Our Personal Development Courses
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
Many people find themselves busy throughout the day, constantly involved in some type of activity. That same group of people often reflect back upon their working day and when they take stock have made very little, if any real progress towards their own to-do list. They have applied their best effort during the course of the day but have not really been productive and key priorities have been overlooked or missed altogether.
This course looks at the ways in which we can more effectively sequence, organise and focus our approach to our work.
Working in a medical environment but not having medical knowledge can be an issue for many people working in health care. This interesting and easily understood course is designed to give learners the basics of medical terminology, definitions of medical words and an understanding of some of the medical topics which will commonly arise in a health care environment.
Working in a medical environment but not having medical knowledge can be an issue for many people working in health care. This interesting and easily understood course is designed to give learners the basics of medical terminology, definitions of medical words and an understanding of some of the medical topics which will commonly arise in a health care environment.
These days everyone is pulled in many directions and there never seems to be enough time in the day. We cannot create time. This course has been designed to help you identify how use your time during the day and look for ways to spend your time effectively.
This session is to help you effectively plan your day and workload
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.
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.
Most people write business documents on a daily basis: emails, reports, meeting summaries, minutes or other business correspondence. Writing creatively and writing for business are two entirely different disciplines. You could be an amazing creative writer while making potentially serious mistakes when it comes to business communication. This 1 day course is a perfect introduction to the skills of articulate business communicators.
Attendees will learn how to create business documents in Plain English that say what you mean and achieve the results you want. The course not only covers the basics of how to improve your writing skills but also how to achieve the right result from your written correspondence.
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.
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.
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
This training will provide delegates with all the tools that make a facilitator a ‘good facilitator’ as opposed to a ‘dictator’ by help to keep opinions and emotions at bay.
Managers and staff in many organisations are increasingly being asked to reach agreements with other departments, agencies, public or voluntary bodies about the provision of services & goods and the delivery of outcomes. This requires them to be effective in conducting negotiations to maintain standards, achieve improved results and deliver value for money.
Many Organisations are relying less on Human Resources professionals to handle day to day employee relations issues. This requires line managers to conduct negotiations about local issues with employee representatives & trade unions. This course helps equip them with the negotiating skills needed.
This course seeks to develop and apply negotiating skills, so participants are asked to come to this workshop with information about a negotiation they will be involved in or a negotiation they have handled recently.
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.
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.
This course will show participants how to better prioritise their work, create detailed time planners, overcome procrastination and take control
An experiential full day programme for candidates to fully understand the skills and mindset necessary to present confidently and communicate with clarity. Also to be able to structure and present with authority and to be resilient and maintain a positive mindset throughout the whole process.
The course will enable candidates to build the skills and confidence to enable them to gain the co-operation of others and be more positive when presenting verbally and non-verbally as well as presenting themselves as positively as possible matching the styles of the person or audience.
When employees feel personally valued and are personally motivated by their work,
engagement in their job and improved outcomes almost naturally follow.
Team members’ motivation levels can have an impact on their productivity, the quality of
their work, their engagement, morale and their relationships with others. It is vital,
therefore, to create the conditions for motivation to thrive within the team
We offer tailored 1:1 Direct Supervision Training sessions facilitated by trained supervisors for individual and group needs.
The receptionist plays a key role in promoting the image of the business and ensuring that external and internal stakeholders are linked to the right person quickly and efficiently.
They are very often the first person that an external customer will speak to or see so it is vital that the person fulfilling this role is;
Knowledgeable about the organisation.
Understanding of the structure of the Trust so they can direct queries and questions to the correct person or department.
Able t0 make and receive telephone calls using the organisation’s codes of practice and correct telephone etiquette.
A strong communicator – possesses active listening skills and emotional intelligence
Adaptable and resilient
In possession of excellent time management skills
Empathetic – Actively interacting when greeting internal clients i.e. children to help reduce anxiety and make them feel comfortable.
1 day course for staff on how to be culturally competent in your every day practice
Professional writing is very different to day to day writing. It is important to set the right tone and follow the writing convention of your organisation.
This course provides tips, tools ideas and strategies you can apply and see immediate improvements at work. This course will help you no matter what system you are using to become more effective.
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.
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.
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
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.
This course is designed for everyone that evolves in a professional setting. It aims to enable attendees to define effective and appropriate interactions, understand and implement good practice and manage boundary issues effectively
To raise awareness of LGBTQ and how this is relevant to your work setting
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.
This course aims to prepare Practitioners undertaking safeguarding enquiries and taking on more complex work that will demand greater skills in caseload and work management
Whilst many people have experienced the occasional day where they have needed to work from home, the vast majority of people have not worked from home before, or for a prolonged period of time.
With a change in working conditions now meaning that many people are now working from home at least part of the week, they may have found themselves unprepared for this way of working and require additional skills and tools to be able to work from home effectively.
Our Working at Home Effectively course is digitally delivered and ideal for those who are new to working from home and need to build the skills to cope with the isolation that may accompany it. It will develop your skills to manage your own time, prioritise workloads, effectively communicate digitally, and ensure that you workspace is correctly set up to maximise your effectiveness.
You will also gain valuable tools to enable you to get the most of remote collaboration and adapt your routines so that you are more effective and productive.
Employees in a variety of roles are required to visit customers in their own homes to interview them to gather information. Individuals may be reluctant to divulge information and become frustrated. This session provides participants required to undertake this process with the appropriate skills to ask effective questions whilst employing assertive but non-confrontational language, tone and body language. The course will also explore non-physical de-escalation techniques should an employee encounter a particularly confrontational individual.
Our staff change support programme is a range of training courses designed to support all staff and managers in an organisation during times of change. Topics include:
Working in a Changing Work Environment (for Employees)
Leading in Times of Change (Managers)
Stress Awareness & Building Resiliences (for all)
Completing Job applications and Interviewing Skills
Being Interviewed for a Ring Fenced Post
These courses are available as a complete programme or individually.
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.
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.
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
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
The purpose of this course is use critical thinking to solve problems. We might also use it to examine and identify areas that need addressing to improve day to day operations and performance.
In order to move forward in situations where difficult problems arise, creative thinking is required, in order to develop new strategies and approaches. This course has been developed in order to share ways in which we can more effectively identify barriers and develop solutions to overcome them.
An experiential course for particpants to fully understand the skills and mindset necessary to present confidently and communicate with clarity. Also to be able to structure and present with authority and to be resilient and maintain a positive mindset throughout the whole process.
The course will enable candidates to build the skills and confidence to enable them to gain the co-operation of others and be more positive when presenting verbally and non-verbally as well as presenting themselves as positively as possible matching the styles of the person or audience.
Managers and staff are increasingly being asked to reach agreements with other departments, government agencies, public or voluntary bodies about the provision of services and the delivery of outcomes. This requires them to be effective in conducting negotiations to maintain standards, achieve improved results and deliver value for money.
Many organisation are relying less on Human Resources professionals to handle day to day employee relations issues. This requires line managers to conduct negotiations about local issues with employee representatives & trade unions. This course helps equip them with the negotiating skills needed.
This course seeks to develop and apply negotiating skills, so participants are asked to come to this workshop with information about a negotiation they will be involved in or a negotiation they have handled recently.
Many people find themselves busy throughout the day, constantly involved in some type of activity. That same group of people often reflect back upon their working day and when they take stock have made very little, if any real progress towards their own to-do list. They have applied their best effort during the course of the day but have not really been productive and key priorities have been overlooked or missed altogether.
This course will look at the ways in which we can more effectively sequence, organise and focus our approach to our work.
This course will show participants how to better prioritise their work, create detailed time planners, overcome procrastination and take control.
This course will outline a model for managing change within a complex health or social care 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.
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.
A two hour course enabling participants to fully understand the skills and mindset necessary to present confidently, communicating with clarity and how to take audiences away on a journey. Stories make such a powerful tool and help deliver business messages in more compelling ways. It helps you communicate with passion and to engage directly with peoples’ feelings. We will equip you with the skills and confidence to use the power of storytelling in business.
The course will enable candidates to build the skills and confidence to enable them to be positive when presenting verbally and non-verbally as well as matching the styles of the audience to captivate and produce a memorable experience.
“Your audience may never remember your point, but they will always remember your story!”
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.
Difficult subjects with colleagues and clients is often a daunting prospect for many. People sometimes avoid conflict situations where they need to deliver bad news or where they fear that there will be an adverse reaction to an assertive or critical message. Yet few things are as impressive in business as the ability to discuss difficult issues with honesty, clarity, and integrity and to deal in a fair and objective way with the powerful emotions that inevitably arise.
This course aims to provide participants with the skills and confidence they need to develop this vital skill set.
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.
Effective communication is key to any business or organisation being able to function efficiently. The focus of this course is on improving the way delegates communicate information and instructions in the workplace.
Assertiveness is an important skill in the workplace as it is fundamental to good communication. Being assertive means being able to stand up for your own or other people’s rights in a calm and positive way, without being either aggressive, or passively accepting ‘wrong’. Assertive individuals have good self esteem and are able to get their point across without upsetting others, or becoming upset themselves.
This course aims to help participants improve their assertiveness skills.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
This course focuses on the key legislation and codes of practice relating to diversity, equality and inclusion.
The aim of the course is to learn simple techniques to create positive outcomes, identify ways to achieve resilience and assertiveness, and look at how to use the skills to engage people including difficult situations.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The purpose of this session is to review what is required when developing a Commissioning Report and identify specific points that should be included.
