Reasons to Be a Certified Instructor and the Train-the-Trainer Model
Prior to joining CPI as a Global Professional Instructor, I was a Certified Instructor for seven years.
Throughout this time I delivered the CPI programmes that went on to become the Safety Intervention and Verbal Intervention training we have today.
While I was a Certified Instructor, I discovered how important it was to be able to deliver the training and tailor it to the needs of the organisation.
I was able to engage positively with my colleagues to make it relevant and customise the training to individual staff members as I knew them, where and how they worked, who they cared for and the type of risk behaviours they faced.
It became evident to me over that time that, for a child protection organisation with over 800 staff, having Certified Instructors was invaluable.
I could see how the training was resonating with staff and how it helped with their responses to various levels of behaviour.
I saw a real change in their approach so they could better support those they cared for in difficult situations.
Decrease in crisis situations
We successfully embedded the training and the organisation saw a massive decrease in critical incidents.
Staff felt more confident and their learning was added into behaviour support plans and critical incident reporting.
The language of the staff started to change for the better with Certified Instructors supporting and guiding their colleagues in their day-to-day engagement with young people.
As part of the management team and as a Certified Instructor, I had the opportunity and privilege to train my fellow staff which included the organisation’s senior leaders.
The content of the training brought everyone together and we could all work using the same, holistic approach when it came to supporting and dealing with someone in distress.
Responding appropriately
Staff members were all on the same page when it came to being able to respond professionally and appropriately, whether they were based in the care setting or working in the community.
Essentially, the training gave two staff members, who were having to deal with high levels of challenging behaviour on a daily basis, the skills and confidence to handle whatever they were faced with.
As a Certified Instructor, I was in a position whereby I could support my colleagues whenever they needed it.
Whenever I required help or guidance, I could contact the CPI customer support team who were always on hand to provide reassurance and assistance.
It was this positive support and interaction with CPI that led me to the next part of my career; I knew the values of Care, Welfare, Safety and Security weren’t just a mantra, they were embedded into the training content, the delivery and the customer support. CPI became a company I wanted to work for and, happily, I went on to do just that.
You can find out more about our Instructor Certification Programmes (ICPs) / train-the-trainer delivery by downloading our PDF about the ICP model here.
Direct Delivery
As an alternative to the train-the-trainer model of training delivery, having CPI directly deliver to an organisation’s staff - so CPI trainers, Global Professional Instructors like myself deliver the training directly to trainees onsite - is a great way of introducing the programme into a setting.
For smaller organisations this Direct Delivery method might be the way to go to help them gain the relevant compliance but, this way of training shouldn’t be seen as a quick fix to managing behaviours.
As I’ve experienced first-hand, the benefits of having a Certified Instructor or multiple Instructors within an organisation really helps to embed that training. It’s a longer term, more cost-effective solution to managing behaviour as the needs of the staff, and those in their care, change and evolve.