Supporting Individuals in Distress
“Disruptive pupil behaviour is a frustration for many teachers. In fact, 70% of teachers told us they had considered quitting the profession over poor behaviour.”
— TEACHER SUPPORT NETWORK AND FAMILY LIVES BEHAVIOUR SURVEY 2010
Our 3 day course ‘Developing Positive Relationships with Individuals in Distress’ will result in staff who feel they are empowered and reconnected with the way they should be engaging with children in distress.
“I am delighted to say that this training has transformed a tired and anxious team into a positive and confident one.”
— V.W. - SERVICE MANAGER
Sometimes a cycle can develop between the teacher and the students that makes things even worse: the pupils misbehave more, you dislike them more, you are less positive and friendly, they dislike you and your classes more, they disrupt more and so it goes on. The cycle needs to be broken.
D.ESCAL8TM can assist teachers, teaching assistants, support staff and carers to develop and maintain positive relationships with students, even when their behaviour has an emotional effect on them.
After our training participants will approach incidents and people in distress d8.is/b2 in a calmer manner. We use realistic role plays to simulate stress training resulting in staff who will be more confident during those interactions.
“I was very pleased with the training that you provided for us. it was very professional, you were interesting to listen to and the role play sessions certainly kept our attention. It gave all the staff food for thought and led to a lot of deep discussion. I will certainly be making sure that all staff access De-escal8 training with you.”
— N.S. HEAD TEACHER
D.ESCAL8TM firmly believe in giving staff the skills and confidence to be able to create space when needed. As such we can teach hands on practical skills that enable staff to disengage easily and calmly from:
Your staff will also learn:
“All the staff have improved their knowledge and understanding of positive behaviour support. The course has increased their confidence in managing behaviour which is then, replicated in their practice throughout school.
Once again, you have delivered an excellent and interactive course!”
— J.O. DEPUTY HEAD TEACHER
All D.ESCAL8 TM courses embed the principle that physical interventions should only be used as a last resort, once primary and secondary preventions have been attempted and failed. The interventions we teach on the 3 day course are effective in all situations and do not use the floor in any way. D.ESCAL8 TM teach interventions that are the least restrictive, and work with the movement of the individual rather than fight against it in an attempt to restrain; this results in staff being able to build more positive relationships with pupils in distress. The third day of the course includes:
“It’s been a term since we received training in De-escalate and the impact of the training is really showing in a number of areas. The whole Inclusion Centre feels calmer and our staff are more confident in dealing with difficult situations where pupils are displaying distress. All staff are being more proactive and creative in trying to de-escalate situations before intervening physically.
We still do have situations where staff need to intervene physically but by using De-escalate the interventions are much shorter and don’t tend to intensify as they often have done in the past. Staff also report that they are able to work with the pupils involved much more easily having used De-escalate instead of our previous methods which often led to upset and anger.
Having worked as an Educational Psychologist for 10 years I thought I had a good knowledge and understanding of positive behaviour management and reinforcement theory, however, this course challenged my beliefs and those of my colleagues. As a team we have spent the last term reflecting upon and changing our practice for the better of our students as a consequence of this high quality training. We are gradually changing the ethos of how we perceive and manage the behaviours of the young people within our centre. We work with pupils aged 11 to 19 years with a wide range of abilities and needs including ASC, SLD and PMLD. In the current financial climate it is difficult for many organisations to find the funding to pay for training. I would highly recommend this training to any school or organisation that work with children and people who have learning difficulties, the impact measured against cost is well worth it. I would be happy for other schools and organisations to get in touch to discuss De-escalate and how it has helped both staff and pupils within our Inclusion Centre.”
— R.D. HEAD TEACHER
“I highly recommend the training to any professional who works with children where their presentation needs to be safely managed in such a way that actually supports that young person and staff. The training was very refreshing, providing new ways to manage a range of behaviours.
The ethos around any physical intervention has been well thought out and tested. The training was delivered very well and has supported my ability as a practitioner so keep myself and the Young People safe.”
— L.C. -NQSW/SOCIAL WORKER/ASW PRACTITIONER
“When I finally commissioned some bespoke training in September 2015 I ate my words. I was impressed with the content, the presentation, the personalisation of information and the unique ability of the trainer to humanise the work we do.
I immediately commissioned another full course to train my entire staff team to ensure that we all signed up to this way of working. To understand where behaviour comes from and how to respond appropriately and sensitively. I enjoyed the confidence that came from this and the realisation that sometimes to walk away, ‘give in’ and ‘not win’ were all considered ‘best practice’. This changed the mind-set of the staff team. They suddenly felt empowered and re-connected with the way they feel they should be looking after disabled children.
More than a month after training the staff are still buzzing. They have used this and I am heartened to hear them talking about behaviour and planning for behaviour in the way the training has taught them. Ofsted also visited us the day after we completed the training and were impressed with our decision to step outside the mould for Plymouth and commission such an innovative training course for what is and will always be a very sensitive and delicate area of care for such a vulnerable group of children.
I am delighted to say that this training has transformed a tired and anxious team into a positive and confident one.”
— V.W. - SERVICE MANAGER
Des made a huge difference to Woodbridge Park. We have been on a rapid journey towards a more holistic, trauma-informed approach with our children and young people; moving away from traditional black and white behaviourist principles. Des joined us at the right time in this journey and provided some intensive staff support and training which has had a significant impact on our procedures and on staff practice. Thanks to Des’ calm, reassuring manner, our staff engaged intently with training and it was clear that many had a few ‘light bulb’ moments when it all suddenly made sense.
Des inspired and motivated our whole service to think differently about behaviour and to focus on what is really going on with a child or young person. As a result of Des’ support, we have developed a trail-blazing pupil induction and targeted support toolkit which clearly identifies underlying causes of negative behaviours and personal triggers. We revised our Development Plan to focus on trauma, attachment and reducing staff and pupil stress and anxiety and focused all our energies in approaching children and young people with curiosity, not judgment. Since 2018, our challenging behaviour incidents have fallen around 50%, our fixed-term exclusions have reduced from over 100 per year to less than 15, with no pupils; for over a year; with more than one exclusion. Our school attendance has also improved over the last two years and we remain above national averages. Des was part of this success and this journey and we cannot speak highly enough about him, his energy and approach.
Commonly staff will say that the Physical Intervention training they had previously received was not compatible with their PBS training. Here at D.ESCAL8™ we pride ourselves on the fact that our course feedback overwhelmingly says that we deliver physical intervention training that is the most compatible with the PBS training being delivered to staff.
D.ESCAL8™ deliver PBS training in its own right, and our Physical Intervention training and consultancy is fully grounded in PBS allowing a seamless experience for participants.
