Physical Intervention Training Techniques

March 2, 2013 - PRLog -- Organisations and individuals purchasing Physical Intervention Skills training naturally want the training they buy to be the best training available. So, which techniques are the most effective?

Well, there are more than 2,000 Physical Intervention techniques being taught in the UK today.

However, unfortunately, there a shocking lack of research in to the effectiveness of Physical Intervention skills and the only way to compare the nature, content and complexities of the different training packages is to pay to go on each course!

There really needs to be a national evaluation of techniques aimed to standardise training.

Whilst there is no common consensus about which physical techniques are the most effective, recognised physical restraint training programmes provide guidance and instruction on:

physical restraint being the least preferable option, to be used only as a last resort;
factors that would make physical restraint more risky or even preclude it altogether (big, obese people, elderly, infirm, frail people, people with breathing difficulties, etc.)
the dangers of postural/positional asphyxia; prone restraint; excited delirium; acute, behavioural disturbance; alcohol/drug consumption (particularly cocaine);
medical conditions, psychiatric disorders and associated risk factors.
the need for restraint to be brief;
the need to communicate with the person being restrained, throughout the process, advising them of what is happening and why and what they must do to end the process;
the unacceptable nature of some forms of restraint, for example neck holds; tripping people up;
monitoring a restrained person and recognising warning signs of trauma or distress;

Door Staff need training they can have confidence in

Many of those who have received SIA approved training for Door Supervisors in physical intervention skills have voiced scepticism about the efficacy of the practical techniques taught on the course in the context of their particular workplace or when applied to the clientele they service.

This negative sentiment may be due to a range of factors.

For example: It may be that the delegate did not have the aptitude to be able to master the techniques because they were too complex or maybe insufficient training time was allocated to be able to perfect the skills taught on the course, or the trainer failed to convey the skill clearly enough for the learner to learn it to proficiency, or perhaps the skill was simply not robust enough for the situation.

What these dissatisfied delegates may not have recognised is that the One-Day SIA approved training course in Physical Intervention skills is set at introductory (foundation) level – and it is a very broad programme. (Originally, training in Control & Restraint for NHS staff was a three week course!) Perhaps their expectations about what they could achieve in a One-Day course were unrealistically high!

The SIA Specification for Physical Intervention Skills training for Door Supervisors (i.e. Escorting & Disengagement Skills, Module 4) dated August 2010, states:

"……… the training described in this specification outlines basic skills and knowledge required by a door supervisor…"

And/or, they may not have appreciated that the SIA approved Physical Intervention Skills programme stipulates that the training must not contain techniques that:

(i) Involve direct contact with neck or spine
(ii) Involve striking or pushing
(iii) Are contra-indicative in terms of flexion or extension of joint, or apply pressure directly to it
(iv) Carry inherent likelihood of resulting in pain

The bottom line is that, whatever the cause of the lack of confidence in the techniques, the money spent on their training has been wasted – because you cannot expect people to use techniques that they don't have confidence in!

One experienced trainer has even suggested that providing training that doesn't work in practice is the same as providing no training at all in terms of ultimate liability for incidents that happen!

Choosing an SIA approved Physical Intervention Skills training provider

An alphabetical list of training providers is provided on the SIA web site.

http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Pages/training-trainer-training.aspx

Top of the list is AEGIS Skills Ltd.

AEGIS is one of the most recent additions to the SIA list of approved training providers, but has a long established pedigree. In 1998, AEGIS became the first organisation in the UK to gain official accreditation from an official Awarding Body for a Physical Intervention Skills training course for Private Security Industry Guards. AEGIS training programmes for Security Guards were Approved and Certificated by SITO, the National Training Organisation for the Security Industry.

AEGIS' lead trainer Rob Knowles, has many years experience 'Working the Doors' and has trained thousands of Door Supervisors in SIA approved trainings over the last ten years said: "I qualified to teach three of the best versions of the SIA PI Programme for Door Supervisors before meeting with PI and Violence at Work expert Jim O'Dwyer of AEGIS. The PI course we have designed together is a quantum leap forward on the competition – and I am delighted to now be delivering training that truly meets the needs of Door Supervisors and which they have confidence in."

Feedback on the AEGIS training programme is reassuringly positive.

“This is the 'Rolls Royce' of physical intervention courses! I have seen a few different ones now and this was easily the best and the most useful. Thanks!”

Ian Carvell - The Extra Mile Group

“I was very impressed! I have completed other TtT programmes and taught PI for a number of years. In my opinion the AEGIS programme is by far the best programme out there. What sets it apart is it is very much principle driven as opposed to technique based and that all parts of the course have been pressure tested and used in real situations. The standard of teaching on the course was also exceptional!”

Eddie Sidaway, Training Manager, Venture Security

“The fact that the programme has been designed by someone experienced in the Door Supervisor role makes a massive difference! I liked that we were able to pressure test the Drills and prove that they work, not just get told they do. Excellent course and Instructor!”

Damion Redwood - Trainer

If you are looking for training in the UK try http://www.traininglist.co.uk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF06inZsJSM