certified open training courses

Open training

developing positive relationships

West Wales Open Workshop

19-21st Nov 2024

Narberth Area

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D8 Training Hubs

D.ESCAL8™ in association with like minded partner organisations can bring you these fully operational PBS & PI training hubs delivering accessible de-escalation training for carers and family members

I attended the 3 day course delivered by Des. Des was extremely engaging and facilitated the 3 days very well. The 3 days were challenging and thought provoking but Des delivers the training with such skill that all trainees appeared relaxed and able to learn.

I have been an instructor of PBS training as part of my role, including the theory and physical techniques, for many years,  so prior to the course I was looking forward to seeing some alternative techniques. I approached the course interested to see some alternative physical interventions. The theory element was pretty much similar to what I deliver but the alternative physical techniques I was very impressed with and after 30 years of working within this area and having attended many physical intervention training packages over the years I have to say this course has really made me think about the overall approach to physical interventions. I believe all staff would benefit from attending this training, even if they have vast experience of delivering PBS training and physical interventions.  

Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Words from a trainer who had 6 previous providers. None came close.

D.ESCAL8™ ‘Open’ Courses are as they say - ‘open to all’.

We offer these courses from our Training Hubs of West Wales, Bristol and Plymouth so that as many people as possible are able to access the benefits our training provides.

This ‘Open’ option is perfect for organisations with small numbers of staff, professionals who work alone or in small teams, sessional carers paid by direct payments, agency workers and lone workers; indeed anyone who is involved with individuals who can display problem behaviours and distress.

This option also enables managers from larger organisations to experience the course and decide if it would benefit their staff. If you are coming to experience the course with this view, then you are more than welcome and will be eligible for a discount.

Our focus is on assisting carers to be compassionate, calmer and more confident when assisting individuals who are distressed. D.ESCAL8™ training will enable you to not simply appear to be calm, but actually feel calmer and more confident in your de-escalation skills, enabling you to build positive relationships with those you care for.

As this is an update course I have already put ideas into use in my classroom. The distraction techniques can be very effective in eliminating behavious

Teacher

West Wales Open Workshop

19-21st Nov 2024

Narberth Area

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'Supporting Individuals in Distress' (SID) - Restraint Reduction Network

This D.ESCAL8™ 3 day course is Certified under the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards administered by the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD). As with all our physical intervention courses it is informed by the Training Needs Analysis of the needs of the individuals you support.

Participants completing this course will gain a certificate confirming they have been trained to the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards.

As the 'Supporting Individuals in Distress' course (SID) is certified you can be confident that all of the standards of theory, current legislation, Physical Intervention Risk Assessments and best practice are met whilst being tailored to the particular needs of your service and supported individuals.

  • RESEARCH BASED - embedding current research, legislation, best practice and 'real world' examples, aiding consolidation of skills and knowledge
  • SAFE ZONE - participants are fully supported both emotionally and physically throughout our training situations, leading to a toolbox of staff support systems
  • BEHAVIOURAL - we use Behavioural Skills Training (BST) theory which employs instructions, modelling, rehearsal, and feedback in order to effectively teach a new skill

Day One

Concepts

  • Legal Aspects & Policies
  • Tolerance & Emotional Resilience
  • Stress & Staff Support
  • Assault Cycle & De-escalation techniques
  • Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)

Physical Interventions - Disengagement

  • Simple pinches

Day two

This content is agreed during the commissioning process and is informed by Training Needs Analysis & Behavioural Audits.

Concepts

  • Introduction to Stress Training - how our emotions affect the interactions we have when in stressful situations & how we can improve our communication under pressure. Our aim is to build positive relationships with those we support.
  • Introduction to Self Injury

Physical Interventions - Disengagement

Examples of the comprehensively risk assessed techniques include;

  • Wrist Grabs
  • Pinching / Scratching
  • Clothing Grabs
  • Hair Grabs
  • Biting
  • Airway Protection
  • Assisting Others in any situation
  • Protection from hits / blows

Day three

This content is agreed during the commissioning process and is informed by Training Needs Analysis & Behavioural Audits.

Concepts for day 3

  • Advanced Stress Training
  • Self Injury

Restrictive Physical Interventions

Extending on from and consolidating the second day, examples of the techniques include;

  • Movement concepts
  • Fluid Restraint
  • Movement & Self Injury
  • Other Restrictive Procedures as informed by Training Needs Analysis & Behavioural Audits

Link to BILD ACT entry for D.ESCAL8™

an image of a hand written evaluation

I recently attended the 'Descal8' training with Des and I am really impressed.

I have attended a few [other company name removed] training courses in the past and thought this would be similar. However it was not.

There are two aspects that really stood out to me:

1. The course is cleverly designed to increase your confidence over the course of 3 days, using techniques such as role play and practice sessions that slowly increase in intensity. This is great as it can feel like a real representation of a situation that can occur and gets you thinking fast! - By day 3 I definitely had more confidence and do feel I could implement what I have learnt should a situation arise (which, of course, we always hope it won't).

2. This was the most important part which stood out to me.  This course taught me the least restrictive practice I've ever come across! Previous training programs I have attended, taught maneuvers that were very hands on and in some cases restricted the movements of the service user, which has the potential to cause more distress. Descal8 shows you ways that help you gain control over the situation and not the person. And that, to me, is perfect.

Thanks again - It's definitely a course you will remember! :)

Support Worker

If you would like to experience the course with a view to purchasing in the future and the participant has the authority to make that purchasing decision please chat to us as a certain number of spaces are kept available strictly for that purpose.


I have just completed the 3 day D.ESCAL8 course. I am a BCBA who currently works both in the U.K. and abroad. I cannot recommend this course highly enough. For me, this course provided the missing piece of the puzzle. I would encourage all ABA practitioners, and indeed all others involved in the care or education system in general, to attend this course. It encompasses the ABA approach whilst providing valuable crisis management techniques.

Des as a trainer is engaging, knowledgable and compelling. He challenges preconceived ideas and provokes mind set change with astounding efficiency. I have attended other “physical intervention” courses in the past. D.ESCAL8 provides an alternative so far superior you will wonder why it isn’t the only option.

Board Certified Behaviour Analyst - BCBA

West Wales Open Workshop

19-21st Nov 2024

Narberth Area

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West Wales

19-21st Nov 2024

Participant - West Wales

£347 plus VAT

West Wales

  • Access Ongoing Support
  • Perpetual Digital Participant Booklet Updates
  • Digital PDF Certificate Access Online
  • Premium Quality Printed Card Certificates
  • Discount on Annual Update day (booked during the original course)
Register Interest

Early Bird - West Wales

£297 plus VAT

West Wales

  • Access Ongoing Support
  • Perpetual Digital Participant Booklet Updates
  • Digital PDF Certificate Access Online
  • Premium Quality Printed Card Certificates
  • Discount on Annual Update day (booked during the original course)
Register Interest

Bristol Registration - TBC

Early 2025

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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.

Headteacher, Alternative Provision Service
Hands down the best de-escalation training I have ever had.

Plymouth Registration

Mid 2025 - TBC

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improve the lives of those you support and their futures

The course was absolutely fantastic and I believe everyone in the care industry should receive this training as standard. I felt particularly empowered by the whole philosophy of de-escalate and its client centered approach. The course encourages you to challenge personal beliefs and societal presumptions which could be unhelpful when assisting an individual in distress. Instead it allows you to develop confidence in knowing how to act in a high arousal situation which you may find challenging, this confidence then in turn assists youto respond in more helpful low aroused ways rather than resorting to touch and restraint which is likely to distress clients further.

Des is a fantastic trainer who delivers course content in an engaging way which meets all learning styles. His knowledge of the subject was above and beyond including psychology, law, case examples, research and much more! I particularly enjoyed the role plays which was an invaluable way of learning, I don’t want to give too much away but let’s just say the pressure you’re put under compares to VERY realistic situations which was an invaluable learning experience!

PSYCHOLOGIST