I personally have been receiving De escalate training from Des for 8 years, and it has radically changed how i work with people, behaviours, and my own family.

Before I was sent on a deescalate course, i was trained in [[..redacted..]] and the service that I worked in had padded rooms for ways to help children who were dysregulated.

On the first D8 course I learnt the most important lesson for myself which was i don't have to win, and that it was ok to give something to stop a behaviour so you could go away and plan for another day.

Physical interventions halved almost straight away and over time have become a very rare experience done only as a last resort for when there is Imminent danger and everything else had been tried and failed.

I view behaviour more holistically and look for the communication and function in it. This over the years has been one of the greatest changes to my personal development with working with children with additional needs and more generally people.

The Ethos of what de-escalate gave me is what all carers need to be effective practitioners.

Thank you for the training courses that you have delivered and continue to deliver for us at Havencare.

I do not think “course” does D.ESCAL8 justice. I would use the term “experience”.

It is an experience that helps shape staff alignment with the right values, the right understanding, and the right practices; whilst developing awareness and empathy of self and others. Courses give certificates (and D.Escal8 certification does still tick all the right boxes for regulation and best practice), but it is the experience of D.Escal8 that brings legacy.

Unlike other programmes we have used in the past, this learning is unapologetically “real”. Learning is cemented in long-term memory by inciting emotion in participants, enabling understanding of their own personal reactions in challenging circumstances, and building the skills and confidence to help keep people safe.

If Government, NHS England and Local Authorities are committed to “Transforming Care” for the most vulnerable and poorly treated people with learning disabilities and autism (many currently held in ill-equipped and restrictive assessment and treatment units (ATUs) and secure hospitals), the legacy of your programme delivery is exactly what the sector needs to help us move forward with sustainable quality, dignity and respect.

I look forward to continuing our work together in the future.

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.

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.

Great mix of cutting edge behaviour support and if all else fails gentle physical skills that are designed explicitly to avoid escalation, aimed at restraint reduction. A thought provoking experience containing many insights that challenge prevailing negative perceptions, scientifically grounded and with a healthy dose of philosophy. Anyone working in care or supporting someone cannot afford to miss this course.

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.

I've worked in the Care and Education industry for many years and attended a number of physical intervention courses. D.escal8 has been the most worthwhile, meaningful course I've experienced. I came away feeling confident and empowered with  a deeper understanding of my role and how to deliver physical interventions more effectively and compassionately to individuals in distress.

Des is a really interesting guy and has a great deal of knowledge and experience to back up his strategies and techniques. This course is a real eye-opener and will challenge your thinking!

Thanks Des, really enjoyed the course!

I felt this course perfectly balanced, both the theory and law, focusing on ACEs and how this affects a young person’s behaviour then going on to cover de-escalation techniques that historically staff have maybe not had when working with young people.

Also, the physical side of the training, with the trainer giving us a list of profiles to choose from which give an overview of a young person before acting this out and expecting us to work through what we had learned while under pressure.

I found this to be the most realistic training I have been on, and it really put you in the type of situation that staff find themselves in while working in the services.

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! :)

Second time I've been on the 3 day course with Des, and it was as informative and fun as the first time. It gives me renewed confidence in my work as a support worker and that benefits the people I work with and the people we care for.

It is so effective that when I took a job as a teaching assistant the rest of the staff were surprised with the ease that I took to the role, the rapport that I built quickly

with the students and my calmness in stressful situations. They believed that it came naturally but I have a large part of that to thank D.escal8 for- the principles, practices and training in physical interventions of the course instills a calmness and ease that others just pick up on, and it is beneficial to everyone. Not all training is created equal, and having been on a different course I can easily say that this one is superior and I hope one day that D.escal8 is the industry standard- our industry has some catching-up to do.

It is also interesting as a Psychology student that Des has definitely done his homework- and even points out some flaws and misconceptions about the field which is evidenced by real world experience and research- something that is very positive as Psychology is a science and we have to continue experimenting and reviewing knowledge we take as unquestionable, or else it becomes dogma. So it is gratifying that this work is also helping to forward the field of Psychology too. Thanks a lot, Des! See you on the next one 🙂

I have attended many types of intervention training over my 25 years working in health and social care, DESCAL8 is the first training I have attended that puts the focus on the individual as the centre of the process, the focus on working with the individual to ensure everyone is kept safe whilst anxiety is high but without the need for force and control to ‘manage’ the risks. The psychology behind the theory gives a strong thought structure to ensure application of physical practice is applied with the right value basis attached. I have completed the 3 days walking away with a fresh perspective, with the right value basis and knowledge that I can support myself/team to stay safe without the need to control individual when they are experiencing high levels of distress- ensuring that the support they receive is build on trust and respect that is not broken at these times. Absolutely amazing!

I have attended a follow up training run by Des Cooke on how to efficiently support people in distress today and it was so refreshing to be able to revise all the techniques we learnt.
Des training focuses on teaching carers and staff working with clients who can become distressed at times strategies that are much less invasive as usual restraint procedures. It places emphasis on de-escalating situations whilst ensuring that both clients and carers are safe.
It’s all focused on keeping carers calm during such situations, showing real care for the individual whist they apply techniques (when needed), backing off when both are safe rather than on trying to overpower and control the individual as we sadly see in so many types of training.
It also takes into account that at times individuals use touching, pulling a person by the arm and approaching as a way to communicate a message or show something to someone and it uses an individual’s preferred items so they can be redirected to those when applicable.
Des not only offers courses for professionals but he also runs parent workshops and assists individuals on a one to one basis.
Please like his page and share with your contacts!!!
Highly recommended course!!! 🎉🎉🎉”

I have been involved in care/ support work for over thirty years and this was the sixth provider of this type of training I have attended. I was also a company trainer for several years as well.

I really wish I had recieved the D.ESCAL8 training many years ago it is way beyond any other training both in practice and theory.

The practical is so hands on and in the past I have left training with doubts that it would ever work in practice. The role plays on the third day left me with no doubt this training is extremely effective and works.

There was a real focus on the relationships with clients and supporting people in distress when everything else has tried and failed involving discussion that really encouraged the whole group to contribute.

We were told at the beginning of the course we would not hear the words "challenging behaviour" but focus on supporting people in distress and I that was just they way the course was presented.

If you have had doubts in the past about training then I would strongly recommend you attended this course as I believe that you as I was will not come away disappointed.

In one word "Brilliant"

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.  

In my 20 yrs in the industry and 100’s of courses I have attended this was by far the most thought provoking, relevant and realistic approach to supporting individuals. This course could make an unmeasurable difference, not only to the individual’s you support but to staff moral within your team. Couldn’t recommend highly enough.

Des course has provided me with so many pro-active strategies and taught me that there is so much we can do before we restrain a person. The compassion, trauma informed and focus on dignity and respect really came across to me during the course. He is extremely interactive and we feel we have had the opportunity to practice well and receive feedback. Highly recomended!

The experience was incredible I learnt so much as a support worker. I feel as though after taking this training I can be so much more confident and so much better at my job . Des is incredible he teaches you so much and gets you to really think outside the box!

Hi Des trust you are doing well. On Monday while on duty with another member of staff we had a major incident in the community that lasted for nearly thirty minutes.

I thought you would like to know we used the De-esculate techniques you taught and they worked extremely effectively.

Nothing like proving something works well when in a real life situation.

After having just one shift as a support worker, I felt pretty overwhelmed and out of my depth. Luckily, my company booked me in for the deescal8 course and after completing it, I feel much more able to care for the person that I'm supporting. The course emphasises treating the person you're caring for as you would like to be treated, with dignity and autonomy. It also teaches you physical skills in a safe and relaxed environment, and that is in the best interests of your safety, your colleagues and that of the person that you're supporting, in a way that's least distressing. Des would remind us that "when you have the assurance that you can use these skills, it increases your confidence and therefore less likely to need them". I'd recommend this course to anyone already in the care sector and to people interested in working in the care sector.

I have been working with individuals who display behaviour that may challenge for about 6 years. In this time, I have completed various types of physical intervention training from different providers.

Although these were good, I have found the D.escal8 training to be significantly better at helping me understand and consider the reasons behind challenging behaviour. The interventions were taught in a way that made them both memorable and adaptable. In addition, the positive impact on my confidence and attitude has extended beyond my work life.

Des is very knowledgeable. His qualifications and experience speak for themselves.