Autistic man prosecuted for assault on care worker: focus on training

ISSUE: At Dynamis, we are constantly asking whether the "specialist skills training" provided to staff to verbally manage conflict, to protect themselves and to physically intervene when necessary actually have end-user utility. This means that we are concerned about WHAT the staff are taught and whether the skills and tactics are relevant and effective, but increasingly we are now asking whether HOW those skills are taught are ensuring that the skills are really assimilated and retained. In the future we are planning with our industry partners to bring information to light which will begin a step-change in the training of staff in the UK.  The results we would hope to achieve with this would be, for example: - fewer incidents which escalate to this level of violence unnecessarily - more skilled staff who deploy the right tactics to bring an end to incidents without injury or with reduced risk of injury - more confidence for care services that the training they ARE providing is ACTUALLY working to reduce their risk and number of such incidents —————————————————————- Gerard O’Dea is a conflict management, personal safety and physical interventions training consultant.  He is the training director for Dynamis, a specialist provider of personal safety and violence management programmes and the European Adviser for ‘Verbal Defense and Influence’, a global programme which addresses the spectrum of human conflict.  www.dynamis.training