2 about ikon training - mkuh workforce · 2018-07-24 · ikon training ltd uses trainers that are...

2 About Ikon Training

3

We are a company providing flexible, cost effective and bespoke training solutions for individuals and organisations that face conflict,

violence and aggression.

IKON Training provides courses in your sector on a regular basis. We currently work with: NHS, Councils, Transport Services, Charities,

Schools, Football Clubs. IKON promotes and develops safe working practices, personal safety awareness and provides a variety of skills

to manage and resolve conflict situations. Our courses provide the client with the knowledge, understanding and skills to identify and

manage a conflict situation, from beginning to end.

Our expertise and experience enables us to design courses to suit your needs. We work with our

clients to ensure training has minimum impact in the workplace delivering courses with flexibility to

suit the client’s individual needs.

IKON Training Ltd is a Quality Award Centre of the Institute of Conflict Management (ICM) and

operates to the ICM Code of Practice. The ICM is dedicated to ‘Setting Standards’ in the prevention

and management of aggression and conflict www.conflictmanagement.org.

IKON Training Ltd uses trainers that are Members of the Institute of Conflict Management and who

operate to the ICM Code of Practice. The ICM is dedicated to setting standards in the prevention

and management of aggression and conflict. The Institute of Conflict Management is one of many

stake holders working with the HSE and other agencies in setting standards for the prevention and

management of aggression and conflict.

The Conflict Resolution Specialists

www.ikontraining.co.uk 3

4 About Ikon Training

Courses we offer include:

• Conflict Resolution Training

• Managing Challenging Behaviour Training

• Equality and Diversity Training

• Assertiveness Training

• Breakaway Training

• Communication skills for Conflict

• Safer Restrictive Physical Intervention Training

• Lone worker Training

• Manual Handling Training

• First Aid Training

Contents:

1. Introducing Conflict ....................................................5

• Exercises .......................................................................................7

• The Conflict Model ...............................................................8

2. What are the Facts? ....................................................9

• Group Exercise ...................................................................... 10

3. What are the Risks? ..................................................11

• Verbal and Non verbal communication ................ 12

• Warning and Danger Signs ........................................... 13

• Impact Factors ...................................................................... 14

• Exercise ...................................................................................... 14

4. Legislation and Policy ........................................... 15

• Common law ......................................................................... 16

• Sec 3 Criminal law act ...................................................... 16

5. What are my Options? ......................................... 17

• Exercise ...................................................................................... 18

• Betari’s Box ............................................................................. 19

• Exercise ...................................................................................... 19

• Conflict Continuum ...........................................................20

• Exercise ...................................................................................... 21

• LEAPS .........................................................................................22

• Exercise ......................................................................................23

• 5 Step Appeal ........................................................................ 24

• Exercise ......................................................................................26

6. Action ......................................................................................... 27

7. Reflection...............................................................................29

• Incident Reporting ............................................................. 31

• Defusing Model ...................................................................32

8. Notes ...........................................................................................34

These are only a selection of the

courses we can provide, if you

require anything not listed or a

bespoke course please call us to

discuss in detail:

01473 927333

5www.ikontraining.co.uk

1. Introducing Conflict

6 1. Introducing Conflict

Violence and Aggression at Work‘Any incident, in which a person is abused,

threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating

to their work.’

Defined by the Health and Safety Executive

(HSE)

Violence and aggression at work according to the

Health and Safety Executive is more than just

physical attack. It also includes verbal aggression,

threats and harassment.

Conflict ResolutionAt times during your working life you may have

to deal with irate, unreasonable or emotional

people, or very rarely you may have to confront a

potentially violent situation.

This can sometimes be annoying, frustrating and

distressing and can lead to reluctance or avoidance

when dealing with this type of situation, a drop in

morale or even absenteeism, stress or ultimately a

change of career.

Learning how to deal with these situations will

help you perform more effectively at work and

help cope with the demands placed on you.

Recognising when a situation is escalating and

having some awareness of some basic conflict

resolution skills will help to make you more

confident and less vulnerable when dealing with

these types of situations.

Communication skills are an essential way of

resolving potentially difficult situations and should

be your primary option if possible.

Personal Safety‘An individual’s ability to go about their everyday

life free from the threat or fear of psychological,

emotional or physical harm from others.’

Suzy Lamplugh Trust

6

7www.ikontraining.co.uk

Exercise:Please write your answers in the space provided.

What do you want to gain from today’s course?

What does conflict mean to you?

What are the common causes of conflict?

8 1. Introducing Conflict

The Conflict ModelIf you can identify that you are in conflict at its earliest stage then your opportunity to resolve the incident

increases significantly, the Conflict Model will assist you in this process.

The model has been developed to support your decision making skills prior to an incident to gain information,

during the situation to help you to come to an appropriate response and following the conflict to write a

report or incident form.

Good decision making is an essential skill in a conflict encounter, if you can learn to make timely and well

considered decisions then this should reduce the risk/threat.

‘Decision making’ – can be regarded as a mental process resulting in a selection of a course of action

among several alternatives.

It can also be applied to a range of non conflict situations in order to avoid danger or conflict. This is a cyclic

model that can be entered and re-entered at any time and the nature of the model indicates the need for

constant re-assessment. If circumstances change, any original intended action may no longer be appropriate.

Reflection

What are the Facts?

What are the Risks?

Legislation & Policy?

Action?

What are my Options?

8

2. What are the Facts?


10 2. What are the Facts?

What are the Facts?‘As a rule....he who has the most information will

have the greatest success’

Benjamin Disraeli

For you to be able to select the correct option

it helps to have as much information about the

potential situation as possible this information may

come from the following;

• Briefings/Handovers

• Supervisors/ colleagues

• Records/Reports

• Personal experiences

• Your own senses; hear, smell, touch & feelings at the time

It is essential that you fully report incidents so that

others have the information available when they

need to make a threat assessment.

Everyone needs to be involved in the preparation

to avoid potential incidents. Simply considering the

significant risks and ways of reducing them can

make a difference. The more prepared you are, the

more positive your reaction to the danger will be.

You should gather as much information as possible

as having all the facts enables the decision maker

to make the most appropriate decision before

proceeding.

When an uninformed decision is made, the

outcome is usually not very positive.

Fact – ‘Knowledge or information based on real

occurrences, something believed to be real or true’


Discuss in groups from where and whom you receive information that alerts you to potential risks and dangers?

3. What are the Risks?


12 3. What are the Risks?

Components of CommunicationBased on research from 1967, Albert Mehrabian an

American psychologist published his famous

research on communication. It emphasised the

importance of non verbal communication and

refers to the signals we give another person and

the way we interpret the signals given by them.

Verbal 7% – spoken words alone with no action.

Vocal 38% – The tone, pitch intonation, volume

and pace with which words are spoken.

Non-verbal (Body language) 55% – Body

movement, gestures and facial expression.

Information is transmitted in two ways: Verbally or

non-verbally. Although the assumption may

be that what we say is the primary way of

communication the reality is that how you say

something is far more important.

This message is then reinforced through facial

expressions and body language; this can be very

subtle and also very noticeable. This is usually

intentional but often unintentional and difficult

to hide.

This is beneficial to know when faced with a

person sending mixed messages e.g. someone

telling you they are calm but continuously tapping

their fingers and sighing.

Most NVC’s we see and use on a daily basis, there

are times when you may see a stronger type of

‘body language’ message e.g. in times of conflict.

If you have an awareness of these potentially

harmful non-verbal clues and can recognise and

react to these then you are giving yourself a

chance to predict the subject’s actions and increase

your options.

If you do not recognise the signs or don’t believe

them you may limit your options significantly or

choose the wrong one.

Communication ‘a process by which one party

transmits information to a second party who

receives it’

‘It’s not what you say it’s the way you say it!’

Cultural AwarenessIt is now widely recognised that the UK is a

multicultural society. Therefore, to provide an

effective and inclusive service in today’s society,

employees need to develop an awareness and

appreciation of diversity.

Communication can often become misinterpreted

within differing cultures. Some cultures will

avoid direct eye contact as an individual sign of

respect, while other cultures may perceive this

action as conflicting with anything verbal and

therefore see the person as untruthful. In some

cultures the invasion of an individual’s personal

space by a stranger would be viewed as a totally

inappropriate action, while other cultures would

find it totally acceptable.

In greeting a person some cultures will place a

kiss on the cheek followed by an embrace of the

person, while in other cultures a nod of the head

or handshake would be viewed as appropriate.


Warning SignsWarning signs indicate when a subject is becoming

agitated or distressed. These signs are very

intimidating and are often used by aggressive

individuals who see this as a way of achieving

their objective. You should be aware that when

you identify these signals the subject might be

becoming aroused to the point where violence

may occur.

• Direct prolonged eye contact

• Facial colour darkens

• Head back

• Person stands tall to maximise height

• Exaggerated movements, especially of the hands

• Breathing rate accelerates

• Kicking the ground

• Abrupt stopping and starting of nervous behaviour (e.g. tapping of fingers).

Having looked at how we communicate, we will now look at the signs and signals that others display when they

become agitated during a potential conflict situation. Recognition of these signs allows us to notice when conflict

is about to escalate.

Danger SignsDanger signs are indicators of an imminent attack

and a real threat to your safety.

The person is now considering how best to attack

and defend themselves.

• Fists clenching/unclenching

• Facial colour pales

• Lips tightening over teeth

• Eyebrows dropping to protect eyes

• Head dropping to protect throat

• Hands rising above the throat

• Shoulders tensing

• Stance changing to side on or fighting stance

• Lowering of entire body before launching an attack

These are not exhaustive lists and with an

aggressive individual you may see a combination of

both types of NVC’s or the possibility of a person

moving between the two in the dynamics of the

incident. In the majority of incidents most people

do not resort to a physical attack, the use of

sound communication skills and appropriate body

language should be used to calm the person and

de-escalate the situation.

14 3. What are the Risks?

Impact FactorsImpact factors are the considerations we must

identify when dealing with any conflict – like

carrying out a mini risk assessment of the situation

we are in. Dynamics can change very quickly and

this should always be borne in mind. Individuals

should have an awareness of what is going on

around them and be prepared to act accordingly.

The threat to you is most likely to emanate from

the person or persons you are dealing with or from

the place that the encounter occurs. These can be

described as Personal or Environmental Impact

Factors. The below may help you to consider the

important factors and how this impacts on you

and how you deal with the conflict.

• Person/s present and behaviour shown (Sex, age, size, strength, numbers of subjects, special knowledge, position of advantage, intoxication etc)

• Environmental (where is the problem, distance from help, safe exits/layout of room/area, public or private premises, possession of weapons or potential weapons eg hot drinks, umbrella, walking stick etc)

This may help you assess the possible dangers to

you and others and increase your awareness of

your own safety. The information you have already

received may allow you to make an individual

threat assessment of the situation. If you combine

this information with the behaviour, warning and

danger signs (body language) and the relative

impact factors it will help you to understand the

situation and respond appropriately.


Describe an incident in which you recognised a conflict occurring. What did you notice about the person and their behaviour? What changes occurred as the incident continued?

4. Legislation and Policy


16 4. Legislation and Policy

An awareness of relevant legislation, use of force

law and organisational policies/guidelines will

assist you in an appropriate response option to the

situation faced. Understanding these issues could

also help to speed up your decision making process

and increase the likelihood of a safe, effective

solution. If the situation continues to escalate

then you may be required to resort to some kind

of force, any force used should be reasonable,

necessary, proportionate and justifiable in the

circumstances. If force is used you must be able to

account for your own actions and ensure they are

recorded as soon as possible.

Section 3 of the Criminal Law Act 1967 provides

that: ‘A person may use such force as is reasonable

in the circumstances in the prevention of crime,

or in effecting or assisting in the lawful arrest of

offenders or suspected offenders or of persons

unlawfully at large’

The law permits the citizen to use reasonable force

for the following purposes:

• Self-defence

• Defence of another person

• Protection of property

• Making a lawful arrest

• Preventing crime

What is reasonable is measured by the belief of

the person using force. There may be no time for

anything other than an instinctive reaction. The

law does not require a fine calculation of just what

amount of force is needed, but it does require

that the use of force should be necessary in the

circumstances, as the person concerned saw them.

Common law (also known as case law or

precedent) is law developed by judges through

decisions of courts and similar tribunals that decide

individual cases. Common Law recognises that

there are many circumstances in which one person

may use force upon another without committing

a crime (eg sporting contests). These laws are

interpreted according to the following guidelines:

• Right of self defence

• Minimum use of force

• Proportionality of force used

• Seriousness of the evil to be prevented

If no more force is used than is reasonable to repel

the attack, such force is not unlawful an no crime

is committed.

Below are some excerpts from some stated cases

relating to Use of force:

In a situation where you are being assaulted you

will have to make quick judgements, something

you believed to be true at the time may in the

‘cold light of day’ have been wrong, it is what you

believed to be true that counts and getting this

across to the court. The court will take this into

account when considering your actions.

‘So long as you only do what you honestly and

instinctively believe is necessary in the heat of the

moment that would be the strongest evidence of

you acting lawfully and in self-defence. This is still

the case if you use something to hand such as a

weapon’

An awareness of warning and dangers signs

together with the subject’s behaviour may give

you justification for pre-emptive force if necessary.

‘In certain circumstances, where there is a threat

of imminent violence, a pre-emptive strike may be

justified in self-defence. One does not necessarily

have to wait for the other person to strike the first

blow.’

5. What are my Options?


18 5. What are my Options?


What actions or options have you taken in the past to reduce the risk of conflict occurring and to solve conflict?

Your options in any given situation will depend on the information gathered and will be limited by

your organisational policy, legislation and your own personal knowledge, understanding, skills, attitude

and behaviour.


Betari’s Box‘It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task

which, more than anything else will affect its

successful outcome’

William James

This is a simple model that can be used for dealing

with and managing potentially difficult situations.

This model shows the way in which you and

the other person can get locked into a cycle of

behaviour which if remains unchecked can escalate

out of control. You have probably heard the

expression ‘behaviour breeds behaviour’; this is

especially true in conflict as emotion will

be running high.

This applies both ways and it is difficult not

to react to what we perceive from the other

person and their behaviour. It is essential when

entering into a potential conflict that we start

off in as positive a frame of mind as possible. If

your attitude is ‘yes I can help’ you are far more

likely to be able to do so (my attitude affects my

behaviour).

When combined with the principles of the conflict

continuum you have the potential to alter the

other person’s attitude, which may permanently

change their behaviour. As the professional person

it is your role to break the cycle of attitude and

behaviour in order to reach a successful outcome.

ATTITUDE – A complex mental state involving

values beliefs and feelings.

BEHAVIOUR – Manner of acting or controlling

yourself.

Your Behaviour

My Behaviour

MyAttitude

Your Attitude


Have you been involved in this model?

What happened?

How did you break the cycle?


AVOID – avoid or postpone conflict by ignoring it,

Avoidance can be useful as a temporary measure

to buy time or as an expedient means of dealing

with very minor, non-recurring conflicts. In more

severe cases, conflict avoidance can involve

severing a relationship or leaving a group. The

down side is that you do not fully deal with

the issue and you forego the opportunity to

practice and maintain essential skills which could

significantly reduce your confidence and limit your

options in similar situations. Avoidance could

absolutely be the correct course of action if the

other person presents a physical threat to you.

DEFUSE – surrender one’s own needs and wishes

to accommodate the other party. Again this

could be the correct course of action to take the

person into a state where negotiation can happen

or if they pose a physical threat. Defusing can

also be seen as negative for the same reasons as

avoidance. It could be harmful for your confidence

if you habitually defuse and limit your options in

the future.

CONFRONT – The first two may help you to

manoeuvre into a position where you can

confront the situation safely and effectively.

The word confront should not be mixed up with

confrontation, to confront is simply to express

your view or put your cards on the table. In order

to change someone’s opinion or attitude it is

essential to challenge. In order to maintain our

communication skills, confidence and to maximise

our options in conflict situations it is essential

we can confront when necessary. There are two

main ways to confront people, with power or

negotiation.

POWER – assert one’s viewpoint at the potential

expense of another. It can be useful when

achieving one’s objectives outweighs one’s

Conflict ContinuumThe conflict continuum is an excellent tool to explore the different ways we can handle potential conflict

situations. Although most people will see negotiation as the best way of fully resolving a conflict, you may need to

avoid or defuse conflict to be able to negotiate effectively.

Skilful managers of conflict will select the correct option at the correct time.

Avoid Defuse Confront

Power

Negotiate


concern for the relationship. It may even

be essential in regard to organisational policy

where not challenging could result in loss of

employment/disciplinary action etc. You may know

this as the win/lose or lose/lose outcome.

NEGOTIATE – work together to find a mutually

beneficial solution. Collaboration is viewed as the

only win-win solution to conflict but collaboration

can also be time-intensive and inappropriate

when there is not enough trust, respect or

communication among participants for

collaboration to occur. Successful negotiation

in conflict is often referred to as the win/win

outcome.

‘Not everything that is faced can be changed but

nothing can be changed until it’s faced’

James Baldwin


Can you remember a situation where you’ve been involved in any of the above stages of the Conflict Continuum?


The LEAPS Model of CommunicationThe LEAPS model is a structured approach to

communicating in any situation (not just in

confrontation). This approach may help you to

establish some control within a potential conflict

situation and in conjunction with Betaris Box forms

the defusing and negotiation phases of the conflict

continuum. When a complaint is expressed the

key to resolving conflict is moving the problem to

the problem solving stage. Many people with a

problem are not initially ready to problem solve

because of an emotional reaction triggered by the

upset.

LISTEN – Listening is a key component of the

communication process and is a fundamental skill

in understanding a problem and being able to

respond effectively. The first step is to just “Listen.”

Listening for the content as well as the emotional

level will help inform you as to how to respond to

get to the problem solving stage. If a complainant

is angry, it is important to first work through the

emotional reaction to get to the problem solving

stage. One of the challenges is to not take it

personally.

When a person is upset, angry or raising their

voice, it is difficult not to take it personal because

of what and how the complaint is being voiced.

Developing an internal mantra, “This is not about

me, this is not about me…” can be a useful strategy

to listen to an upset or irate customer.

‘We have 2 ears and 1 tongue so that we would

listen more and talk less’

Diogenes

EMPATHISE – “To see through the eyes of another”

or “put yourself in the shoes of another”

The key to empathising is to be interested in the

others situation, try not to pre-judge or disapprove

because you would approach differently. Empathy

may help you to listen and understand more

effectively and therefore may help the other

person to believe you.

ASK – Using questions to get to the heart of the

matter is very important. This may demonstrate

you are concerned in the person’s particular

problem and are interested in helping to solve

it. Try to use open questions; these cannot be

answered yes or no as they are required to expand

on their reply.

5WH may help you to remember – Who? What?

Where? When? How?

The other benefits to asking open questions are

identifying if they are ready for your help and

potentially reducing the emotion of the situation.

An open question requires thought and this can

only be achieved if the person can clear their

head. In those situations where the answer is not

obvious, it is useful to ask them what they believe

is necessary to remedy the situation.

‘If you spend more time asking appropriate

questions rather than giving answers or opinions,

your listening skills will increase’

Brian Koslow


PARAPHRASE – This means to put the facts as you

see them in your own words, this can help to avoid

misunderstandings. This may:

• Help to interest the person and make them listen

• Allows you to take control

• Creates empathy

• Allows the person to modify their original statement

• Clarify the situation to witnesses

• Prevent people from putting inaccurate words into your mouth

SUMMARISE – Condensing the facts, being

brief and decisive, may assist you before taking

whatever action is necessary. This is a vital element

in resolving conflict and the negotiation process.

Understanding what the customer feels is an

appropriate remedy will help you negotiate to

get to a resolution that is fair or equitable.

Once an agreement or solution is reached, identify

the next steps and the specific ‘what’ needs to be

done and ‘who’ will do it and ‘when’. In closing

the conversation reiterate what will be done, by

when and who is responsible for taking the action.


Describe below what you have done to show you are listening to another person


The Five Step AppealThe five step appeal is a communication model

that can be used as a way for you to control the

direction of the situation to a result that you want

to achieve.

This prevents having to continuously repeat the

same things over and over to someone. This allows

you to offer a personal view of the situation from

your own and their perspective.


Simple Appeal1

Reasoned Appeal2

Personal Appeal3

Final Appeal4

Action5SIMPLE APPEAL – Ask them to comply with your

request.

“Please don’t use that type of language”

REASONED APPEAL – Explain the reason for your

request.

“Please don’t use that type of language because...”

PERSONAL APPEAL – Remind the person of the

implications to them personally, what they can

gain or lose; they may be jeopardising values that

are important to them.

“If you continue behaving like this...”

FINAL APPEAL – Confirm to the person this is their

last chance to comply and the outcome if they

continue with their behaviour.

“If you do not stop now I will have to...”

ACTION – It is important that you carry out the

final appeal to avoid further escalation; this could

include a solution to the issue, escaping to a safe

place or getting further help.

1

2

3

4

5



Explain a situation when you have used this model?

What was the situation?

What did you do?

6. Action


28 6. Action

ActionAfter considering all the above aspects you are

more likely to use an appropriate response.

Some of the benefits include;

• More confidence in the future when dealing with this or similar situations,

• A reduction in personal stress,

• Reduced chance of litigation

• Lesser risk of personal injury.

There may be occasions when your actions are

completely appropriate to the circumstances but

still do not resolve the conflict.

Equally, your actions could be inappropriate in the

circumstances but the conflict is resolved.

For example – Somebody makes inappropriate

demands on you or your service and you back

down for an ‘easy life’.

This may have helped the immediate issue but is

likely to cause problems in the future.

ACTION – Something a person can do.

‘You may never know what results come from

your action. But if you do nothing there will be no

result’

Gandhi

‘It is easy to sit up and notice, what is difficult is

getting up and taking action’

Honore De Balzac

7. Reflection


30

Moving On

Further Help

Debrief

Defuse

Support

Report

7. Reflection

Reflection‘Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From

the quiet reflection will come even more effective

action’

James Levin

Hopefully the situation that you have found

yourself in has been resolved satisfactorily.

What happens from here?

It is important as adults that we learn from

experiences. Your ability to reflect on the situation

personally will help you recognise developmental

needs, if required it may highlight good practice

for yourself and colleagues and may help to reduce

stress levels and increase your confidence to

manage future conflict.

We are all individuals who cope in our own ways,

sharing the experience with a friend; colleague or

relative may also help.

Reporting the incident and recording the facts to

the appropriate person e.g. supervisor or police is

imperative to prevent this happening to others or

yourself in the future.

It is equally important to report any ‘near misses’

as the same location or individual could cause

problems for colleagues in the future.

Reporting and recording is an essential part of the

reflecting process.

Post IncidentThis section acknowledges that despite best

efforts, violent episodes may still occur.

It is not an endorsement of the popular view that

acts of violence are spontaneous, random and

unpredictable.

If you or a colleague is involved in a situation

that leaves you feeling upset, fearful,

threatened or concerned it is could help to

follow some simple steps.

In any difficult situation it is important to be

left feeling confident.

Defusing ModelA simple flowchart shows steps to be followed.


ReportIt is crucial that all incidents are reported, no

matter how trivial they may seem. Reporting forms

the basis of assessing the prevalence of violent

episodes. Further, when an incident is reported,

strategies to modify the client’s behaviour can be

developed.

Reporting the incident and recording the facts to

the appropriate person e.g. supervisor or police is

imperative to prevent this happening to others or

yourself in the future.

The more you report incidents the easier it is

to identify risks. Do not give up reporting even

if it appears that no action is being taken. If

fewer incidents are reported than occurred your

employer may not take the situation seriously.

You should also report near misses and non-

physical assaults. Often low-level aggression is a

precursor to higher level aggression. Near miss

reporting can help to identify trends and triggers

and enable changes to practice to avoid future

escalation.

In effect if there are no reports there are no

incidents.

Consider the following when making a detailed

report. These factors will help protect you as

an individual and the organisation against

possible litigation and you and others against re-

occurrences. Any report should be clear and

specific and should paint a true picture of the

events. Make a note of any details you can

remember as soon as possible.

Don’t forget The Conflict Model is an excellent

way of recalling information and forming the basis

of a report. Points to include in your report should

be:

• Pre Incident Information (What are the

Facts), briefings, supervisors, records/

reports, handovers, colleagues, from

personal experiences.

• Assessment (What are the Risks), what did

you observe, initial communications, impact

factors, subjects actions, verbal/non verbal

responses, physical actions, behaviour.

• Your actions (Options considered or used),

observing and witnessing, communication

skills, calling for assistance, keeping your

distance or escaping, referring to a manager

or supervisor or physical force if justified.

Were your actions guided by any specific

organisational policy or legislation?

• Outcomes ( Action) how they behaved,

police called, details taken and reported,

injuries sustained etc

32 7. Reflection

SupportPeer support groups are a means of helping staff

members through a difficult period. Such a group

can be influential in reducing a ‘blame the victim’

response.

Research (Lanza and Carifio 1991) indicates that a

common response to violence is ‘the employee’

must have done something wrong’.

Following a report of violence, the support and

defusing team is activated.

The function of the team is to provide support and

an opportunity for the injured party to defuse.

If a defusing team is not available or the incident

not serious enough to involve them then

alternative assistance may be required to help in

the defusing process.

DefuseDefusing is a team process, which includes

workmates/friends as part of the defusing team.

Defusing is an opportunity to ‘take the heat’ out

of the situation. Defusing is undertaken as soon

as possible after the event and should involve

everyone affected by the incident.

Someone should always be available to help

a victim immediately after an incident with

sympathy, empathy and a listening ear. If you are

the person offering support always:

• Allow them to talk as much as they need

• Take things slowly as victims sometimes

need time before they can speak about their

experiences.

• Avoid criticising their actions or speculating

on what may have provoked the attack. You

can discus later how to learn from the event.

• Remember different people will respond

differently to incidents. For example some

will need time off and others will want to go

straight back to work.

• Remember that verbal abuse and harassment

can be just as upsetting as physical attack.

• Ask them what they need

DebriefIf further help is required a more formal debriefing

process is established through an Employee

Assistance Programme or equivalent. It is not a

role for staff colleagues. The function of debriefing

is to speed recovery for those involved in an event

where a high level of stress is experienced.

Moving on or Further HelpDefusing and debriefing are not always successful.

Under certain circumstances for example if

reactions increase rather than decrease referral for

in depth counselling may be indicated.


Feedback:Please write your answers in the space provided.

Which parts of the course do you feel will be most useful to you back at work?

How do you think the following will benefit as a result of this course?

You:

Your Line Manager:

The Organisation:

What will I do differently when I return to the workplace?

For additional guidance information or advice on any issues contained within this handout please contact

Ikon Training.

34 8. Notes

Notes:Please write your notes in the space provided.

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