CALM Training - TESTIMONIALS

Sample written commendations from user agencies have included:-

1) Social Services Department - Annual Evaluation - Report to Directorate

"CALM training has been received extremely positively with participants indicating that team confidence, cohesiveness and working practices have improved as a result."

2) SWD - Residential Child Care - Questionnaire result: -

"It found 90% of those responding stated that they find CALM de escalation skills useful in their everyday work, with diversionary skills being the most frequently employed."

"Over the 3 month period a total of 91 physical interventions were reported, plus numerous low level interventions. No child or young person was reported being in any way injured."

"An overwhelming majority indicated that they felt better able to carry out their duties appropriately since being CALM trained."

"Managers report that CALM has increased the confidence of their staff group and consolidated team working and overall competence."

3) Young People's Secure Unit

"There is evidence that there has been an improvement in the way in which children are managed when they are experiencing difficulties in exercising self control. Staff are now trying to utilise de escalation techniques to avoid a restraint wherever possible. They now feel much more confident in how they are approaching a situation and are aware of their own body language and communications skills in situations."

" When it has been necessary to restrain a young person the whole procedure is managed sensitively and safely."

4) Academic Evaluation of 2 Children's Homes

"--- the evidence from interview and questionnaire does indicate that most staff members clearly understood the purpose, recognised the need and benefited personally from The CALM training programme which was generally well presented in terms of material and delivery. "

"In this respect, the format provided by CALM training with its key emphasis on shared discussion by the whole staff group, did seem to offer the right kind of model for progress."

5) Voluntary Sector Learning Disability Organization (Autistic Spectrum)

"CALM training is proving to be a highly respected and valued opportunity for staff to build their skills and gain confidence. The training provided is of high quality and feedback indicates the direct benefits this is having on the service ."

6) Unions

"Unison welcomes the CALM approach -- in practical situations it is advantageous -- Dealing with people in the real world can be difficult at times. The CALM approach seems to be a very imaginative idea." (Senior Scottish Unison official - Evening News 2/9/98 - commenting on West Lothian Council policy & training).

7) Local Authority Children's Services

"CALM especially appears to have been successfully introduced in local authority establishments." (Registration & Inspection Service )

"Staff are confident, more assertive and generally better at their jobs since the introduction of CALM" (Local Authority Children's Home)

8) Education Authority (EBD)

"The CALM training has proved successful in pilot schemes at Cordyce School in Dyce, Aberdeen, where there has since been a reduction in temporary exclusions and violent incidents." (Director of Education - Aberdeen City Council - Glasgow Herald 26/1/00)

9) 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."

10) Residential EBD School

"CALM continues to play a very important part in the management of the children's behaviour at ---- and ensuring safe and consistent management of the children. I have no doubt that it has helped maintain warm, caring relationships with children who have only just begun to experience what it means to be safe. Without it many of our more violent but also affectionate children would have had to have been transferred away from our care. It is also interesting to note that care staff who have been fully CALM trained have chosen to stay with the organisation which has saved money for the organisation in terms of the cost of recruiting new staff as well as being beneficial in terms of long term staff - children relationships. It is through the long term relationships between staff and children where most of our work is carried out in terms of challenging behaviour."

11) Residential EBD School

"The feedback from staff has been extremely positive and a valuable learning experience. Above all it has been extremely useful and has given the adults at --- more confidence when working with pupils who display aggressive behaviour. There has been a noticeable reduction in damage caused to property throughout the last year. The de-escalation strategies used have proved invaluable, as has the schools updated self-protection policy."