I specialise in training Staff on how to manage difficult, challenging situations and personal safety under the title ‘Personal Safety Awareness (Keeping Safe)’.
The training is delivered through a light-hearted but thought provoking 4-hour session which is specifically tailored to introduce Social Work students to personal safety skills and the realities of practice. It focuses on hostile or awkward situations and is designed for the types of incidents Social Workers are very likely to encounter in their line of duty and how to manage those situations and keep themselves safe.
The training is geared towards self-awareness and introspection: “How do I react when put into a situation I’m uncomfortable with?” The focus is on providing skills to help workers manage stressful and potentially volatile situations in a professional manner, especially taking into consideration that how we react to a service user who is angry or distressed will affect the overall intended outcome of our intervention with them.
I also make students aware of the legal responsibilities of employers in protecting staff from Harassment, Violence and Aggression in the workplace and what should be expected in minimising and managing that risk.
I currently deliver this lecture to Social Work Students at 4 Universities, feedback from students and course leads is always very positive, this is reflected on me being asked to return year on year.