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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are negative experiences in early life and childhood that can have an impact on health and wellbeing throughout life.
South Gloucestershire is committed to developing a co-ordinated and consistent ACE-informed approach, with a focus on recognition, prevention and early intervention and the cultural change that may be needed to support that. An ACE-informed approach is moving away from asking ‘what is wrong with you’ to asking ‘what happened to you’. It is more than just knowing about ACEs; it is using that knowledge to work together to:
- Prevent ACEs in future generations, including breaking the cycle within families
- Recognise the signs and symptoms of ACEs to enable appropriate early intervention to build resilience 
- Recognise the impacts of ACEs already experienced in children and adults and help them to receive support
- Support and build resilience in communities, families and children who are at risk of exposure to ACEs

The ACE Ambassador Network includes professionals from across public sector agencies, VCSE organisations and communities, and experts by experience. As well as delivering ACE-awareness raising sessions, the network offers opportunities to share updates and best practice and to build professional relationships and support. We hope that this network will be the mechanism by which cultural change will occur.

This training session is for participants who have signed up to be ACE Ambassadors from a variety of settings and backgrounds. Participants will already have basic awareness of ACEs and their impacts across the life course. This session is aimed at managers or staff in any sector who work with adults or children and would like to know more about how to facilitate the culture change needed to become ACE-informed. This course is FREE of charge. If you would like to find out more about joining the network but are unable to deliver training, please contact aces@southglos.gov.uk

Participants should have been identified within their organisations as ACE Ambassadors and have notified aces@southglos.gov.uk of their interest in the role prior to attending.

These workshops are for South Glos Council Integrated Childrens Services staff and Foster Carers only, i.e. who come into contact with young people and families. This includes managers who have responsibility for supervision, policy and decision-making.
The aim is to build good practice across children and young people's services, both challenging and supporting front line practitioners to be clear about what good practice looks like. There will be a focus on examples of good practice and support to staff to self evaluate their own practice against these examples. The aim is for everyone to share and learn from the things that went well, not so well, and what people would do differently to improve things.

This one-day interactive training course provides excellent foundation knowledge and awareness of how to manage contracts with external providers successfully in order to extract better value-for-money and deliver the desired commercial outcomes. Competence in this area is equally about how to manage intelligently, knowing when to consult with professional colleagues especially when undertaking complex processes such as contractual change, recognising the key drivers that will improve supplier performance and understanding the role and importance of robust contract governance.

The course is ideal for individuals who have accountability for managing third party service providers within the council (including budget holders, contract managers, relationship managers, service delivery managers and procurement practitioners), as well as those that are relatively new to the procurement function.

Please note there is £100 recharge for South Glos employees to attend this course.

This 2-hour webinar is designed for adult social care practitioners and managers as a direct result of the current Covid-19 outbreak. 

The British Institute of Human Rights deliver this session. It will focus on:
- Information on human rights and the Human Rights Act.
- The Coronavirus Act and the changes to legislation such as the Care Act (Easements), the Ethical Framework, the Mental Health Act/Mental Capacity Act interface, and SEND legislation.

The session will also include information on specific rights in the context of coronavirus such as those on the prohibition on inhuman and degrading treatment (Article 3) and private and family life, including choice, control, wellbeing (Article 8).

There will be practice guidance in relation to:
* Individuals with/without Covid 19 and with or without mental capacity in relation to Coronavirus Act requirements, in care settings who refuse to self-isolate and place others (and to some extent themselves) at risk. This represents a particularly complex balance between the MCA and the HRA.

* Difficult decisions around people’s ability to remain in contact with family members, particularly at end of life, and how we can advocate for this / support with technology etc

* Balancing providers’ abilities to deliver services (reduced capacity) with peoples’ needs, and how to make decisions about what is essential and non-essential care.

* Using the Ethical Framework and the Human Rights Act as a tool to discuss decision making processes with other (health) professionals - particularly around access to life saving treatment.

This network is for SENCOs and Childminders.


These network sessions will provide childminders and setting SENCOs with:

· Up to date information about national and local initiatives regarding SEND.
· Opportunities to share professional discussions and dialogue on an identified topic or theme for the evening.
· Opportunities for practitioners to update their knowledge and share practice on SEND.

Each series of meeting will have a spotlight on a particular aspect of SEND. This may include a speaker and will provide practitioners with opportunities for professional discussion and dialogue. The focus of the meeting will be posted on the VLE one month prior to the meeting taking place.

This training aims to provide attendees with a greater knowledge of human trafficking and slavery and explore the issues facing individuals who have been trafficked, how to correctly identify and spot the signs of potential exploitation and how to report suspected incidents. This course is suitable for staff who have regular contact with suppliers; contractors; the public and families (including adults and children and young people; AND/OR regular involvement in safeguarding issues; and managers who manage these services). The training will cover: • What trafficking and slavery are • Nature and scale of the issue – nationally, regionally, locally • Types of trafficking and slavery • How to recognise the signs • National and local examples of the issue • The National Referral Mechanism – what it is • South Gloucestershire Council employee responsibilities This is a 90 minute awareness session available at both KCC and BMR. This is a condensed version of the 3-hour Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery training which is available at KCC only, on a quarterly basis.

This training aims to provide attendees with a greater knowledge of human trafficking and slavery and explore the issues facing individuals who have been trafficked, how to correctly identify and spot the signs of potential exploitation and how to report suspected incidents. This course is suitable for staff who have regular contact with suppliers; contractors; the public and families (including adults and children and young people; AND/OR regular involvement in safeguarding issues; and managers who manage these services). The training will cover: • What trafficking and slavery are • Nature and scale of the issue – nationally, regionally, locally • Types of trafficking and slavery • How to recognise the signs • National and local examples of the issue • The National Referral Mechanism – what it is • South Gloucestershire Council employee responsibilities This is a 90 minute awareness session available at both KCC and BMR. This is a condensed version of the 3-hour Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery training which is available at KCC only, on a quarterly basis.

How does what we think impact our reality? What would happen if we altered our thinking to something more helpful? You talk more to yourself than to anyone else in the world. In the face of challenging situations the words you choose for that conversation with yourself will directly impact how quickly you are able to move forward. Neuroscience shows that our brains continue to develop and change even as adults. The brain is actually quite like plastic, and can be reshaped over time, forming new neural pathways. This has led neuroscientists to call this tendency neuroplasticity. So if what you or others around you are currently thinking is unhelpful, the session will give strategies to begin to alter that thinking.

This workshop will be delivered as a webinar via Zoom.

You will be sent a link from the trainer prior to the webinar with a link to join.

Mental Health First Aid is the help given to someone experiencing a mental health problem before professional help is obtained. Mental Health First Aid does not teach people to be therapists. However, it does teach people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems, how to provide initial help and how to guide a person towards appropriate help. The course is aimed at anyone with an interest in promoting positive emotional and mental health. This course is currently free to everyone.

These 50 minute coaching sessions with coaches will assist council staff in coming up with strategies and action plans to maintain and build their wellbeing and resilience. Unlike counselling which provides a safe space to explore worries and concerns, these confidential coaching sessions will help staff come up with individual plans to help them build their resilience, understand what they can do to enhance their wellbeing and overcome current and future obstacles. There are activities and exercises that wellbeing coaches can also give people to work through in their own time if they would find it useful.

Please note these sessions will be delivered by skype or telephone.  Your coach will contact you to confirm the best method for you.