Search for Learning and Development Services and Pathways

Applied Suicide Prevention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two day course that prepares caregivers including those in professional roles to provide suicide life-assisting, first aid intervention. ASIST teaches Pathways for Assisting Life (PAL), which is a practical guide to undertaking suicide interventions. The training will enable participants to develop confidence and skills through observation and supervised simulation (role play and skills practice) in small groups. During the course you will have an opportunity to explore personal or professional experiences of suicide and space and support to focus on how your experiences with suicide impact on your beliefs and attitudes about using suicide first aid. It is anticipated that everyone taking part in the course will do so with the intention of becoming a registered ASIST Caregiver.

First day - The Park Centre, High Street, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 4AR
Second day - Kingswood Civic Centre,  High Street, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 9TR

This course is designed for Care Workers and Support staff working in group care settings where service users can display challenging and difficult behaviours (care homes, day centres, supported residential accommodation). Some members of our society have a level of vulnerability and need which means that they need to be provided with care within a group care setting. This may be within a supported semi-independent living arrangement or a residential or day service. In these situations, and in response to the conditions that they live with, it is possible for some people°s behaviour to become aggressive, hostile or demanding. This course focuses on how to respond calmly and communicate effectively with people in an agitated state, to maintain the safety and dignity of both staff and the service users. The standard charge for this course is £80 per day. Please refer to our Course Charges on the Home page for information on discounts and exemptions

This basic awareness course is specifically for foster carers and will cover information on the law, guidance and procedures that protect and safeguard children nationally and within your local area. It will also provide evidence towards meeting Induction Standard Six; Safeguard Children and Young People.

Are you up to date with local and national information relevant to childminding? Come and join with other childminders for an informal evening specifically aimed at supporting childminders.

This network meeting will provide childminders with an opportunity to receive and share information in an environment that facilitates and encourages professional discussion and dialogue. Subjects discussed will reflect national and local updates, consultations or imminent changes. Across the year a variety of topics will be explored.

Corporate Parenting is a collective responsibility of the Council, with Councillors having a distinct role to play in ensuring that the outcomes and life chances of young people under the care of local authorities are maximised.

This session will ensure all Councillors receive accurate information to be able to find out about the basic issues faced by such children in their area.

This 1-day course will build on delegates’ learning from the Awareness of Domestic Violence and Abuse e-learning module which should be completed before attending this course. The Intermediate training day will provide additional content as set out below.

4 day course for prospective social work practice educators. Open to registered social workers with at least 2 years post qualifying experience who have agreed to take a student in the next six months. Please discuss with Sian Smith before enrolling. Cost £300. South Glos, Bristol and N. Somerset free of charge.

All spokespeople, whether officer or Member, who deal with media on behalf of the Council are required to have undertaken this media training.

It is delivered by an external provider and will prepare you to manage any interview situation, with support from the Council’s Media Team in the Strategic Communications department. You will learn the skills and be able to practice face to face and ‘down the line’ phone interviews and develop an understanding of how the media works, what they want and how you can work effectively with them to promote your key messages.

Motivational interviewing is a leading approach to increase motivation and commitment to change. It was first developed in the alcohol field, but as they had identified that there was no specific addiction psychology, it has been developed in a wide range of areas including social work, offending, mental health and homelessness fields. It has proven particularly effective with stuck or entrenched people from a wide range of backgrounds.

This course maps the key factors that elicit change and demonstrates how Motivational Interviewing works alongside these forces. Drawing on both person centred and directive techniques, it offers practical skills to assist the workers to helps people articulate and recognise the need for change. As such, it is an effective primer to increase engagement with people who have not yet achieved a sufficient level of commitment and move them into action with confrontation. As such, it can inform and develop the 3 conversations approach by increasing engagement, develop potential people strengths and create self-directed motivation for change. 

Who is the Course For?: Motivational Interviewing is useful for a wide range of social issues. Its primary focus is on igniting motivation to change, and so it is helpful when people are stuck in problems and not advancing in change. As such it is helpful in all change and recovery based services such as mental health, substance misuse, offending social work, domestic violence, supported housing, young people’s services, family work and more besides.

Method of Delivery: The training programme comes with an extensive booklet for each participant. The training course is highly interactive, even during presentations. It uses a wide variety of learning approaches including presentations, pairs and small group work exercises and self-assessment. The course is also supported with free e-learning and further resources to re-cap, review and refresh learning.