CALM Training - TESTIMONIALS

evaluations Calm Training offers training programmes covering aggression management, physical intervention, challenging behaviour, escape techniques, post incident debriefing and risk assessment

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EVALUATIONS

Independent published Evaluation {(EBD School); Perkins & Leadbetter 2002

"The results indicate that staff acquired a deeper knowledge of the physical intervention techniques immediately following the initial training session. "

The majority of staff (82%) reported increased confidence as a result of the training. The use of verbal de-escalation techniques showed a significant increase. When used, physical interventions employed mainly low-level techniques."

Child Welfare League of America (2004) - Achieving Better Outcomes for Children and Families - Reducing Restraint & Seclusion

This study comprised Congress' response to the publication of the restraint fatality data base by the Connecticut newspaper, The Hartford Courant listing 142 restraint related fatalities. The project was facilitated by an $8 Million Federal grant and co ordinated by the Child Welfare League of America. It constitutes perhaps the biggest evaluative project on the impact of training in this area to date.

The study design involved a 5 site evaluative project which explored the impact of conflict management & physical restraint training. CALM Training was specifically researched and commissioned by our partner agency, The Methodist Home for Children and Youth, Macon, Georgia ( listed as Site E) and was the only non US domestic training model involved in the project. The study concluded:-

Site E:- "was the most successful at reducing and maintaining low rates of child injury" (CWLA 2004:13)

Edinburgh Recommendation 55 Inquiry ( Lindsey & Hosie 2000)

This independent report conducted by the then Centre for Residential Child Care (subsequently Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care) was commissioned as one of the responses to the Marshall Inquiry. An independent and unrelated report on the sexual abuse of children in the care of Edinburgh City Council. During the Marshall investigation Council staff expressed a number of concerns to the inquiry team, one of which centered on the Councils approach to Care and Control. Essentially the Recommendation 55 Report centered on the question " Does CALM Work" ?

The report provides an excellent discussion of the complexity of the issues shaping effective care and control in children's services. It highlights a range of conclusions confirmed by subsequent research and the dangers of " Reductionism" ( i.e. over simplification of complex problems ) and of " Panacea Thinking " ( i.e. the belief that training as a stand alone intervention can produce positive outcomes). Contrary to popular belief, conflict management training must compliment, but cannot replace, effective agency strategies. Consequently an integrated " whole organisation approach" and close liaison between training commissioners and suppliers must be an essential element of care and control training strategies. In the continuing absence of national regulation and/or robust in physical intervention training accreditation schemes, the multiply determined nature of safe practice means that all PI training must be based on the principle of "Beneficence" i.e. "First Do No Harm" . PI training in child care services cannot include techniques which can be used punitively or which rely on high levels of staff skill or fitness for safe implementation[1]

The reports conclusions included:-

" Physical restraint training , of any type, is in effect a way of supplying staff with tools which they can use to improve the safety of the care they offer to young people. However, if the attitude of staff is punitive, or their style of working based on the use of force and the assertion of power, then they will utilise whatever tools they are given to this end" ( 2000 12.3.5 )

" It is also not apparent that there is any system on the market that is clearly better than CALM at present ( 2000:91)

" Staff use the name CALM in talking about care and control issues, and do not always seem to understand that CALM is the method chosen as one part of the Council's approach to care and control, rather than being synonymous with it ( 2000:12.2.6)

" None of the managers seemed confident that their external manager would be able to give a clear picture of the level of incidents over the preceding week" ( 2000:77)

"There was widespread suspicion that there would be no support from senior managers" (2000:77)

"In secure unit X ( CALM edit) there is a culture of decking kids" ( 2000:85)

"There were criticisms , but when analysed, most of these related to matters that were not directly the result of CALM itself, but of other factors ( e.g. buildings, staffing, ethos, practice, policy etc )" (2000:91)

"There was confusion about what could reasonably be expected of the care and control policy, in particular an expectation that CALM could handle every situation, otherwise it was seen as ineffective" ( 2000:92)

" It is common for training and operations not to be well linked in professions and this appeared to be the case here" ( 2000:12)

Recommendations

A:- The Scottish Executive should establish a national standing committee on Physical Intervention techniques , with multi disciplinary membership	Accepted - Director to inform Scottish Executive of these three proposals and seek a national discussion on these matters
B:- There should be a national reporting system of physical restraints	..
There should be continuing research into violence towards welfare and health workers	..

Note :- As of July 2006 the first 2 recommendations have not been implemented

[1] See Scottish Executive/SIRCC Guidance - Holding Safely, Chapter 10