Our Director of Training, Gerard O’Dea, and Professor Chris Cushion worked with a number of experienced conflict and physical intervention trainers from NHS boards around Scotland to introduce them to the SCENA Scenario-Driven Training Approach in early March 2022. The team – already competently teaching a variety of approaches to tactics including Maybo, GSA, Functional (read more)
Managing Behaviour with Children
A trauma-aware programme of verbal and physical responses to support your children.
The children you support are a complex mix of vulnerability, distress, challenging behaviour and sometimes serious violence. Our training covers the entire spectrum of behaviour in a sensitive way.
Book a free Training Needs call now,
to get the right
training to support your children.
Our clients
Hospitals and Healthcare

Public-Facing Organisations

Local Government & Citizen Services

Primary and Secondary Schools


Our Experience in Working with Children
Dynamis teaches a blend of Understanding Behaviour, Verbal Skills for De-Escalation and then last-resort physical skills which your team learn and practice in our scenario-driven training sessions. Over the years we have worked with many different providers of support who focus on children and this has broadened our experience of many complex, interlocking factors - developing a sensitive approach to the management of behaviour with children..
Mainstream Primary Schools
Staff in mainstream primary settings - usually teaching assistants, class teachers and deputy heads with responsibility for behaviour and inclusion, often need additional support to deal with specific behaviours and the confidence to keep everyone safe in extreme situations.
Foster Care and Adopters
Foster Carers and other Parents often face challenging behaviour and even serious violence in the home context. We have worked with NATP for several years in delivering deescalation and protective intervention training for parents around the country, closely tied with Therapeutic Parenting and Trauma-Aware principles.
Special Schools / Alternative Provision
In environments where the children have additional needs - possibly due to ealry childhood trauma or adverse experiences, we have helped teams with appropriate verbal and physical tactics to both prevent and sometimes to manage distressed behaviour and keep everyone safe.
Children with Special Needs
Our trainers are all experienced in helping teams who support those who are not neuro-typical and have helped teams to deliver adapted-commuincation strategies to help with preventing distress or aggression, and also the appropriate measures to take to make a situation safe where necessary..

Can we adapt our Child-Focussed Training for different environments and contexts?
We have delivered tailored Restraint Training Course programmes for a wide variety of clients such as those listed here, where you can read about how we worked successfully to deliver their objectives for the training:
Your team learn in a scenario-driven 'mesh'
Because of our unique training methodology which focusses on YOUR service, YOUR people and YOUR children - the training programme develops understanding, decision-making and skills together and in-context. Your team will learn skills and understanding which will more-easily transfer to working with your children in your context and make it safer for everyone.
Communication Skills
Your teams will model and practice appropriate verbal skills for preventing and de-escalating conflict with children.
Legal Rules for Restrictive Practice
Your team will reflect on the legal basis for their actions, based on national-level guidance for working with children - also assisting in effective reporting.
Behaviour Awareness
Your team will develop their awareness of vulnerable children's behaviour and the ways in which situations can trigger distress, anger or emotional disturbance.
Teamwork during incidents
Your team will have to work together to solve problems, learning along the way how to think and to communicate as a team with the child at the centre.
Self-Protection (where necessary)
Your team will be challenged to develop personal safety habits and perform robust, appropriate self-protection tactics in many different scenarios where a child may be at risk of hurting them.
Restraint Reduction Principles
Your team will be challenged to embody restraint-reduction principles in each scenario they work through and thinking in a child-centred way.
Risk Awareness
Every restraint carries risk, so your team must learn how to navigate options and reduce the risk of adverse outcomes through serious injury or death.
Holding Skills (where necessary)
Your team will develop flexible skills to perform safe holding, control or restraint appropriately to the level of risk and the vulnerability of the child they engage with.
Grab a coffee and speak to our training advisor.
With over 15 years of experience working with clients involved in supporting, looking-after and parenting children in their care, we are confident that we can gain an understanding of your issues, resources, timeframes and budget quickly and soon propose a training plan which fits your needs.

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Our Partners and Accreditation

Member of The Institute of
Conflict Management
Dynamis is a Quality Award Centre with the ICM, a recognised accrediting body in the U.K. for workplace training in the prevention and management of workplace violence.

European partner for Vistelar
Dynamis is the premier European Partner for Vistelar, a global consulting organisation covering training across the entire spectrum of human conflict.

Regional representative for 9 Attitudes behavioural tactics
Dynamis represents the 9 Attitudes system, a fully behavioural approach to self-protection and physical control which is based on the observable realities of physical confrontation.
Our Process
Book your free training needs assessment.
Every organisation is unique and so you need a unique training course. Our free training needs assessment is a 20-minute process where we identify the risks your staff face and the training solutions you need to support your children.
We formulate a Bespoke Training Course.
Having understood the needs of your organisation and the children you look after, we will create a bespoke training course tailored to your conflict flashpoints, issues and incident profile.
Your Staff experience relevant and beneficial training.
We will conduct your bespoke training course, helping your team to prevent and manage conflict within your service and with your children.
Satisfaction and Course Follow-up
Following the training session, we will conduct questionnaires with all attendees to give tangible before and after data.
The power of evidence-based training
High Staff Engagement
Because of the immediate relevance your staff see in our course design and delivery, they are engaged, motivated and energised during and after the training.
Better Transfer to the Workplace
Because sessions are all driven by your own scenarios, issues and challenges with the people you meet in your work, it has immediate relevance and transfers directly to your day-to-day workplace.
"Time Well Spent"
Your teams get many, many opportunities to learn and practice their new skills during 'countless reps' of the target skills, actively learning in every session. There are no boring powerpoints!
Measurable Change Happens
With highly targeted new skills, your teams can make measurable changes to their interactions and truly realise your organisation's safety ethos, focussing on dignity and respect, safety and wellbeing.
Gerard O'Dea // Director of Training at Dynamis
Hi and thanks for visiting our webpage today.
In over 15 years of working with frontline staff who face difficult, distressed and dangerous behaviour, I have seen time and again how prepared staff can perform well and respond to challenging circumstances.
From teachers to nurses, teaching and care assistants to security officers in our hospitals and social workers in the community, if you deal with people every day, managing conflict becomes a necessity.
I became involved in this work because I saw the power of training and preparation in helping people to stay safe at work and to be more successful in working with their colleagues to create better outcomes.
I and my team of professional trainers now teach in over 200 training engagements every year around the UK and internationally for a wide variety of public-facing organisations just like yours.
We have sought out the best conflict management training content and the best learning methods in the world and bring them together for you and your team.
Gerard O'Dea
Join Over 3,000 Happy Customers

Best Course I have attended in the NHS...
“This was by far the best course I’ve attended in the NHS. Fit for purpose, current, relevant and extremely well delivered. 10/10 for delivery, professionalism and structure.”
Andy W. // Security Management Specialist

Informative and Enjoyable...
“A very professionally run training course, Gerard was a very knowledgeable and relaxed instructor who put the group at ease and made the day both informative and enjoyable.”
Stephen B. // Ambulance Care Assistant
What our customers are saying:

Brought in real life situations...
"I was very nervous about this training but it was a great environment and he made us feel at ease and was encouraging. I liked how he brought in real life situations to make the training more relatable.”
Natalie C. // Dementia Care Senior Support

Knowledgeable and Interactive...
“Very approachable, knowledgable and interactive facilitator who encouraged group discussions and used personal experience to back up the theory/learning”
Children's Respite Centre Senior Carer // Peterborough City Council.
When: 1 to 5 Days based on your identified needs and scheduled for your convenience
Who: Groups of up to 12 care staff are led by each Dynamis trainer (larger groups by request). Nurses and Care Workers, clinical staff, key workers and therapists can all benefit from courses which are tailored for your specific environment.
Our small but highly focussed team of trainers are highly experienced and professionally qualified verbal and physical intervention specialists. They hold Level 3 Qualifications in physical intervention, conflict management and breakaway/self-protection and regularly attend CPD events which ensures the quality of their delivery. Dynamis is an ICM Accredited Quality Award centre, assuring clients of our robust processes for the design, development, delivery and support of our training programmes.
Where: Training is held at your venue
How: Our trainers deliver this course using a mix of lecture/presentation, Q&A, physical practice and scenario rehearsal.
Why: ✓ Matched to your needs ✓ Led by Professional Trainers ✓ Legally Audited ✓ Fully Risk-Assessed ✓ Values Dignity and Respect ✓Safeguards Client rights ✓ Offers Staff Practical Options ✓ Compliant with Government Regulations ✓ Value for Your Investment
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
You are fully protected by our 100% Satisfaction-Guarantee. If you are not fully satisfied by the training we deliver for your team, just let us know and we'll send you a prompt refund.
Gerard O'Dea
Frequently Asked Questions
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In going through the Conflict scenarios for the ED, we made sure that staff were really successful in establishing initial contact with the people, by carefully Being Alert and Decisive – noticing things about the patient or their family, by addressing those visiting or travelling with the person. We discussed perhaps opening the encounter with (read more)
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Registered Office:
Summit House
Mitchell St
Edinburgh EH6 7BD
0844 812 9795