Scoil Mhuire Abbeyside Primary School: Improving Staff Confidence and Enhancing Safety  

Impact of CPI Training

• Improved Confidence & Skills: Staff now confidently handle challenging behaviours.
• Enhanced Communication: Training fostered open communication, helping staff recognise trauma-related triggers and respond with empathy.
• Team Building: The training became a valuable team-building experience, making it easy to apply techniques in creating a safer, more supportive environment.

Situation

Scoil Mhuire Abbeyside Primary School is a mainstream school with two special units for children with Autism. The school is committed to integrating these children into society while maintaining a safe learning environment.

Sue Genc, an SNA (Special Needs Assistant) and newly Certified Instructor, has already trained six staff members in CPI Safety Intervention™, with five more scheduled for training soon. The principal commissioned this training to ensure staff are equipped to safely manage escalating behaviours.

Sue Genc, Special Needs Assistant and CPI Certified Instructor

Additionally, the principal may reassign roles each academic term, meaning mainstream staff who don’t typically handle challenging situations could be placed in the special units. As a result, it is crucial that all staff receive training in CPI’s de-escalation skills.

CPI's training focuses on the importance of nonverbal communication, body language, and consistency in language—key skills when working with students at the school, particularly those with slower processing abilities.

Challenge

Abbeyside Primary School faced challenges as they began accommodating older children with special needs, particularly as these children grew physically larger and their behaviours became more difficult to manage.

The setting isn't always appropriate for each child, leading to escalating behaviours due to frustration and discomfort. The staff, despite their efforts to de-escalate situations and prevent behaviours, often find themselves outnumbered and struggling, especially given the size and strength of some of the older children.

The school's facilities and staffing were initially sufficient when the special units started with fewer and younger children, but as the number and age of students increased, it has become increasingly difficult to maintain a safe environment. Unfortunately, there is a lack of appropriate placements in special schools, forcing the school to cope with situations that are beyond their capacity. The result is that both staff and children are at risk, with staff frequently sustaining injuries despite their best efforts to manage the children's needs.

Implementation

In order to implement CPI's Safety Intervention™ Training, the school needed to notify and reassure parents that the training was preventative, not invasive and only used in situations where safety is at risk.

When delivering the training to staff Sue emphasises the importance of thorough preparation, both in terms of content and logistics, to ensure the training was seen as valuable and professional. She focused on practical aspects, such as effective communication and de-escalation techniques, which she believes are key to managing challenging behaviours.

The positive feedback from participants affirmed the training’s success, with careful planning and timing contributing to a smooth and effective process.

Outcomes

CPI Safety Intervention™ training has significantly improved staff confidence and the handling of challenging behaviours at the school, particularly in one-on-one situations with students.

Sue highlights that the training not only equipped staff with practical skills for managing extreme situations, like biting, but also fostered open communication, allowing staff to share strategies and seek advice when facing challenges.

Staff now understand the impact of trauma on behaviour, so they're able to recognise triggers and emphasise empathy.

Moreover, the training process, while initially daunting for some, became a valuable team-building experience through interactive exercises that made learning engaging and memorable. It helped staff understand that behaviours often stem from unmet needs or discomfort, not personal animosity, leading to a more compassionate approach.