“This training was amazing and inspiring." Motivational Interviewing with MASH Staffordshire

I recently had the pleasure of training staff from Staffordshire County Council’s MASH (Multi- Agency Safeguarding Hub) in Motivational Interviewing. And what a superb two days it was too. As you can no doubt imagine, their roles are exceptionally critical to preserving the safety of children and people at risk of harm. They have worked flat-out during lockdown and are now back in the office or hybrid working, dealing with difficult cases and going above and beyond to ensure Staffordshire is a beacon of safety and protection.
I trained half of the team at the beginning of the year and the rest of them last week. We laughed, we learned, we investigated and formulated a strategy to ensure less empathy fatigue and more inspiration. Needless to say, feedback from the assembled learners was 100% positive, with some lovely comments.
As you can see below. They’ve instructed me that I will be returning, which is always a good thing!
“What a fantastic trainer,!!! an engaging and informative course. I have thoroughly enjoyed it! The material you use is spot on and so relevant to the social work profession.
Steve, you are a fantastic trainer and capture your audience well. I hope to work with you again very soon.”
Debbie (team manager)
“It was an interesting interactive learning experience. Different from the usual format in training as we were able to see film demonstrations and practice the techniques of MI. I would highly recommend this training for front line practitioners. The trainer Steve made the sessions very lively and interesting and linked the use of MI to real examples which we could relate to.
I found the training showed that using reflection reassures the clients /customer that the practitioner understands them which seem vital in gaining their trust and confidence.
I felt I took a lot from the session and will be mindful to think about what I am actual saying and the impact of this in engaging individuals and drawing out information.
I would like to expand my knowledge of MI and will be looking out for more advanced training.”
Linda
“I feel that I have learned so much through this training. Some of the tasks have enabled me to reflect on my personal life as well as my professional life. I look forward to being able to use this in my practice in order to be a more restorative practitioner. I haven’t enjoyed training this much in a very long time.”
Lorraine
“This training was amazing and inspiring. It allowed me to think about how I communicated with people I work with on a daily basis and the information they are sharing.
By using reflective responses will allow me to pull out more information in my daily work. I also feel that these method will also be very useful in my personal circumstance.
Steven knowledge regarding this training is outstanding. The training was capturing and inclusive which makes it all the more interesting.”
Mandy
“Very much enjoyed the training. Created a good atmosphere for general discussion.
Breaking down and giving definition to the different techniques and reflective conversations was brilliant.
I reflected on how (in my previous role) as a front line safeguarding practitioner things like stat visits (over time) can become functional and procedural, rather than planned and focused pieces of work where restorative conversations can build rapport and support and effect change.
The tools are very practical and applicable, eg six step change plan and the Roadblocks.
Observing and reflecting practice videos was powerful.
Would love to see peer observation and support being implemented in practice on my team, I believe this would benefit my practice and development immensely in my current role.
As a Practice Educator this will add some great reflective ideas and concepts to my discussions with Student SW’s.”
Shaun