewing techniques in conjunction with Solution Focussed Therapy, thereby facilitating client-led, sustainable behaviour change.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
UAM Trauma
Delegates attending this course will be working with Unaccompanied Minors (UAMS) in different capacities. Attendees will want to gain an advanced understanding of the political, religious, cultural and background dynamics that contribute to UAMs trauma experiences. The course provides IROs and other practitioners working with UAMs with an in-depth, multi-faceted understanding of how political, religious, cultural and background experiences can contribute to UAMs trauma. Delegates will also be given the toolkits and necessary knowledge to able to confidently engage with UAMs as to ensure engagement with professionals and services. Finally IRO’s and professionals will be able to discuss any concerns relating to religo-cutural experiences and UAMs arena with a qualified Imam (Muslim religious leader).
Building Resilience and Professional Boundaries
Child Sexual Awareness
The Mindful Manager in Times of Crisis
This course helps participants understand how and why we think, feel and react to stress and to understand and practice mindful responses to stress. Mindfulness will help develop present moment awareness to see life differently, change unhelpful patterns and experience more choice. It will inject moments of stillness into times of disorder, panic, crisis.
The course will enable participants to apply Mindfulness personally and professionally to reduce stress in everyday lives.
The interactive session enables managers to look at difficult times and challenges, some of which we have no experience of and be able to mindfully choose and action effective plans for self and others.
Gang Culture
This course is designed to provide education & social care professionals with a practical understanding of contemporary gang culture and in particular the glamorised version portrayed to, and accepted by many young people. The course’s focus is to educate as well as provide effective counter arguments and brief interventions that can be used with young people.
Gangs and Systemic Youth Violence
This Gangs and Systemic Youth Violence Training explores the national epidemic of knife crime and serious youth violence and how practitioners can respond effectively utilising real time interventions and evidence based practice
Mental Health & Impact on Parenting
Working with Alcohol & Substance misusing Parents
This course is for those working with children and families where they are parental substance misuse issues including alcohol, or those working with adult clients with addiction issues who wish to understand the impact of parental/carer substance misuse on the child and the family.
During the course the participants will look at and discuss issues such as commonly used substances, their impact on parenting and what impact this may have on child development, attachment and ultimately outcomes for children in adolescence and adulthood.
The course will consist of a mix of group discussion, presentation of evidence based research, including the thoughts of children affected by parental alcohol and substance misuse and the use of case studies to allow integration of knowledge in to practice
Bias Training
Bias is something that affects everyone, and shapes our experience of both the world and the people around us. Making a positive change starts with an acknowledgement that it does exist and the potential business impact of not taking action to rectify it.
During this Bias Training session we will explore how both conscious and unconscious bias’ can affect our decisions regarding recruitment, selection, leadership, motivation and more.
Harmful Sexualised Behaviour
The aim of this course is to raise awareness of sexually harmful behaviour displayed by children and young people.
Practicing with Professional Authority
In a relaxed and informal atmosphere, participants will explore the makings of professional authority and how to respectfully demonstrate it in day to day practice. It will consider the essence of professionalism and reflective practice in continuing professional development in health, social care and social work settings. It will also consider the contribution it makes to strengths based working and outcomes for customers and effective, evidence based decision making as well as its role in the resilience and efficacy of workers in a whole systems approach. It will examine confidence in decision making and respectful assertiveness, including saying no and using emotional intelligence to address the potential for conflict
Domestic Abuse during Covid-19
The aim of this bite size session is to advise and support on how to give a fast response to domestic abuse with current information around how to manage risks during COVID-19
Child Mental Health Virtual
This course aims to take you through all you need to know about the mental needs of children and young people including risk factors that can influence the onset of mental health issues in children
The course focuses on children’s developmental needs and addresses the impact of developmental interruptions and trauma on children and young people’s mental health. We will also consider the impact of mental health issues on learning and community inclusion.
Child Sexual Abuse & Risk Assessment
Sensory Needs in Autism
Improving Learning & Attainment for autistic pupils in Special Schools
Emotional Intelligence
Children’s Rights and Advocacy
Challenging Conversations
Supervision and Appraisal
Chairing Multi Agency Meetings
Disguised Compliance
Understanding the implications of disguised compliance comes mostly from learning from serious case reviews. Parents’ behaviour can mislead us about the progress they are making and about the true nature of the lived experience of the child. Apparent or disguised cooperation can prevent or delay understanding of the severity of harm to the child and lead to cases drifting.
Working with Distressed & Difficult Clients
This course will look at working with distressed and difficult clients by developing awareness of the issues involved when sharing information in a highly emotive and challenging setting. Delegates will develop an understanding of the impact, on both the giver and receiver, of support and information and explore tried and tested ways of communicating with distressed people and identify the most appropriate strategies.
Investigative Interviewing
The aim of this course is for the delegates to be able to plan, prepare and conduct an interview with a victim and or witness, complying with the requirements and competences compatible with carrying out an interview and investigation.
Child Development and Attachment
Bereavement & Loss
The key aim of the bereavement training is to increase knowledge or care after death procedures, grief and bereavement (including suicide), develop an understanding in order to build confidence and enhance skills needed to work sensitively and empathically with families, carer’s and others who experience loss and grief.
Customer Care
This course is intended for anyone who deals with customers, whether face-to-face or on the telephone. Customer service is one of the most important aspects of any organisation, it’s not just a question of reacting to your customer’s needs it’s about anticipating those needs in advance of their arrival. We will also be looking at situations when a customer’s expectations are not met and the potential for conflict arises.
Team Building
Medicines Management
The Medicines Management workshop is aimed at all support workers involved in the administration of medication, including those looking after adults/children with disabilities. The session facilitates an overview of the accountabilities and responsibilities of this worker within this context and provides a comprehensive theoretical underpinning to safe medicine administration.
Neglect
This course introduces participants to the causes and impact of neglect on children, including its impact on development, health, attachment patterns and resilience. It will equip practitioners with the knowledge and skills to recognise and assess for neglect amongst children and understand the concept of thresholds.
It will allow participants to expand their knowledge in the causes and impact of neglect on children in terms of their development and well- being and to look at how neglect is assessed and the concept of thresholds of harm.
Working with Trauma
Supporting Young People with ADHD
Supporting Families of Children & YP with ADHD
Communicating effectively with Young People
Learning Disability & Complex Needs
This course is designed for those who work in Health and Social Care environment, supporting individuals with learning disabilities and/or complex needs. It is designed to provide the essential knowledge and understanding to support them lead fulfilled lives.
Motivational Interviewing/Solution Focused Int
Due to the increase in the popularity of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Solution Focussed therapy as interventions both in addictions and general health and social care practice, this course will give practitioners the skills to engage with their clients using motivational interviewing techniques in conjunction with Solution Focussed Therapy, thereby facilitating client-led, sustainable behaviour change. This course is delivered over 4 half days, in virtual classroom
NRPF (no recourse to public funds) & UASC (unaccompanied asylum seeking children)
The support provided by local authorities under Section 17 & Section 20 of the Children act, 1989, has been recognised by the government & courts as being an essential safety net to protect the most vulnerable children and families who have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) from destitution. This NRPF & UASC Training course will provide delegates with a clear understanding of the legislation and case law in relation to families with NRPF and UASC (Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children). It will examine the complexities involved in the completing of these assessments and the importance of getting the assessments right, not just for the children & families but to prevent a legal challenge for the local authority under the Human Rights Act, 1998 in addition to the arrangements for working jointly with the UK Border Agency
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational Interviewing has its origins in the alcohol field in the 1980’s and is one of the best validated and widely used of all psychosocial interventions for alcohol use problems (Miller & Rose, 2009). Dr William Miller observed practice where people accessing treatment and support were often subject to authoritarian and confrontational approaches which resulted in people feeling let down by treatment. Consequently, he developed MI alongside Stephen Rollnick.
MI uses a conversational approach which works with people’s motivations to change grow. The MI practitioner on this 2-day Motivational Interviewing Training course is trained to use a guiding style to empower the service user to consider both their internal motivations for change and growth as well as the impact of external factors (family, friends, society and media). The service user benefits from this approach through being placed in control of their decision making as the expert of their situation. There is a strong focus on the practitioner and service user working in partnership in moving towards change and growth.
Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG)
To understand the legal framework around VAWG and gain skills to act appropriately to women or children who are at risk or have been subjected to violence.
Procedures and Record Keeping
In recent years, good record keeping has increasingly focused on electronic and computer based data collection and recording systems designed as screening and assessment tools, and as a means through which statistical data can be centralised and regulated.
Knowing how much information to record and that those records are accurate, objective, sufficiently detailed and summarised succinctly can be extremely difficult, particularly where record keeping is confined within specific categories and a strict word count. This can lead to important details being omitted and a less accurate picture being conveyed.
Report Writing and Record Keeping
This course is for social workers who are required to maintain contemporary records in their work with children and families. We will explore what language to use and how to write records and reports in a way that is easy to read and makes sense. It will support social workers to produce well-crafted records and reports that reflect key information including children’s wishes, needs and experiences.
Sexual Abuse and Risk Assessment
This course is intended to give social care professionals a greater insight into the complexities and principles of working with families where sexual abuse of children is a feature and use this to improve risk assessment and risk management.
This is achieved through understanding who perpetrators of sexual abuse are, what behaviour they exhibit and motivations behind offending and developing knowledge of the risk factors behind sexual offending.
Delegates will also develop knowledge of the legal framework with reference to the Sex offender register (SOR), Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs), Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme (CSODS) and the role of criminal justice agencies in the management of these cases.
The course also looks at the role of the non offending parent or caregiver and how we can use this understanding to work more effectively with families.
Delegates will also develop skills in working with those who perpetrate sexual abuse against children and be able to signpost them to support services.
1:1 Direct Supervision
We offer tailored 1:1 Direct Supervision Training sessions facilitated by trained supervisors for individual and group needs.
Court Skills Introduction – Family Law in a Day
This a one-day course designed to provide social workers with a good working knowledge of all the different aspects of family law as well as the legal system of England and Wales
Moving and Positioning of Children
This one-day course will give delegates the knowledge and practical skills needed for the moving and handling of children safely.
Safeguarding Children with Disabilities including those with Complex Health Needs
To introduce participants to the interface between disability and safeguarding. To recognise ways in which children with disabilities and complex health needs can be more vulnerable to harm.
Children with Disabilities and Complex Needs
This course is designed to raise awareness of and to begin to develop strategies for safeguarding children with disabilities
The Role of Emotional Wellbeing for Practitioners
This one day course explores the meaning of emotional resilience and how practitioners can develop their own emotional literacy in order to increase resilience and be more effective in their practice.
Using an Understanding of Child Development in Child Care Assessments
The aim of this course is to offer participants the opportunity to explore recent research into child development and its application to assessment; taking account of findings from serious case reviews and current research.
Helping children and young people deal with bereavement, separation and loss
The aim of this course is to improve understanding and develop practical strategies to help support children and young people who experience significant losses in their lives.
The Role of Emotional Resilience in working with children & families
This one day course explores the meaning of emotional resilience and how practitioners can develop their own emotional literacy in order to increase resilience and be more effective in their practice.
Understanding Cultural Diversity in our Work with Children and Families
The focus of this course is to explore racism and discrimination and its impact on black and minority ethnic children and families. This interactive course will inform and assist practitioners to work in a culturally sensitive way, ensuring that stereotyping and prejudice do not affect safe practice.
Skills for Communicating with Children and Young People
The aim of this course is o develop practitioners knowledge and skills in communicating and working with vulnerable children and young people.
Transitions (Leaving Care)
There are specific requirements relating to support for care leavers. The ultimate aim of leaving care services is to support care leavers so that they can live successful independent lives. Each care leaver will reach that point at a different age and there should be no assumption that the duty means that all care leavers will require statutory support until the age of 25.
Young people are not adults and are also transitioning through developmental stages which impact on their decision-making reasoning, risk taking choices and ability to learn and use life skill. As part of this Transitions (Leaving Care) Training course we will look at brain development in adolescence and how to support young people through a range of transition situations
Best Practice in Social Work Assessments with Children & Families
This two-day course aims to provide participants with an understanding of the principles underpinning social work assessments with children and families and the opportunity to develop skills in information gathering, analysis and developing effective plans.
Reflective Supervision
For new & existing managers to develop reflective supervision practice & make reflective conversations part of the culture of support for team members.
Assessing the Needs of Children in Situation of Parental Mental Health
This course is designed to assist practitioners in their assessments of children’s needs where one or more parent or carer has a mental illness. The training recognises the intricate interplay between parental ill health, parenting tasks and the developmental needs of children.
Engagement of Fathers and Significant Males in Child Protection
To increase confidence of practitioners in engaging ‘fathers’ in children’s safeguarding work; and raise and reinforce awareness of the importance of engaging ‘fathers’ to secure better outcomes for children. ‘Fathers’ = “Biological or other father-figures” (Daniel & Taylor 2001)
Assessing the needs of children in situations of parental learning disability
Working to support learning disabled parents and ensure that their children are safe requires an understanding of the multiplicity of risk factors facing learning disabled parents and their children. This course will build on established assessment frameworks and provide participants with up to date knowledge and skills that will assist them to conduct effective assessments and work alongside families and their children to both need and reduce risk. Course aim: This one day course aims to consider how to ensure that children of learning disabled parents are effectively safeguarded.
Having difficult conversations with children and young people
Having to communicate directly with children and young people as a social care worker requires a specific and important skill set. This course sets out to guide the social worker to understand the relevant process and dynamics involved and develop reflective and reflexive skills to enable them to master the art of difficult conversations.
Assessing the Needs of Children in Situations of Domestic Abuse
To help practitioners to recognise and work with the complex factors affecting domestic abuse, and how this impacts on children and use this knowledge to carry out effective assessments which lead to the right help being provided to individual children and their families.
Working with Male Perpetrators of Domestic Abuse
The aim of the course is to provide participants with an opportunity to develop their understanding of men who abuse women. To consider appropriate assessment of risk and how appropriate intervention can be used to plan appropriate child focused responses.
The course will be underpinned by appropriate current research, theory and knowledge drawn from Service User reports, Serious Case reviews, Inspections and Government Inquiries.
Working with Resistance, disguised compliance and hidden harm
This interactive one-day course will enable delegates to develop their knowledge and confidence in working with resistance parents and carers to improve the welfare and outcomes for children and young people. This course will develop skills in identifying disguised compliance, why families are resistant, how to identify and evidence in assessments and understand what they can do to move things forward.
Engagement with Fathers and Significant Males in Safeguarding Children
The aim of this course is to increase confidence of practitioners in engaging ‘fathers’ in children’s safeguarding work; and raise and reinforce awareness of the importance of engaging ‘fathers’ to secure better outcomes for children. ‘Fathers’ = “Biological or other father-figures” (Daniel & Taylor 2001)
Engaging Parents and Carers with Learning Disabilities
This course will enable delegates to work and engage with parents/carers who have any sort of learning disability. Empowering Social Workers to have the confidence to identify and complete assessments with adults with learning disabilities, enabling them to effectively assess parenting capacity and recognise when specialist intervention is required.
Appreciating the Importance of Attachment in Assessment
To provide participants with an opportunity to increase knowledge, and understanding about the importance of developing secure attachments, and the impact of insecure attachments on children’s development. To provide participants with the necessary knowledge and understanding about child development and attachment, to help them improve skills in supporting children and ultimately improving outcomes for them.
Working with Parents and Carers: Positive Parenting
The aim of this course is to offer insight into positive parenting and child development
Care Planning and Planning for Permanency
This one day course aims to introduce team support workers to best practice in creating effective plans. Lessons from research and guidance from current law and policy will be used to enable participants to explore the link between assessment and planning, the principles of SMART and ExACT plans, and the enhance their understanding of creative outcome focused planning.
Chairing Meetings
To provide staff with an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in chairing child care meetings, including looked after reviews and child protection conferences.
Managing Behaviour Positively
This one day course is to help participants understand different types of behaviour and how to use these in a positive way
Adolescent to Parent Violence
Child to parent violence is any behaviour used by a young person to control, dominate or coerce parents. This course aims to help delegates understand and increase their awareness of what this is and give them strategies as a practitioner in working with child to parent abuse
Autism: Exploring Sensory Awareness
This is a one day course is for anyone who works with children or adults who exhibit autistic behaviours. Many children and adults with autistic spectrum disorders experience diminished or heightened sensitivity to sensory stimuli. This course explores the main sensory processes and the impact on the individual if they are functioning usually. This knowledge can then be applied in designing an assessment which can produce an individual Sensory Profile for each child or adult and how to integrate the results of this assessment into the person’s everyday life to improve communication, socialisation and participation, hopefully making life less stressful and more enjoyable. It will also demonstrate how the assessment results can be used to plan environments, teaching strategies and communication plans for each individual.
Writing Child Permanence Reports
This course takes participants through the key elements of a well-structured report required to be presented to the Agency Decision Maker, Adoption Panel and Court.
Capturing the Views & Wishes of Disabled Children
The need to successfully capture the views and wishes of children is a concept that is both philosophically shared as well as embedded in legislation. Those of us working with disabled children need to draw on a skills base of creativity, flexibility and advocacy in order to ensure the voice of each child is captured, valued and used to influence and enhance the quantity of disabled children's lives and experiences.
Child Development – Child to Young Person (13-25 years)
This course will provide frontline staff with the ability to increase their knowledge of development of children through to young people (aged 13 - 25)
Working with Trauma & Anxiety
Taking a neurobiological view – how do we work with Trauma within our perspective roles?
Assessing the needs of children of substance and/or alcohol misusing parents
To provide participants with an opportunity to develop their understanding of how appropriate assessment of risk can be used to consider the impact of parental substance use on children and to plan appropriate child focused responses. Underpinning knowledge The course will be underpinned by appropriate research, theory and knowledge drawn from service user reports, serious case reviews, inspections and government inquiries.
Child and Adolescent Development
This course will provide children's social care staff with the ability to increase their knowledge of child and adolescent development
Communication with Disabled Children
Communicating with disabled children, particularly non-verbal children requires a very special set of skills. This course sets out to help participants overcome the various barriers to good communication and offers a range of tools and resources to help
Autism – Intermediate 2
This one day course builds on knowledge and skills gained on level one and will enable participants to develop a more detailed understanding of the communicative and environmental strategies that are known to help autistic children and adults make sense of the world.
Mental Health and managing risky behaviour in adolescence
This one day course helps staff to understand the affects of mental health on the behaviour in adolescents
Child Development (0-12 years)
This course will provide frontline staff with the ability to increase their knowledge of development of children from the ages of 0-12
Supervising to Improve Practice
This four day programme is usually delivered as the two day core programme, plus an additional two days approximately one month later. There will be an expectation that participants complete tasks in the intervening period, thus enabling learning to be put into practice. This course may be supplemented by an observation of supervision practice afters day two and day four. his course aims to provide participants with the skills required to deliver effective supervision with a focus on complex practice dynamics and methods and tools for developing and improving performance. Link to PCF domain 7 & 9 Learning Outcomes
Recording Reflective Supervision
Recording a style of supervision which moves beyond a focus on task completion can be a challenge and for example, within Children’s Services, Ofsted inspections in a number of Local Authorities have commented that reflection and analysis are insufficiently evidenced within the supervision records. In-Trac believes that good recording is an important element of good practice as it provides the opportunity for the supervisee and supervisor to reflect on, summarise and agree the key elements of their discussions as well as providing a permanent record of the reasons underlining decisions which is available to others. We have been working with a number of organisations to create formats that support the recording of reflective supervision and have developed this one day workshop to develop the skills of supervisors in this task. The aim of the day is therefore to explore best practice in recording supervision with a focus on the effective recording of case discussions in the child’s records. It is an interactive participative day focusing on the practical skills involved. It is assumed that participants will have attended previous In-Trac training equipping them with the skills required to deliver reflective supervision
Using Supervision Effectively: a one day course for Supervisees
This one day training workshop aims to offer staff in receipt of 1:1 supervision in social care an opportunity to understand the key elements of effective supervision so they can work with their supervisors in order to maximise its effectiveness
Autism (Developing Skills) – Part 1
This is a one day course for staff to provide day to day support and care to people on the autistic spectrum and to provide an opportunity to build on your existing knowledge of Autistic Spectrum Disorder and to use this knowledge to identify practical strategies that can be used when supporting individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
Child Physical Abuse
This course is mandatory for newly qualified social workers and is also suitable for those working in children’s services who may be working with families where physical abuse is an issue. The aim of this course is to enable participants to gain a greater understanding of how physical abuse affects children and young people and to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to intervene effectively.
Learning from Serious Case Reviews
Each year well in excess of 100 serious case reviews are carried out by Safeguarding Children Boards. Whilst the purpose of reviews is to contribute to learning and practice improvements, too often the only people who really have the time to absorb the learning are those who have been involved in the review process. Those involved in carrying out reviews hear powerful stories from families and practitioners that may not always be adequately reflected in a published report and a vital opportunity to understand the way in which professional practice impacts on the lives of children (both positively and negatively) may stay within the review team.
Non-Accidental Injury (NAI) In Children
This one-day course offers an overview of recent relevant reviews’ findings, particularly in relation to infants and adolescents (e.g. Complexity and Challenge, Out of Routine, National review of NAI in under 1’s, It was hard to escape, etc).
Together with information from relevant research it will set the context to help practitioners begin to identify which may be the more vulnerable groups of children and which may be the most recurrent themes within families.
Working with Emotional Abuse & Neglect
To give participants an opportunity to consider some of the dilemmas involved in working with families where emotional abuse is an issue. Lessons from research and Serious Case Reviews will be used to enable participants to define and identify emotional abuse, explore assessment processes and examine appropriate ways of intervening
Child Sexual Exploitation
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (2023) made 107 recommendations to the Government to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. The Governments response to these recommendations was published May 2023 and this training reflects the potential impact for us all.
The Government’s 'Tackling child sexual abuse strategy' (Feb 2021) calls for the need for everyone to play their part, 'across every part of Government, across all agencies, all sectors, charities, communities, technology companies and society more widely'.
Safeguarding Disabled Children (2 days)
The aim of this course is to increase participant’s awareness of the particular vulnerabilities of disabled children and to provide them with an opportunity to explore ways in which we can effectively safeguard disabled children from harm.
ADHD & Autism
Advanced Attachment training for Social Workers
This course aims to provide an introduction to
contemporary attachment theory in the context of
other theories.
The focus will be on enabling participants to use
this knowledge to inform their understanding of
parent/child interactions and formulate effective
interventions.
Challenging conversations and Working with Resistance in families with young people
This interactive one-day course will enable delegates to develop their knowledge and confidence in working with resistant parents and carers to improve the welfare and outcomes for children and young people. This course will develop skills in identifying disguised compliance, why families are resistant, how to identify and evidence this in assessments and understand what they can do to move things forward.
Contextual Safeguarding – Working with Vulnerable Adolescents
Promoting Reflective practice in Supervision
Autism in Practice
Do you work with autistic adults or need to interact with people with autism in your workplace role? Would you know how to communicate with autistic adults and if you have more specialist responsibilities for assessing and helping with care planning for autistic adults are you familiar with the relevant Autism Act Guidance and updates?
If so, “Autism in Practice – Working with Autistic Adults” will be useful for you and/or your team. (includes coverage of DHSC Capabilities framework for supporting autistic people and BASW capabilities statement).
Autism Intermediate
The Aim of this course is to help participants understand what Autism is and the varied presentation of autistic people, the main characteristics which lead to a diagnosis of Autism and the range of difficulties and challenges that autistic people can experience in everyday life. There is also a focus on the legal and policy framework that underpins good practice with autistic people.
Culturally Competent Practice
1 day course for staff on how to be culturally competent in your every day practice
Mediation Skills for Business Support Staff
This course will provide participants with an insight into the available methods complimentary to, and instead of formal processes’ for conflict resolution; including skilled use of communication and questioning and identifying ‘people problems’ which could potentially become an issue for resolution.
Particularly, but not limited to acquiring the skills to re-establish working relationships after a formal dispute has been resolved.
This course will introduce participants to a range of skills, competencies and knowledge/experience that make up the mediator skill set. This includes, but is not limited to, Non-Violent Communication (NVC), Motivational Interviewing techniques and restorative conversations.
Developing Effective Supervision: Core Skills for Supervisors
This two day Developing Effective Supervision Training programme (with the option of a third follow up day) aims to focus on the core knowledge and skills needed by supervisors working within a variety of settings in health and social care.
For social work supervisors the content of the course is consistent with the approach to supervision set out within the employers standards.
Dealing with Difficult Customers and Situations
In this session we will be looking at the ways in which we can approach customers who are difficult to interact with and tricky situations we may encounter
Supporting children and young people/families who identify as LGBTQ
To raise awareness of working with and supporting children and young people who identify as LGBT+ and understand why this is important to you or your work setting.
Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Protection Safeguards (DoLS) for Children’s Services
This course is designed to increase the theoretical knowledge of health and social care professionals on the up to date legal framework, code of practice and human rights that covers the patients’/clients’ capacity to make decisions, protection of their cognitive decision making process, and understanding the principles of proper care towards these vulnerable people.
Trauma Informed Practice Awareness
This Trauma Informed Practice Awareness Training course focuses on Trauma Informed Practice and what the adoption of this as a core value means for service delivery and equality of access.
It explores the concept of trauma, how it can remain a contributing factor throughout someone’s life and how organizations can adapt the way they offer services to become more accessible and safe for those who are trauma experienced
Neurodiversity
The purpose of this half day session is to introduce participants to the concept of neurodiversity, what that means for our practice and how we can make our services more accessible and our interaction with neurodiverse customers more engaging and productive.
The course will include information on areas such as Autism, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (Including Asperger’s Syndrome), ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia amongst others and will allow discussion on what these conditions mean for those experiencing them, but also what we can do to engage with and be more engaging for our neurodiverse customers.
Safeguarding Minute Taking
This course will equip participants with the necessary skills to be able to confidently take minutes during safeguarding meetings
Attachment, Separation & Loss
This course is an opportunity for foster carers and others working with looked after children to consider attachment and trauma and how this relates to building resilience and supporting development in Children and Young People
Multi-Generational Teams
Building a team presents the team leader with a few challenges. Differing personalities are an obvious challenge, but different age groups representing different generations bring their own differing needs and expectations. ‘Baby Boomers’ in the team, for instance, may have a different set of values from team members from the current Generation Alpha
The aim of this course is to examine the different generations in terms of perception and expectations, in order to develop a better understanding of how teams with a wide age range can successfully work together
Engaging with Biological and Social Fathers
A better understanding of the role that fathers can potentially play in a child’s life is likely to lead to improved engagement with fathers and therefore more reliable risk assessment and risk management. Whilst the father may present as a risk to the child, social care staff need to be less certain and more curious in challenging this perspective and consider, holistically the risk and protective factors he may present to the child.
Although the positives can be hard to find, children can spend many years away from their birth family and return to them following their 18th birthday. Social care professionals should therefore try to understand and work with this dynamic, acknowledging that things do change over time, especially when children become older.
Professional curiosity is required to guide staff to withhold judgments until the facts are better understood. This is in large part connected to getting to know fathers better. From the outset, the assessing position should therefore be fluid and support an empathic approach.
Contracting with fathers collaboratively so they understand what is required from them and listening to their needs in an open and transparent manner, is critical to achieving their engagement in the process. This builds rapport and trust through the process.
Helping fathers to express their emotions appropriately is key to overcoming communication barriers. As professionals, we need to avoid punitive responses and collusion with fathers. Being mindful of our own personal bias and challenging this is key. Trying to understand the function of their behaviour is pivotal in order to achieve a more meaningful dialogue and a better understanding of the risks. Developing emotional lexicon is the gateway to navigating through such challenging discussions, which if gone unchecked can develop into aggressive and abusive interactions.
This work is often emotionally challenging for professionals and so it is important to acknowledge this and look after ourselves.
Ligature Training
Working with clients or patients at risk of self-harm or attempted suicide by means of hanging or strangulation requires specific skills to enable care workers to respond appropriately. Those ‘first on scene’ need to know how to remove a ligature safely using ligature cutters as well as basic first aid which may be required
This Ligature Training course provides these skills, as well as giving an overview
of the physiological effects of strangulation by ligature, with an explanation of the possible types of ligature that might be used as well as explaining policies and procedures in the organisation. There is an opportunity for participants to practise techniques.
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) for Communication and Influencing
A three-hour session for delegates to understand how to understand a methodology of understanding patterns of behaviour – our habits – and how to change the results in all aspects of our lives, health, relationships, work.
The course will enable candidates to apply NLP (neuro linguistic programming) personally and professionally to understand others better and communicate to change patterns of behaviour and overcome self-limitations.
Working with fathers/partners and wider family members to improve outcomes for children and young people
This Working With Fathers Training session aims to develop rationale and practice for working fathers/partners that live away from the child’s home. Delving into the need to work with fathers/partners and involvement of wider family members to improve outcomes for children and young people. To enhanced confidence, knowledge and skills to assess, engage and communicate with fathers/partners and wider family in safeguarding practice.
Assessment & Analysis – Developing Professional Curiosity
This course uses Morrison’s reflective model of experiential supervision to develop practitioner skills in undertaking assessments in a variety of settings. This model is currently used across adult and childcare services, health provision, and education.
The course considers the need for assessment including relevant underpinning legislation, theories, models and methods of assessment for multi-agency settings. It will include areas such as who is being assessed, what is the purpose and how will the assessment be used in planning around children’s needs.
Working with BAME Children and Families
This 1-day course will explore how to work with black, Asian and Ethnic minority children and families
Understanding a Child Safeguarding Practice Review
This course will fully prepare staff who have to attend Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (CSPRs). They will learn about the statutory framework and guidance around a CSPR as well as what to expect and how to prepare for a CSPR.
Working with Complexity
Professionals, to be effective, must have sufficient time to undertake their work, and be provided with support and advice in what are often challenging and complex situations. This course will help staff with their workloads.
Working with Children with Disabilities and Direct Work
To raise awareness of and begin to develop strategies for safeguarding children and young people with disabilities.
Understanding Adolescent Development and Contextual Safeguarding
Warner Interview Training Refresher
Transition from Children’s to Adult Services -Legal Framework 16-25
Working with Autistic Adults & Children
Unaccompanied Minors Trauma
Participants on this course will be working with Unaccompanied Minors (UAMS) in different capacities. Attendees will want to gain an advanced understanding of the political, religious, cultural and background dynamics that contribute to UAMs trauma experiences. The course provides IROs and other practitioners working with UAMs with an in-depth, multi-faceted understanding of how political, religious, cultural and background experiences can contribute to UAMs trauma. Delegates will also be given the toolkits and necessary knowledge to able to confidently engage with UAMs as to ensure engagement with professionals and services. Finally IRO’s and professionals will be able to discuss any concerns relating to religo-cutural experiences and UAMs arena with a qualified Imam (Muslim religious leader).
Working with Resistance in Families
Working with perpetrators of domestic abuse
The focus will be on how to effectively and safely engage with perpetrators of domestic abuse. This will be addressed in part through self reflection exercises. Delegates will be invited to recognise their own personal bias and how this can impact on risk assessments. Delegates will look at some of the theory that underpins perpetrators behaviour and use this understanding to develop skills in how to start discussions with perpetrators.
The Toxic Trio
This course will focus on the impact of the Trilogy of Risk (also known as the Toxic Trio), of domestic abuse, parental substance misuse, and parental mental health on children and multi-agency responses to working with families where this is a feature. In an analysis of 139 serious case reviews, between 2009-2011 (Brandon et al 2012), investigations showed that in over three quarters incidents (86%) where children were seriously harmed or died one or more of a “toxic trio” mental illness, substance misuse and domestic abuse played a significant part.
The Role of Men in Social Work & Caring Roles
Working with Birth Families
For children in foster care, maintaining links with their families is hugely important. This responsibility often falls into the hands of the foster carer and their role is key to ensuring that children are well-prepared and that contact is a positive experience. This course will cover different scenarios on how best foster carers can deal with this.
Working with BEM children
The role of Kinship Carers in Child Care
Team Development
Sexually Harmful Behaviour
The aim of the course is to raise awareness of sexually harmful behaviour displayed by children and young people.
Supporting Families in Crisis
Separation and Loss – Adoptive Parents
Social Media & Safeguarding
Children and young people use social media in many ways: as an integral part of their education, to connect with friends and peers, for entertainment, creativity, self-expression, and gaming. The internet is available at their fingertips 24/7 and at the touch of a button children and young people can access a diverse range of Apps, connect across the world, and share their life with anyone. However, and particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, the NSPCC has reported a rise of online abuse, grooming and inappropriate images with figures reaching 2 million in one month.
Safeguarding Principles for NQSWs
Sanctions and Rewards
Children flourish in an inclusive environment where they feel valued and respected, happy, safe and secure. It is also important that each child is treated fairly with positive reinforcement. In order to achieve this atmosphere, children need to be given clear, consistent boundaries and guidelines of acceptable behaviours, appropriate to the child’s stage of development and individual needs. Furthermore positive behaviours must be acknowledged and appropriately rewarded. In this session we will consider the setting of guidelines and boundaries along with realistic sanctions and rewards for a variety of situations along with how these can be adapted depending upon a child’s capabilities.
Significant Harm Threshold
Supporting Muslim Looked after Children (LAC)
Delegates attending this course will be foster carers and social workers who may have a Muslim Looked After Child (LAC) in placement but may not necessarily be Muslim themselves. Attendees will want to gain a better understanding of how British values and Islamic values can be reconciled to give the child in placement the best possible experience. The course will provide foster carers with an in-depth understanding of Islamic tenets and articles of faith to ensure that they are equipped with a competent knowledge base that will provide the best support possible for LAC in their care. Delegates will also explore how cultural/religious cohesion in placement can be best achieved in light of the NMS (National Minimum Standards). They will also be provided with adequate signposting and information on Muslim organisations that can offer advice and support to them. Finally the workshop gives Foster carers and social workers the opportunity to ask any questions they may have about supporting Muslim LAC in placement to a qualified Imam (Muslim faith leader) who holds a qualification in social work.
Stress & Resilience for Managers
Managers often feel stressed trying to cope with both the demands of their senior managers as well as manage a team. The Aim of this workshop is to equip Managers with practical strategies to manage stress and build resilience in themselves and others. It also covers what steps managers can take to resolve any issues.
Safeguarding Children: investigations & Risk Management
Section 47
This course will assist practitioners with child protection responsibilities to reflect on the process of probing and reflective questioning and analysis to form a view about risk and harm and the parent’s capacity to meet their child’s needs. At the end of the course, participants will have developed their ability to critically evaluate practice actions and decision making to enable practitioners to be confident and persuasive when recommending a course of action to parents, to colleagues and to courts to protect a child.
Special Guardianship Orders
This course is designed to provide professionals working with children and families a good understanding of the terms, effects and principles of Special Guardianship Orders. Delegates are introduced to the legislation and regulations and are provided with a detailed analysis as to how that legislation impacts upon decision making and best practice in the real world. The course also includes in depth consideration of the role of the Local Authority, an analysis of the construction of the “SGO report” in the context of the court decision making process and an examination of the often controversial requirements of the “support package”. There is an update of recent relevant case law, regulations and policy
Safeguarding Refresher
Return from missing – Children & YP
Safeguarding Children Level 3
To enable participants to become familiar with the role and responsibilities of the multi-agency role within safeguarding children and develop competence and confidence in carrying out their role
Self Harm (Children)
Safeguarding Children Level 2
This course will give learners the knowledge they need to be able to identify the signs and symptoms of abuse and what they need to do if they suspect a child is being abused or discloses sensitive information to them.
The training gives you a deeper understanding of safeguarding issues and how to effectively report them when abuse is suspected.
Supervising Contact
Supervision
In a relaxed and informal atmosphere, participants will explore the role of supervision in social care and social work settings. It will examine the need for reflective and reflexive practice in social work and the skills of the supervisor in promoting this form of learning and development. It will also consider the disciplinary process if, for example, there has been a breach in the duty of care or there are professional capability issues and the role supervision has in this
Safer Care
Risk Assessment
This course gives participants an understanding of risk assessment and risk management as appropriate to their work settings.
Understanding the Public Law Outline
The main purpose of the training is for delegates to understand the process of the PLO
Safeguarding and Cultural Sensitivity
This course is for social workers and other frontline practitioners who wish to gauge a better understanding of how culture, identity, religion interact within south-asian communities and how this can affect engagement with statutory assessments. It outlines challenges that front line workers may face and provides solutions to effective engagement with this diaspora on both safeguarding agendas and assessment
Quality of Contact
Recording Meeting Outputs
This Recording Meeting Outputs Training session has been designed to provide participants with the practical skills to take notes during meetings and prepare meeting output documents which meet the needs of the meeting attendees and the chair.
Profound & Multiple Disability
Reflective Practice
This half day course is for social workers who are working with children and families and are looking to develop their understanding of reflective practice. It will provide an outline of different theories and how it fits in to current practice. The course will look at the key elements of reflective practice and how it can help you critically analyse the work you do. It will support you to develop and grow your abilities in relation to working with others.
Professional Boundaries for Social Workers
The focus of this training event is to equip children's social workers with knowledge skills, practice examples and provide them opportunity to apply boundaries in work settings
Professional Curiosity in Practice
This course aims to give participants the opportunity to reflect upon, develop and maintain skills and attributes of professional curiosity in practice. It will consider the importance of healthy scepticism and respectful uncertainty, encouraging workers to fact check and cross reference as an evidence base; to attune to their professional instincts.
Preparing for the LPS (Liberty Protection Safeguards)
Replacing the current Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act 2019 is expected to come into force from April 2023. The new system (expected to be referred to as the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS)) will cover care in a wider range of settings. NHS bodies, Local Authorities and Care Providers will all need to understand their new responsibilities and start preparing to implement the new system.
Mindfulness for Schools
Permanency Planning
Permanence is about providing the child with a sense of security, continuity commitment and identity …. a secure stable and loving family to support them through childhood and beyond.’ (DCSF 2010). The right of every child to belong to a family is underpinned by the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Children Act 1989 states wherever possible a child should be brought up within their own family, the ‘Ideal family’ being birth parents or members of their extended family, the permanency planning process will explore all the options thoroughly.
Moving Children to New Families
Muscular Dystrophy Awareness
Preventing Placement Breakdowns
Preparing for Independence
This course looks at the role of the foster carer in moving looked after children in to semi or complete independence. It covers the law, professional roles and expectations and demonstrates practical skill sharing.
Online Safety
Keeping children and young people safe online and protecting them from exploitation, is of major importance in a world significantly influenced by social media. This course explains how children and young people use the internet and mobile technologies, the key risks and the strategies for managing incidents that may occur.
HIV Awareness for Childrens Social Workers
Mental Capacity Act (MCA) & Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)
This course has been designed to increase the theoretical knowledge of health and social care professionals on the up to date legal framework, code of practice and human rights that covers the patients’ capacity to make decisions, protection of their cognitive decision making process, and understanding the principles of proper care towards these vulnerable patients and clients.
Inter-agency Communication
A programme for candidates to understand the importance of interagency communication, to understand the law around interagency communication, and to appreciate what can happen interagency communication breaks down
Keeping children and young people safe online
Time Management for NQSWs
Intermediate Autism for NQSW’s
The aims of this course are including understanding what Autism is and the varied presentation of autistic children, the range of difficulties and challenges that autistic children can experience in everyday life, the legal and policy framework that underpins good practice with autistic children, and how to provide effective support for autistic children in key areas
Impact of Parental Mental Illness
This course sets out to raise awareness and understanding of the impact of parental mental illness on children
Introduction to Restorative Practice
An introductory course on how to use restorative practice in children’s social care
Improving Learning and attainment for autistic pupils (Secondary)
Improving Learning and attainment for autistic pupils
Making Contact Decisions for Children in Care
Research indicates that contact is a complex matter, which may be undertaken for a range of purposes in which decisions must be made on a case by case basis. The Foster Carers Charter emphasises the importance of delegated authority to foster carers in a range of areas of a placement, including aspects of contact.
Research also indicates that contact is important for children and young people who are 'Looked After' to achieve three key psychosocial tasks which are essential to their healthy development. However contact may also carry risk of further harm to children and young people who have been traumatised by the actions of members of their birth family.
Key factors in the success of contact include characteristics of the child, members of the birth family, but also the family of the carers. The degree of openness of carers, and willingness to work to make contact successful for the child is also a significant factor. Foster carers are therefore central to the planning and implementation of contact plans.
Managing Pressure & Maintaining Resilience at Work
People attending this course will gain a fuller understanding of stress, how it can manifest itself and the actions we can take to counteract it.
Time Management
This course will show participants how to better prioritise their work, create detailed time planners, overcome procrastination and take control.
Impact of Abuse
Investigating Safeguarding Cases
Manual Handling
This course informs participants about the legislation and their responsibilities regarding the handling of people/children/inanimate objects. Those attending will also be made aware of how poor handling techniques can lead to injury and what measures are required to prevent an injury occurring.
Investigative Interviewing
The aim of this course is for the participants to be able to plan, prepare and conduct an interview with a victim and or witness, complying with the requirements and competences compatible with carrying out an interview and investigation.
Holding Difficult Conversations
To empower staff with the skills and knowledge to be able to have various types of difficult or challenging conversations with service users. These conversations are based on the needs and circumstances of the clients, whether they are at risk and crisis, whether they need to connect with things that can help them to progress their lives or whether they need help with support planning and budgets.
Impact of Substance Misuse on Children & Families
Personal Safety for Lone Workers
This Personal Safety for Lone Workers Training course aims to reduce the risks of lone working and help develop safer and more confident practice when working with clients in both community and workplace settings.
Low Arousal approaches to Managing Aggression
This course aims to help individuals in the workplace to develop techniques in using low arousal approaches to manage aggressive incidents in care settings. It explores the function and origin of aggressive behaviours and the role of the worker or the context in causing stress for both service users and staff
Managing for the First Time
This course aims to provide new managers and those aspiring to management, with skills and techniques to enable them to competent and successful managers
Investigating Complaints Child/Family Social Care
Deprivation of Liberty (Children & Young People)
Significant case law has developed practice in the deprivation of liberty safeguards and their application to children and young people under 18. The law commission has reviewed the legislation relating to mental capacity act 2005 and deprivation of liberty safeguards(DoLs), the recommendation is for a replacement of DoLs with Liberty Protection Safeguards and these be applied to 16/17 years old and extended beyond hospitals and care homes. This will have a significant impact on children’s Social Care and the workforce need to be prepared for the changes in practice.
This course will consider the developments in case law and how DoLs has become relevant to Children’s Services’ practitioners. It analyses the ‘Cheshire West’ Case and associated case law developing the scope of parental responsibility’ and its application for children and young people.
Engaging Reluctant and Resistant Families
This course will enable workers who are engaged in work with children and families to develop effective ways and build confidence in working with difficult behaviour, in order to recognise potential impacts on professional dynamics and multi-agency child protection work when professionals are faced with working with families who are hostile and evasive.
Compassionate Leadership
Getting the best out of people as a leader doesnt just involve the traditional skills of issuing orders and expecting others to follow. In the current workplace, its increasingly important for those from the top of the organisation to the bottom, to be able to work together, show respect and offer kindness.
This is known as Compassionate Leadership, described as Leaders focussing on relationships through careful listening to, understanding, empathising with and supporting other people, enabling them to feel valued, respected and cared for, so they can reach their potential and perform at their best.
Community DoLs
A 1 day course on community deprivation of liberty safeguards
Family Law and the Legal System (Welsh Context)
Complex Case Management
The aim of the course is to enhance and develop skills in working with complex cases. During the session we will consider a range of theories that support understanding of the types of behaviour that may be displayed in complex situations including hostility, aggression, disguised compliance and how to work effectively to minimise these.
A range of tools will be shared from solution focused, restorative practice and motivational interviewing techniques to deal with resistance and support change work in complex cases.
The course will provide models for ensuring involvement in case conferences and be very evidenced based in its approach.
Employing Risk Analysis and Management
Dealing with Difficult Conversations
Do you find yourself having to hold a difficult conversation with a colleague or client? How confident are you that you are well prepared for something that may turn out to be either awkward or over emotional? This course provides the tools for a delegate to feel more assured and be able to ask those ‘must ask’ questions without feeling awkward or even not asking them at all. The training is designed to make attendees feel good and positive about what they can already do, then provide a framework upon which they can develop their expertise.
Child to Parent Violence
This course will enable practitioners to gain an insight into the use of child on Parent Domestic Abuse and be proficient with the principles of risk and appropriate response to all age ranges of Child on Parent.
Delegates will gain an insight into the process of interview and finding an appropriate narrative in which to extract information, write and complete safety plans in association with the assessor’s own level of contact and responsibility.
They will also learn how to understand how and when to consider referral to specialist domestic violence services and MARAC based on high risk assessment results.
Delegates will receive copies of the Teen Dash for pre reading prior to the event alongside case studies to familiarise themselves with.
Exploring Statutory Requirements & Best Practice
Difficult, Dangerous and Evasive Families
Court of Protection
This Court of Protection Training course provides an overview of the workings and approach of the Court of Protection to family disputes, capacity issues, best interests and safeguarding.
FGM (Female Genital Mutilation)
This comprehensive one day course aims to enhance knowledge and awareness of the issues surrounding FGM. The training explores what action needs to be taken if you encounter a child or woman who has had, or is at risk of, FGM.
Communication with less verbal autistic children & adults
Communication with More Verbal autistic children and adults
Engaging South Asian Communities on CSE
Facilitating Conversation on Forced Marriage
Contact with Birth Families
CYP who display Sexualised Behaviour
Effective and Efficient Social Work Practice
Building Resilience in Children
CQC Standards
The course covers:
1. The fundamental standards - Expectations
• Person-centred care
• Dignity and respect
• Consent
• Safety
• Safeguarding from abuse
• Food and drink
• Premises and equipment
• Complaints
• Good governance
• Staffing
• Fit and proper staff
• Duty of candour
• Display of ratings
2. The KLOEs
• Safe
• Effective
• Caring
• Responsive
• Well-Led
3. Six new evidence categories
• People's experience of health and care services
• Feedback from staff and leaders
• Feedback from partners
• Observation
• Processes
• Outcomes?
4. Implementation & Evidencing
Child Centred Communication with Children & Young People
A succession of public reports, most recently in Rotherham and Oxford have highlighted the lack of communication between vulnerable children and professionals who are tasked with safeguarding them. Positive communication with children and young people is critical and Talking Life’s expert team in this area has extensive experience of listening and responding to LAC, socially excluded and children and young people at risk, both through case work and group work settings. Their specially created training courses have been successful in enabling a range of social care professionals to hone their skills in communicating with children and young people.
Chronologies
A chronology lists in date order all the major changes and events in a child or young person’s life. In a recent High Court judgement Justice Bracewell included a chronology among the records the court would expect to find in a social work file.
A chronology can be a useful way of gaining an overview of events in a child or a young person’s life.
The chronology should be used by practitioners as an analytical tool to help them to understand the impact, both immediate and cumulative, of events and changes on the child or young person’s developmental progress.
Caring for Children with Difference
Disruption & the Effects of Trauma
Families who Foster, Sons, Daughters & Family memb
Expert Witness Training
Current Legal Policy in Family Law
The course will provided participants with a comprehensive guide to recent developments in legislation and prospective changes to government policies affecting family law. The course will look at recent and pending legislation, case law, developments in the family courts and the implications of this upon present practice and policy within local authorities together with key changes needed in practice and service delivery
Child Development and Attachment
Caring for Children with Attachment Disorders
Caring for Children with Sexualised Behaviour
Caring for Traumatised Children
Further Attachment
Effective Communication for Social Workers
This programme recognises the fact that effective communication is central to all work in the health and social care sectors. Professionals within the sectors require good communication and interpersonal skills to perform their roles effectively, work cooperatively with colleagues and build supportive relationships with people using services. It is, therefore, important for all those embarking on a career in the health or social care sectors to gain knowledge, understanding and the skills associated with communication, so that they are able to develop effective interpersonal skills.
Consent
Enabling Risk
Dealing with difficult People
Childrens behaviour change in Foster Care
Critical Incident De-Briefing
Counselling Skills
The course will explore what we mean by counselling skills and the qualities of a good listener. It will also look at the purpose of questions and giving and receiving feedback and barriers to communication.
Building Self Esteem for Foster Carers
Breaking Bad News
This workshop will provide the delegate with the awareness of the issues involved when sharing information about highly emotive and challenging situations. They will develop understanding of the impact, on both the giver and receiver, of sharing bad news whilst understanding of the needs of patients and relatives.
Chairing Case Conferences
Child Bereavement & Loss
This course is designed to provide delegates with an improved understanding of the issues surrounding losses experienced by children, including bereavement, separation, divorce and illness. It will explore how child development affects children’s views of bereavement and loss and improve awareness of children’s needs in the family context.
Assessment, Analysis & Report Writing
Working with Parents with Learning Disabilities inc Autism
The course is designed for participants to be aware of the historic inequalities in practice with parents with Learning Difficulties and/or autism, the importance of following good practice guidance to upholding the rights of children and of parents with LD and/or autism and to non-discriminatory practice. They will be able to develop skills in communicating effectively with parents with LD and/or autism as well as in assessing parenting capacity, joint working and applying thresholds in line with good practice in working with parents with LD and/or autism
Autism Awareness Intermediate – Childrens
he aims of this course are:-
Understand what Autism is and the varied presentation of autistic children
Understand the main characteristics which lead to a diagnosis of Autism
Understand the range of difficulties and challenges that autistic children can experience in everyday life
Understand the legal and policy framework that underpins good practice with autistic children
Understand how to make practical adaptations and adjustments to make services accessible to autistic children
Understand how to provide effective support for autistic children in key areas including:
Communication
Changes and transitions
Sensory issues
Supporting decision making
Social difficulties
Understand how behaviours which may challenge may be related to support needs
Understand why and how autistic children may be vulnerable
Understand the changing needs of autistic children and their families and the role of services
Assessment, Analysis and Decision Making
Assessing, Care Planning & Safeguarding Autistic Adults & Children
This course is taken together Autism in Practice: Working with Autistic Adults + Autism in Practice: Assessing & Care Planning with Autistic Adults fully meet Care Act Assessment Reg. 5 and Autism Act Statutory Guidance requirements for specialist training.
Includes coverage of DHSC Capabilities framework for supporting autistic people and BASW capabilities statement plus applied MCA, Care Act and Safeguarding knowledge
Asylum Seeking Children & Young People
The support provided by local authorities under Section 17 & Section 20 of the Children act, 1989, has been recognised by the government & courts as being an essential safety net to protect the most vulnerable children and families who have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) from destitution. This course will provide delegates with a clear understanding of the legislation and case law in relation to families with NRPF and UASC (Unaccompanie Asylum Seeking Children). It will examine the complexities involved in the completing of these assessments and the importance of getting the assessments right, not just for the children & families but to prevent a legal challenge for the local authority under the Human Rights Act, 1998 in addition to the arrangements for working jointly with the UK Border Agency
Assessing the Risk of Harm to Children from Sex Offenders
Attitudes and Values in Social Work Practice
Attachment & Trauma
The course is aimed at improving theoretical knowledge around the long term impact of poor attachment patterns and trauma in early childhood. It is an interactive course for anyone working with children.
Behaviour Issues in Children and Young People
Attachment Theory
The course is aimed at improving both theoretical & practical knowledge of Attachment within a foster placement in order to prevent placement breakdown in the continuation of the placement.
Autism Awareness
This course provides an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder. It will allow participants to understand the presentation of both subsequent client needs and behaviour whilst maintaining good practice for supporting them
Achieving Best Outcomes in Children’s Safeguarding Meetings
Appropriate Adult and PACE 1984 (updated 2019)
The role of the Appropriate Adult was created in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 (updated 2019), with the intention of safeguarding the rights and welfare of young people and vulnerable adults in custody. When someone is arrested by the police and taken to a police station they have three basic rights;
• The right to free and independent legal advice
• The right to have someone informed of their arrest
• The right to consult the Codes Of Practice (concerning police powers and procedures)
Having identified a young person or a vulnerable adult, the custody officer has a duty to request the attendance of a responsible adult, ( known as an ‘Appropriate Adult’) .This role is different to that of a solicitor. An Appropriate Adult can be a family member, friend or a volunteer or social / health care professional.
The training will provide the knowledge base required to fulfil the above role in an appropriate manner. It will instruct and update professionally qualified staff from health and social services (who work with adults with mental health problems or learning disabilities that make them vulnerable), on the subject of PACE and Appropriate Adult work
Access to Records
The aim of the course is to enable Personal Advisers (P.A.’s) to consider how they write files with a view to young people accessing them when they are ready. Accessing information regarding decisions made about them can be traumatic and stressful for young people and can trigger feelings and thoughts that will need to be sensitively managed.
During the course, P.A.’s/Social Workers will explore the benefits and consequences that arise from accessing files and also consider their own responsibility in recording keeping and recording in mindful, respectful and honest ways.
Analytical Reporting and Recording
A course to demonstrate how analytical writing requires an assessment of the weight given to information gathered, drawing on knowledge from research, experience and practice, combined with the service users’ needs within the family or the context in which they live. The course aims to improve delegates’ confidence in understanding what is relevant and meaningful, and how to write it down in an effective way
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioural disorder that includes symptoms such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Symptoms tend to be noticed at an early age but most cases are diagnosed when children are between 6 and 12 years old.
The symptoms of ADHD usually improve with age, but many adults who were diagnosed with the condition at a young age continue to experience problems.
This course gives a better understanding of ADHD and support strategies for children and young people.
Paediatric First Aid (2 days) Accredited
This course is interactive and practical requiring full participation of each delegate. Delegates will learn basic first aid skills within a friendly, supportive and informal, classroom environment at a pace to suit the group.
This course meets the Ofsted requirements for Childminders and childcare workers and exceeds the requirements for Nannies and Au Pairs.
Contact time will be12 hours over the course of two days (as a minimum).
Certification is for three years and annual refreshers are recommended to maintain skills and provide valuable updates and changes accordingly.
Advocacy
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), formerly Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the umbrella term used to describe the leading cause of preventable birth defects and is the commonest known cause of cognitive impairment in children, in the world.
6,000 babies are born each year in the UK with FASD – and many are undiagnosed. If you work with children, adolescents or vulnerable adults you may be supporting someone with an FASD.
It is a spectrum disorder caused when a pregnant women consumes alcohol,
Improvements in screening, identification, and treatment of children with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) can be enhanced through systematic efforts to educate medical and allied health students and practitioners about these disorders. Such efforts will contribute toward the goal of better identification, diagnosis, and referral for treatment for individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure.
Adaptive Leadership
Adaptive leadership is a set of tools and strategies you can use as a leader to overcome obstacles and change in an environment that is moving at a fast pace. It is based on the model devised by Ron Heifetz from Harvard University. Adaptive leadership is about observing the business and team and being able to adjust your style to meet the needs of the environment. It is a style that supports a time of change and using methods other than the one size fits all approach. Adaptive leadership helps to negotiate change and demonstrate innovation to cope with change and upheaval.
Advanced Statement Writing & Court Skills
Our Advanced Statement Writing and Court Skills aims to deliver a good working knowledge about the inner-workings of a courtroom setting and prepare you to appear in a courtroom environment.
You will identify issues (and include facts which support these issues), the source and weight of evidence while insulating written evidence against cross-examination. The course will explore the layout and formalities which take place within court as well as the use of exhibits/appendices/photos/plans/maps and using contemporaneous notes as the basis for statements/reports. You’ll learn how to deliver your statements clearly, getting your message across to your peers.
The course will give you an opportunity to develop an objective, critical eye in relation to written evidence and the procedures and process of giving evidence, as well as preparing you to give your own evidence. It will inform you about the roles of the various people in court/tribunal and instill you with the confidence to take the oath or affirmation with certainty. In non-intimidating, realistic role-play, you will gain experience in being cross-examined: learning valuable skills about the techniques lawyers use in cross-examination and how to handle them; how to give clear, honest, impartial testimonies receiving detailed feedback in order to properly prepare you for the real thing.
Alcohol & Drug Awareness for Foster Carers
De-Escalation – A Proactive Approach to Conflict 2-day Course
This two-day conflict awareness training session helps participants to develop their insight into the reasons why we may encounter conflict in the workplace. In this session we share simple and effective strategies for creating and maintaining safe working practices and environments.
Emotional Intelligence for Managers
Emotional intelligence, hope, mindfulness, and compassion help a person reverse the damage of chronic stress and build great leadership relationships. The Positive and Negative Emotional Attractors inspire sustained, desired change and learning at many levels.
Emotionally Intelligent leaders have great positive impact on their employees. High competency in communicating, influencing, motivating others, and managing emotions in the workplace thrust leaders to become mentors as well. Therefore, exceptional leadership calls for high emotional intelligence leaders that have sound judgment and reasoning.
This course will focus on imparting emotional excellence skills to enable you to succeed as a distinctive leader. Delegates will gain insights and skills on how to be an emotionally intelligent leader. They will develop intrapersonal skills of self-awareness and self-regulation.
They will also gain mastery of interpersonal skills of empathy and relational skills. Delegates will be exposed to the latest scientific breakthroughs in management science on the mastery of healthy emotions in a leader. They will learn the importance of managing body, mind and spirit so as to lead
others in a holistic manner. Delegates will return to their organisations with skills to be excellent leaders.
Domestic Abuse including Coercion and Control
Domestic abuse is an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening and violent behaviour, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but may also be a family member. The aim of this Domestic Abuse including Coercion and Control Training is; to help raise awareness and increase recognition of domestic abuse and coercive control; understand the associated risk and protective factors; develop an understanding of why people may be abusive in relationships and how to manage this risk. This event will include training on the DASH-RIC (Domestic Abuse and Honour Based Violence Risk Checklist) using a case study to practice the use of the tool.
Helpful resources will be shared with delegates, including safety planning, guidance on completion of the DASH-RIC and how to refer into their local MARAC. Resources on support for survivors and those who perpetrate domestic abuse will also be shared.
Professional Authority
Children and young people who are removed from their family, even those who have been maltreated, experience separation and loss. Research has found that these feelings can be exacerbated when they experience multiple placements (Schofield and Beek, 2005). Placement instability reduces a child’s opportunities to develop secure attachments and may also exacerbate any existing behavioural and emotional difficulties (Schofield and Beek, 2005). This in turn can make it more difficult for children to form relationships with carers and contributing to further placement breakdown and rejection (Munro and Hardy, 2006).
According to the Department for Education (DfE 2013) 11% of looked after children had three or more placements during the year ending 31 March 2013. Young people aged between 13 and 16 were those most likely to have three or more placements. Children who experience multiple placement moves have poorer outcomes than those who do not in terms of psychological, social and academic outcomes.
Foster carers need to understand what is meant by permanence and long term care and appreciate why achieving this for children and young people is of critical importance for children and young people’s outcomes. Carers need to appreciate the different ways that children and young people can achieve permanence and long term care, foster care being one of these. Foster carers providing permanence / long care need to have the skills and abilities to meet the needs of such children and those providing short term care need to have the skills to support children and young people into permanence wherever possible
Safeguarding Children Designated Lead
County Lines & Child Criminal Exploitation
Child criminal exploitation is not defined in law, though the government’s Serious Violence Strategy (2018) defines it as occurring where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into any criminal activity:
• in exchange for something the victim needs or wants
• for the financial or other advantage of the perpetrator or facilitator
• through violence or the threat of violence
The most common form of child criminal exploitation is ‘County lines”.
County lines is defined by the Government’s Serious Violence Strategy (2018) as
“…a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas (within the UK), using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of ‘deal line’. They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move (and store) the drugs and money and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) or weapons.”
There are more than 2,000 County lines organised criminal gangs across England and Wales and gang members can give some children and young people a false sense of belonging, safety, and security, filling a gap that exists in their lives.
Chairing Effective Safeguarding Meetings
The aim of this course is to improve leadership skills in relation to chairing effective outcome focussed safeguarding children meetings
Working with Resistant Families
Separation and Loss
Child Neglect
The aim of this one day event is to explore the issue of neglect and its impact on children and families. It will not only focus on the nature and definition of neglect but will also on the profile of neglectful parents. The event will also provide information on evidenced based, effective assessment tools which can assist social work staff in recognising the signs of neglect, the risk of neglect and whether a child is in need or at risk of harm. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of early intervention and working with the family to mitigate the impact of neglect on children.
Parent & Child Assessments
Improving Practice with Children and Families from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities
This course will enable practitioners to improve their understanding, strategies and reflections with children and families from black and minority ethnic communities
Developing Professional Curiosity
This programme aims to give participants the opportunity to reflect upon, develop and maintain skills and attributes of professional curiosity in practice. It will consider the importance of healthy scepticism and respectful uncertainty, encouraging workers to fact check and cross reference as an evidence base; to attune to their professional instincts.
Adopting this approaching requires practitioner to utilise effective observation, active listening and develop an appreciation of risk and how managing risk requires a fluid approach.
In order to empower practitioners to offer this approach consistently maintaining professional curiosity and supporting the emotional resilience of all members of the core group is essential.
Developing the confidence and ability to have reflective and relational conversations, to keep questioning and not detach from the importance of their role related responsibilities is crucial when managing risk and reviewing the family plan.
Court Familiarization and Evidence Giving (Court Skills)
This a two-day Court Familiarization and Evidence Giving Training course designed to provide social workers with insight into the legal system together with the skills and confidence to give effective and compelling evidence in court.
Unconscious Bias
Bias is something that affects everyone, and shapes our experience of both the world and the people around us. Making a positive change starts with an acknowledgement that it does exist and the potential business impact of not taking action to rectify it.
During this session we will explore how both conscious and unconscious bias’ can affect our decisions regarding recruitment, selection, leadership, motivation and more.
Working in a Changing Environment
The aim of this workshop is to provide individuals with a range of tools to support them in a changing work environment such as during a Restructure and Reorganisation.
Writing Section 7 and 37 Reports
The Writing Section 7 and 37 Reports Training course provides a detailed guide as to the construction of these important court reports. The legal basis of the reports (and the differences between them) is explained and participants introduced to the basic formats and shown many of the common pifalls in drafting reports to the court. Particular regard is had to analysing how the writer of the report can provide the court with accurate, fair and trustworthy evidence, insulated from cross examination. Participants are given guidance as to the rules regarding information gathering and how to discern the relevant from the irrelevant as well as the opportunity to analyse good (and bad) examples of report writing. Additional guidance is given as to the lead up to a court appearance, courtroom etiquette and the realities of cross examination.
Working with difficult to engage clients
This course has been designed to provide participants with a deeper appreciation of why people are difficult to engage with and the factors which may cause a reluctance to engage. It will provide the practical tools necessary for increasing engagement and overcoming the barriers that clients may face.
Trauma Informed Practice (Childrens)
This one-day Trauma Informed Practice (Childrens) Training course introduces practitioners to trauma informed practice and enables them to be able to consider adverse childhood experiences and how these may lead to trauma
The Use of Professional Authority
Children and young people who are removed from their family, even those who have been maltreated, experience separation and loss. Research has found that these feelings can be exacerbated when they experience multiple placements (Schofield and Beek, 2005). Placement instability reduces a child’s opportunities to develop secure attachments and may also exacerbate any existing behavioural and emotional difficulties (Schofield and Beek, 2005). This in turn can make it more difficult for children to form relationships with carers and contributing to further placement breakdown and rejection (Munro and Hardy, 2006).
According to the Department for Education (DfE 2013) 11% of looked after children had three or more placements during the year ending 31 March 2013. Young people aged between 13 and 16 were those most likely to have three or more placements. Children who experience multiple placement moves have poorer outcomes than those who do not in terms of psychological, social and academic outcomes.
This Use of Professional Authority Training course will help foster carers understand what is meant by permanence and long term care and appreciate why achieving this for children and young people is of critical importance for children and young people’s outcomes. Carers need to appreciate the different ways that children and young people can achieve permanence and long term care, foster care being one of these. Foster carers providing permanence / long care need to have the skills and abilities to meet the needs of such children and those providing short term care need to have the skills to support children and young people into permanence wherever possible.
The Voice of The Child in Assessments
Helping a child make sense of his or her past is an important part of a practitioner’s role in working with children and young people. Being able to do this sensitively and effectively will help the child cope with current uncertainties, develop a clearer sense of identity and contribute to plans for their future. This course has been developed with reference to the latest research, legislation, standards and good practice and the delivery of knowledge and skills is designed to take account of a wide range of different learning styles.
Compassion fatigue, Moral Injury and Supporting Resilience
The aim of this course is to increase awareness of Compassion fatigue and Moral Injury and how these affect practitioners in social care settings.
This course focuses on the impact of working in high intensity, emotionally impactful working environments on practitioners.
It considers trauma informed practice in relation to practitioners and how they can maintain resilience within chaotic work settings
The day provides a foundation for taking active measures in maintaining resilience and self- care whilst considering the impact of the pandemic alongside working in settings that are demanding and quick changing
Stress and Resilience
A half day programme for participants to understand how and why we think, feel and react to stress and to understand and practice mindful responses to increase our resilience.
The course will enable individuals to apply Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence (EI) techniques to reduce stress in everyday lives. It will also enable candidates to understand others better and communicate to change patterns of behaviour and overcome self-limitations.
SMART Care Planning
To deliver training for a range of workers who support families and young people to write consistent and robust action plans following assessments to improve and evidence clear outcomes for children and young people.
Substance Misuse & Impact on Parenting
This course will examine the effects and risks, trends in drug and alcohol use, drugs and the law, working effectively with young people around drugs and alcohol issues, referral processes and support services.
The training is designed to give delegates a greater understanding of the effects of substance use on pregnancy and parenting. In particular looking at different substances and their effects on both mother and unborn child, effects of different drugs and alcohol on parenting and how agencies can work better together to provide appropriate care and support for all the family.
Supervision for Social Workers
In a relaxed and informal atmosphere, participants will explore the role of supervision in social care and social work settings. It will examine the need for reflective and reflexive practice in social work and the skills of the supervisor in promoting this form of learning and development. It will also consider the disciplinary process if, for example, there has been a breach in the duty of care or there are professional capability issues and the role supervision has in this.
Fabricated Ilness
This course will explain what fabricated or induced illness is and some of the ways that it might manifest. We will think about the triggers for this type of abuse and some of the ways that professionals working with children might be able to identify if a child is suffering fabricated or induced illness. We will learn about the responsibilities of staff in relation to this issue and think about what you should do if you think a child is suffering, or is at risk of suffering, this type of abuse.
Safeguarding Children awareness
This important course enables participants to become aware of child safeguarding issues and practical ways of dealing with them.
Safeguarding Deaf & Disabled Children
Research shows that deaf and disabled children are at significantly greater risk of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect than non-disabled children.
It is therefore essential that professionals working with deaf and disabled children have skills and knowledge to ensure the same levels of protection from harm as non-disabled children.
Family Law and the Legal System
This a one-day course designed to provide social workers with a good working knowledge of all the different aspects of family law as well as the legal system of England and Wales
The course is conducted in a dynamic, informal and accessible way. Delegates are encouraged to participate in group discussions, share experiences and ask questions at any time
The course adheres to the requirements set out in the Department for Education’s “Post-qualifying standard: knowledge and skills statement for child and family practitioners” (KSS) and within the Professional Capabilities Framework of the British Association of Social Workers
Listening to childrens wishes and feelings
This training course will equip participants with a range of techniques for effective listening to and communication with children. It enables workers and carers to work effectively with children to process difficult experiences; use reflective listening skills and assessment techniques; assist children in processing and recording their life history; and support them as they prepare to move to permanence
Mindfulness – Bitesize
A short session for participants to understand how and why we think, feel and react to stress and to understand and practise mindful responses to stress. Mindfulness will help develop present moment awareness to see life differently, change unhelpful patterns and experience more choice.
The course will enable candidates to apply Mindfulness personally and professionally to reduce stress in everyday lives
Parental Mental Ill Health
All adults have a one in four chance of experiencing a period of mental illness in their lifetime. Parents constitute a substantial proportion of mental health users. Being a parent with mental illness is especially challenging. Children in these families are at greater risk of a range of mental health problems and adverse life experiences. Working directly with mental health users as parents and their children can have an immediate impact on the parents’ recovery process which safeguards the child.
The Family Model as a conceptual framework identifies that there are risks, stressors and vulnerability factors increasing the likelihood of a poor outcome, as well as strengths, resources and protective factors that enable families to overcome adversity. Risk and protective factors interact with parental mental illness, child development and mental health, parenting and the parent-child relationship in a bidirectional manner. Over time, the complexity and multi-directionality become more complex as the child’s behaviour impacts on the parent’s mental health, the parent’s mental health impacts on his or her parenting and the parent’s mental state and style of parenting affect the child’s behaviour.
This one day course will focus on how to use the Family Model effectively in working with families as a reflective tool as part of the safeguarding process, but also as a tool to facilitate parental motivation. We will also focus on how to communicate with children and young carers effectively in a way that they will find supportive. ‘Think Family, Think Child, Think Parent‘is at the core whilst working with parental mental health and safeguarding children and young people.
Minute Taking for Children’s Safeguarding Meetings
This course is aimed at those social workers who are identified as minute takers for safeguarding children meetings within their organisation. This programme aims to enable minute takers to understand the role of meetings and the importance of note taking and minutes in the safeguarding childrens’ process. It will examine the role of the minute taker and their relationships/professional boundaries in safeguarding meetings; the structuring of notes from meetings that are factual, accurate and can enable effective decision making. The relationship with the chair will be examined to enable minute takers to manage themselves at the interface with some of the challenges and conflicts that can arise in safeguarding meetings.
S47 Reporting
This course will assist practitioners with child protection responsibilities to reflect on the process of probing and reflective questioning and analysis to form a view about risk and harm and the parent’s capacity to meet their child’s needs. At the end of the course, participants will have developed their ability to critically evaluate practice actions and decision making to enable practitioners to be confident and persuasive when recommending a course of action to parents, to colleagues and to courts to protect a child.
Professional Dangerousness
This course will enable workers who are engaged in work with children and families to develop effective ways and build confidence in working with difficult behaviour, in order to recognise potential impacts on professional dynamics and multi-agency child protection work when professionals are faced with working with families who are hostile and evasive.
Pre Birth Assessment
The aim of this training is to introduce learners to using Calder’s pre-birth risk assessment tool and understand what is involved in undertaking robust assessments and planning
Parenting Assessments
This course aims to develop practitioners’ knowledge and understanding of parenting assessments
Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking
Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking
Course Outline
The International Labour Organisation suggests there are more than 40 million people in modern slavery across the world, with nearly 25 million in forced labour; in addition to forced labour, modern slavery encompasses human trafficking, slavery, and servitude. In human trafficking cases, exploitation can take many forms, including sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery, servitude and forced criminality. This is a serious concern when related to children who are being exploited as part of County lines.
This course will provide an overview of the “Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance for England and Wales” Jan 2021 and include how to identify and recognise indicators of modern slavery, exploitation, and abuse.
The training has been developed to support Local Authorities who have a statutory duty to identify and refer cases of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery as part of the National Referral Mechanism.
First responders and other organisations need to understand the signs of modern-day slavery and be able to recognise indicators of abuse and exploitation which can include physical, psychological, situational, and environmental. This is particularly evident when considering child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation and County lines.
It can be challenging to identify potential victims of modern slavery who may be reluctant to come forward or may not recognise themselves as having been trafficked or enslaved. There are likely to be barriers that prevent victims from disclosing or engaging with services. It is a disturbing truth that perpetrators and organised criminal gangs use coercive, controlling, and abusive means to dominate and abuse both adults and children.
Professional Boundaries
Professional boundaries are the limits that help us to develop effective relationships in the workplace. They are established through a set of behaviours and are given meaning through personal attitude and experience. If these boundaries are not clearly defined, owned and maintained, there is likely to be confusion and damage to the relationship with either, or both, parties being put at risk
In this session we will relate and apply all that is taught back into your real environment and ensure that the value of the boundary is both recognised and maintained.
Pre Retirement
The purpose of this course is to allow participants to express their hopes and concerns regarding the retirement process and to experience the positive benefits of retirement with particular emphasis on the adapting phase of the process.
Direct Work and Voice of the Child
Helping a child make sense of his or her past is an important part of a practitioner’s role in working with children and young people. Being able to do this sensitively and effectively will help the child cope with current uncertainties, develop a clearer sense of identity and contribute to plans for their future. This course has been developed with reference to the latest research, legislation, standards and good practice and the delivery of knowledge and skills is designed to take account of a wide range of different learning styles.
Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery
The International Labour Organisation suggests there are more than 40 million people in modern slavery across the world, with nearly 25 million in forced labour; in addition to forced labour, modern slavery encompasses human trafficking, slavery, and servitude. In human trafficking cases, exploitation can take many forms, including sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery, servitude and forced criminality. This is a serious concern when related to children who are being exploited as part of County lines.
This course will provide an overview of the “Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance for England and Wales” Jan 2021 and include how to identify and recognise indicators of modern slavery, exploitation, and abuse.
The training has been developed to support Local Authorities who have a statutory duty to identify and refer cases of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery as part of the National Referral Mechanism.
First responders and other organisations need to understand the signs of modern-day slavery and be able to recognise indicators of abuse and exploitation which can include physical, psychological, situational, and environmental. This is particularly evident when considering child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation and County lines.
It can be challenging to identify potential victims of modern slavery who may be reluctant to come forward or may not recognise themselves as having been trafficked or enslaved. There are likely to be barriers that prevent victims from disclosing or engaging with services. It is a disturbing truth that perpetrators and organised criminal gangs use coercive, controlling, and abusive means to dominate and abuse both adults and children.
Drug & Alcohol Awareness
The misuse of alcohol and drugs is a significant problem that affects not only individuals and families, but also the workplace. This course will help employers and organizations across different sectors to develop good practice in all aspects of alcohol and drug related issues.
Life Story Work
The aim of this Life Story Work Training course is to give practitioners and Foster Carers an awareness of what is meant by Life Story Work and the importance of it in the child’s journey. It explores the impact of traumatic experiences on memory and helps Carers to find ways to help the child to collect present memories to shift the balance. It will support practitioners to manage the difficult conversations that Life Story Work sometimes creates for children and young people and explore their own emotions and feeling around having these discussions. Finally it will demonstrate to practitioners the important role they have to play along with other professionals and the child in helping them to fit together the missing jigsaw pieces in the Cared for Child’s Life Story
Managing Conflict
Conflict in the workplace can be the source of much disruption and affect not just the productivity of the organisation but the wellbeing of those who work in it. This course aims to equip participants with the skills to deal with situations of conflict, whenever they arise and to be able to prevent escalation, as well as dealing with unacceptable verbal or non verbal aggression
Learning Disability Awareness
Learning Disability problems affect around 1.5 million people across the UK. but having a better understanding and awareness of different learning disabilities and how they affect individuals is an important part of working within this area.
Managing Change
This course will outline a model for managing change within a complex health setting, enable participants to understand the likely reactions to change and employ strategies to ensure effective implementation of change especially in the handling of others.
Mindfulness
This course will enable participants to apply Mindfulness personally and professionally to reduce stress in everyday life, to understand how and why we think, feel and react to stress and to understand and practise mindful responses to stress. Mindfulness will help develop present moment awareness to see life differently, change unhelpful patterns and experience more choice.
Equality & Diversity
This course focuses on the key legislation and codes of practice relating to diversity, equality and inclusion.
Disguised Compliance
Understanding the implications of disguised compliance comes mostly from learning from serious case reviews. Parents’ behaviour can mislead us about the progress they are making and about the true nature of the lived experience of the child. Apparent or disguised cooperation can prevent or delay understanding of the severity of harm to the child and lead to cases drifting.
Managing workload/caseload Management Techniques
This course aims to prepare social workers completing the ASYE and taking on more complex work that will demand greater skills in caseload and work management
De-escalation – A Proactive Approach to Conflict
This one-day conflict awareness and verbal response training session helps participants to develop their insight into the reasons why we may encounter conflict in the workplace. In this De-escalation - A Proactive Approach to Conflict Training course we share simple and effective strategies for creating and maintaining safe working practices and environments.
Defensible Decision Making
The primary focus of this children’s social care course is to provide participating delegates with confidence in making informed, balanced, evidence-based decisions in the context of ongoing involvement with and assessments of, vulnerable service users.
Participants will learn how to work creatively, innovatively and effectively in situations that are often complex and filled with conflict, uncertainty and risk. This is not a course that teaches ‘defensive’ practice but promotes an approach where decisions are made within a holistic framework that assists the proper management of the risks inherent in the process. The use of such a framework (which also incorporates awareness of the legal aspects of the decision-making process) allows necessary actions or interventions to be made in such a way as to be ‘defensible’ in the broader context.
Child Sexual Exploitation
Almost 19,000 children have been identified as sexual exploitation victims in England according to the National Crime Agency.
The “Tackling child sexual abuse strategy” (Feb 2021) is the first of its kind outlining the Government’s vision for preventing, tackling, and responding to child sexual abuse in all its forms.
The strategy emphasises the need for everyone to play their part…
“… across every part of Government, across all agencies, all sectors, charities, communities, technology companies and society more widely”
The aim of this course is to for delegates to gain knowledge and awareness of the issues and complexities of CSE, understand vulnerabilities of children and young people and stages of sexual grooming and different forms of exploitation and to identify appropriate safeguarding action and know how to recognise, respond, report, and refer.
Child Criminal Exploitation
This Training will provide an overview of Child Criminal Exploitation and provide information about how gangs recruit, groom and exploit children. Reference to the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the legal position and the Children and Social Work Act 2017 updates will be included with opportunity for group discussion, quiz question interaction and case studies.
Parent & Child Placements
To support Foster Carers’ understanding of the context around Parent and Child foster placements, the requirements of the role and prepare them for the experience of supporting parents and children in their home. The course will explore the concept of “good enough parenting”, the importance of evidence-based recordings and the emotional and practical impact on those involved.
Dealing with Distressed People
This course will look at working with distressed and difficult clients by developing awareness of the issues involved when sharing information in a highly emotive and challenging setting. Delegates will develop an understanding of the impact, on both the giver and receiver, of support and information and explore tried and tested ways of communicating with distressed people and identify the most appropriate strategies.
Customer Care on the Telephone
With the sharp increase in customer expectations, organisations and teams are now in a position where they have to deliver a quality of service that is higher than ever before.
Many customer care programmes focus exclusively on practical skills without firstly uncovering and looking at ways to address customer needs, wants, expectations, insecurities and emotions.
In this programme we start ‘from the ground up’ providing participants with the tools to be able to more effectively establish, meet and evaluate the achievement of outstanding customer service in particular using the telephone.
County Lines
There are serious and increasing challenges posed by child criminal exploitation and County lines. This County Lines Training will enable participants to gain knowledge, understanding and insight into the impact and significance of child criminal exploitation and county lines with an increased awareness of strategies for intervention and disruption.
The “Serious Youth Violence” February 2022 identifies the Government’s priority in “rolling up county lines”
The Government Disrupting exploitation document (NWG and Barnardo’s 2019) stresses the importance of professionals and volunteers engaging with children and young people, identifying “reachable moments” or “critical moments” as part of effective early intervention and focusing on promoting positive outcomes.
Conflict Management
Conflict is an intrinsic and inevitable part of our status as human beings. We will all encounter it in some form or other in both our personal and private life. When we are confronted by it there are usually two typical responses; we either tackle it head on or we avoid it completely. Both methods ultimately result in difficult times that can be painful, costly and uncomfortable where the outcome usually presents a ‘winner’ and a ‘loser’.
There is another way to approach these conflicts a way in which we can reach a win/win and collaborate to a successful conclusion for both people. This session will focus on bringing about an end to your conflict situations, cost-effectively and with as little discomfort as possible.
Warner Interview Training
Warner Interview Training
Warner interviews are a result of ‘Choosing with care’ (The Warner report, 1992) which was established to review selection, development and management of staff in children’s homes. This highlighted recruitment as a particular concern. Warner has since been developed for use within all settings working with children and young people.
Safer Recruitment
To enable all delegates to safely recruit suitable people in an education or social care setting to safeguard children.
Depression Awareness
A programme for candidates to develop an awareness of what depression is, what causes it and to understand the impact of stress and the importance of a good foundation.
They will develop an understanding of what resilience is and how to develop it to reduce the impact of depression
Managing Challenging Behaviour
The course is designed to enable participants to develop a working knowledge of the importance of understanding and managing challenging behaviours in a variety of different workplaces.
Communicating with Children
The focus of this training event is to equip participants with knowledge skills, practice examples and provide them opportunity to apply practice during the training. This training is tailored to enhancing communication with children and young people.
Bouncing Back! How to be Resilient in the Workplace
Stress affects significant numbers of the working population in a UK workplace which is becoming increasingly demanding.
This Resilience Training course, will help individuals to understand how and why we think, feel and react to stress and to understand and practise mindful responses to increase resilience.
The course will enable participants to apply Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence techniques to reduce stress in their everyday lives. It will also help to understand and communicate with others better to change patterns of behaviour and overcome self-limitations
Analytical Report Writing
This course demonstrates how analytical writing requires an assessment of the weight given to information gathered, drawing on knowledge from research, experience and practice, combined with the service users’ needs within the family or the context in which they live. The course aims to improve delegates’ confidence in understanding what is relevant and meaningful, and how to write it down in an effective way
Achieving Best Evidence (ABE)
Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) is the national protocol for interviewing children and vulnerable adults as part of a criminal investigation.
This Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) Training course equips practitioners with the necessary skills to develop strategies for planning and executing interviews in a format suited towards the criminal justice system.
The course consists of 3 days of theory and 2 days of interview practice using actors who play the roles of children/vulnerable adults
The delegates are assessed in their interviewing skills during the practical day sessions and delegates are scored with a pass or a fail and the assessor completed a feedback form on their interviews.
This course has been updated in line with new Ministry of Justice ABE Guidance 2022
Age Assessments
This Age Assessments training course is designed for social workers faced with the difficult and controversial task of conducting age assessments of children and young adults. The course is intended to provide clear, comprehensive “user-friendly” guidance to practitioners working in the area. The assessment process is broken down into several strategic but logical stages, each stage being accompanied by a helpful “checklist” of considerations and options.
The course utilises guidance given by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services with input from the Age Assessment Strategic Oversight Group. Within the course, consideration is also given to the Hillingdon and Croydon guidelines as well as an update as to recent legal decisions and policy developments.
Assessment & Analysis
This Assessment & Analysis Training course aims to develop practitioner’s knowledge and understanding of assessment and analysis and the importance of multi-agency working.
This course uses Morrison’s reflective model of experiential supervision to develop practitioner skills in undertaking assessments in a variety of settings. This model is currently used across adult and childcare services, health provision, and education.
The course considers the need for assessment including relevant underpinning legislation, theories, models and methods of assessment for multi-agency settings. It will include areas such as who is being assessed, what is the purpose and how will the assessment be used in planning around children’s needs.
Safeguarding and equality and diversity are key themes that exist throughout course and any issues in relation to safe practice will be addressed during the course and by post course consultation if required
This course content may change dependent on the knowledge, skills and requirements of the group. All areas will be addressed but additional information may be included if necessary. This will be negotiated with the group.
This course is designed to enhance learning on a number of levels including cognitive processing and connecting with emotions, emotional intelligence and critical thinking
Achieving Best Evidence Refresher
Updated in line with the new Ministry of Justice ABE Guidance 2022
Designed for those social work practitioners who have completed the full Achieving Best Evidence course but have not conducted an interview in the last year or more and need updating both in the law and on court case directions, also to revisit and renew their skills learnt at the initial course.
Additionally, for those who would like to practise the ABE interview in a safe setting, if they feel a refresher course would be beneficial. The candidates will be assessed on one interview and be given feedback by both the tutor and their peers on the 2-day course
Hostile & Evasive Families
This Hostile & Evasive Families Training course will enable workers who are engaged in work with children and families to develop effective ways and build confidence in working with difficult behaviour, in order to recognise potential impacts on professional dynamics and multi-agency child protection work when professionals are faced with working with families who are hostile and evasive
Contextual Safeguarding
In this course, we will look at the assessment of a child in relation to all the factors that are influencing and impacting on his or her life within this definition. Therefore, the course will cover County Lines (CL), Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE), Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), Peer-on-Peer Abuse, Online Abuse, PREVENT, Gangs and their origins, whether from the home and family, peers, the school community, their neighbourhood or from the wider society. Within this, we will also look at the roles of agencies that could have a positive influence on the child or young person involved in these matters. In addition to this, we will explore the child’s existing issues which make the child/young person more vulnerable.
There is the added option within this training course to feature Derek Bell, an ex Newcastle United professional footballer and a survivor of the football sex abuse scandal to talk on his experiences as an Adult of historical sex abuse and how it ruined his Adulthood along with being sectioned under the Mental Capacity Act, and then about turning his life around.
Court Skills for Children’s Social Workers
Delegates attending this course are called upon to prepare statements and reports for use in court proceedings involving children and to, potentially, attend court to give oral evidence based upon those reports. The Court Skills for Children's Social Workers Training course will provide the necessary skills to enable delegates to produce concise, accurate and compelling written evidence and give guidance as to how to present that evidence to best effect in the courtroom. The second day of the course enables delegates to practise giving oral evidence in a formal setting and to be cross examined by our experienced barrister-trainer
Parental Substance Misuse
This course will examine the effects and risks, trends in drug and alcohol use, drugs and the law, working effectively with young people around drugs and alcohol issues, referral processes and support services.
The training is designed to give delegates a greater understanding of the effects of substance use on pregnancy and parenting. In particular looking at different substances and their effects on both mother and unborn child, effects of different drugs and alcohol on parenting and how agencies can work better together to provide appropriate care and support for all the family.
