Open Training

Convenient and easy to sign up to, see our stimulating courses below. If you can't make the open courses talk to us and we can bring these to you in house. Our open courses will benefit:

• Providers who have only a few delegates requiring training e.g. new or developing staff
• Those who value the opportunity to network with others in the same field
• Individuals purchasing training independently e.g. considering working in a new field or looking for career progression
• Those keen on maintaining their Continuing Professional Development

In view of current government restrictions all courses are currently being offered on a virtual basis only.

We are running open courses throughout 2021, as follows:

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE's)

Early childhood experiences have lasting, measurable consequences later in life, we therefore need to foster emotional well-being from the earliest stages of life, enhancing resilience and the importance of relationships. This will build solid foundations for overall health and well-being. 

We have designed a course to provide knowledge and understanding to those professionals working with families and individuals of the impact that adversity, complexity and trauma can have on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.

The course will offer practical strategies and suggested resources which can be used to help support children, young people and their families.

See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Coaching skills

We have seen (and research shows) dramatic results in organisations where leaders and managers using coaching as a ‘way of being’ with staff. Learning skills in coaching along with increasing understanding through practice and experience of why coaching works ensures that you can effectively enhance ownership and performance of the people you manage to meet organisational objectives.

This course, delivered in 4 half day sessions, will provide the basic skills needed for effective coaching.

Contextual Safeguarding - an introduction

This course, run on a virtual basis in 2 interactive group sessions, provides an introduction to contextual safeguarding covering:

• Where and when young people face the risk of harm and exploitation

•  The five inter-related contextual safeguarding themes
• The research underpinning contextual safeguarding
• The importance of the weighting and interplay of the contextual safeguarding themes
• The importance of mapping hotspots (schools, neighbourhoods etc)
• Testing out a range of tools to help with contextual safeguarding mapping
• Using evidence to strengthen contextual safeguarding assessments

See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Cultural Competence; working with faith, religion and beliefs

This course is delivered in 2 half day interactive group sessions and is designed for professionals working with children and families. It will explore, through presentations, discussions and case studies:

• The values and beliefs of different faiths, belief systems and religions
• Skills to help put ‘respecting difference’ into practice
• Explore where communities and groups are stereotyped and consider appropriate responses
• The need for good self-awareness of our own culture and beliefs
• Frameworks for exploring the importance of faith and belief with children and families
• Where beliefs, culture or religion may be linked to abuse

 See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Engaging children and families in a virtual world

The changes we have tried to adjust to in 2020/21 through the pandemic have been huge.

Professionals have worked amazingly hard and demonstrated incredible commitment to remain focussed on the safety of children, young people and families. They have needed to adapt practice at speed to meet the needs of families, their service and the changing landscape. Completing assessments, managing risk and setting SMART goals can be extremely difficult virtually and it has proved more problematic to gain information virtually or with less face-to-face contact.

The course will support professionals to reflect on their practice and role. We will provide a safe place to share experiences; problem solve and explore tools and resources. It will increase their confidence and support their resilience.

See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Family Group Conferences

This course is for those people with some basic knowledge of family group conferences who wish to increase their understanding and obtain the necessary skills to co-ordinate family group conferences. 

This 3 day course is split into 6 interactive sessions with home learning tasks to support learning and understanding.

See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Level 4 Certificate - Working with Children, Individuals and Families.

The course will equip workers with the understanding, ability and confidence to go out and work effectively with children, individuals and families with complex and multiple needs.

It is a 15 credit Level 4 qualification which consists of 3 units.  It is THE qualification that fits latest policy and practice and meets the needs of the current workforce. We have developed a comprehensive professional guidance resource and a reflective workbook to support and embed learning. It is a 9 half day virtual training course delivered by an experienced training professional with full 1:1 support followed by a comprehensive assessment process over 6 months. See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Level 5 Leadership & Management Certificate - Working with Children, Individuals and Families.

This course leads to a qualification which is regulated by OFQUAL. It is a 22 credit Level 5 qualification consisting of 3 units and is run as a 9 half day virtual training course with full 1:1 support and followed by a comprehensive assessment process over a 6 month period.

The course is designed to develop effective leaders enabling them to use strategies to influence and provide  challenge to ensure organisational objectives are met whilst enhancing stakeholder relationships and understanding and responding to a variety of national/local agendas around working with children, individuals and families. See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Motivational Interviewing

For those wanting to work effectively with individuals and families with multiple and complex needs we know that you need to bring about change and improvements in outcomes. Using these approaches is a powerful technique in bringing about behaviour change. For those who are leaders in an organisation this supports you to get the best from your team.

Our 2 half day course provides the knowledge and awareness of how to use motivational approaches as a technique, consider the cycle of change, use tools and consider how to work with resistance and ambivalence.

See more on this course and other options here.

Parental Substance Misuse: the impact on children and goals for parental change

Our 2 half day interactive group session course for professionals working with children and families is designed to help build knowledge and confidence to work more effectively with families where substance misuse may impact on parents and on children and to plan for progress and change.. See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Professional Curiosity and Critical Thinking skills for assessments

Our 2 half day interactive group session course for professionals working with children and families, will explore, through presentations, discussions and case studies a range of thinking skills to enhance decision-making.  See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Supervision and staff support

Supervision is a vital part of effective working with individuals and families with multiple and complex needs.  It enables the manager and organisation to identify risks in cases, manage worker stress and reflective practice and address worker competence and gaps in learning.  

This 2 half day course is based on our work with multiple organisations and practitioner feedback of what works.  The course develops managers who feel able to address issues and support workers to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families.  The programme is hands on and interactive and includes tools and example forms to use in practice.  

See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Trauma Informed Practice

To provide trauma-informed care to children, young people and families, professionals need to have an awareness and understanding of the impact of trauma on child development and learn how to effectively minimize its effects without causing additional trauma.

Our 2 half day interactive group session course provides a grounding in Trauma Informed Practice for professionals working with children and families .

See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Understanding Baby, Child and Teenage Brain development

This course provides learners with an understanding of the function of early brain development and its impact on children and young people’s life chances. The programme will explore the impact of poverty and complex needs in families on baby brain development. 

Professionals will learn the key elements of teenage brain development which will underpin their ability to support parents and young people to ensure plans and interventions take into account the developmental needs of the child/young person. See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Working with men and fathers in families

Our 2 half day interactive group session course for professionals working with children and families, will explore, through presentations, discussions and case studies:

• The importance of working with fathers in families
• Practice dilemmas workers face when working with men in families
• Skills to find, engage, communicate and understand men in families
• The research evidence and men’s experiences of services
• The need to assess both strengths and risks of men in families
• How an understanding of attachment theory can help working with men in families

See more on this course and its learning outcomes here.

Please read our cancellation policy before making a booking.

Click here for our full Training Brochure.

Please note: VAT will be payable at the prevailing rate on the prices listed in the table below. The VAT inclusive prices are as follows:

£150 + vat = £180

£175 + vat = £210

£295 + vat = £354

£450 + vat = £540

£1,500 + vat = £1,800

£1,795 + vat = £2,154