• Program Offerings
• Safe & Positive Approaches
• Part 1: Staff Effectiveness
• Part 2: Safety Techniques
• Part 3: Personal Emergency Intervention Training
• Promoting Positive Outcomes
  for the Reduction of Restraint
• Supportive Behavioral Supervision
• Suicide Prevention

Safe & Positive Approaches

Part 2: Safety Techniques Training Program Description

Safety Techniques Training presents safe and effective interventions used in crisis situations when someone is being physically threatened or harmed and verbal intervention alone is not effective. Safety Techniques provide staff members with passive, evasive movements that protect and minimize the risks of injury to themselves, the individual and others.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of Safety Techniques Training participants will be able to:

1. Identify the circumstances under which Safety Techniques are to be used and be able to define a “crisis” situation.
2. Describe the underlying principles of Safety Techniques, which include Position, Leverage, Balance and Conservation of Energy
3. Identify the appropriate Safety Technique to use in different crisis situations and be able to correctly perform each technique approved for use at their setting.
4. Identify rationale, risks and limitations of each Safety Technique approved for use at their setting.
5. Describe and provide an example of the De-Escalation Responses used to assist an individual who is escalating toward crisis to calm down and regain self-control.
6. Apply the Safe & Positive Approaches^® Decision Loop to make safe and effective decisions in situations when implementing a Safety Technique may be necessary.
7. Utilize proactive strategies (determine why, change environment/behavior, or teach skills) for the prevention of crisis.

Core Learning Activities:

• Introduction to Safety Techniques Training
• The Four Basic Principles
• Crisis Intervention Guidelines

Organization-Approved Safety Techniques:

• Deflection Techniques
• Grab Releases
• Bite Releases
• Hair-pull Controlling Techniques
• Choke Releases

NOTE: Safety Techniques are trained and utilized by staff only as approved and specified by organizational policy and procedure.

Supplemental Learning Activities: 

• De-Escalation Responses
• Applying the Safe & Positive Approaches^® Decision Loop to Safety Techniques
• Understanding and Preventing Unsafe Behaviors

Part 2: Safety Techniques Train-the-Trainer Program

Safety Techniques Train-the-Trainer prepares trainer-candidates to teach the concepts and skills of the Safety Techniques Training (STT) program, for use by their organization’s staff, as approved and specified by organizational policy and procedure. Participants in this two-day trainer-certification program learn the underlying concepts and principles on which the techniques are based, and they develop a foundation of physical skills designed to minimize the risks of injury and distress in crisis situations.

In addition to their acquisition of curricular content and skills, trainer-candidates learn how to provide a safe and structured learning environment, how to use a variety of instructional methods to teach physical techniques, and how to provide coaching and assessments of learners’ skills. Participation includes step-by-step demonstrations, hands-on practice, written and practical assessments, practice-training presentations and observations, and diagnostic feedback. Each participant receives the STT trainer’s manual, handouts, assessment tools and supplementary training resources.

Due to the physical elements of STT participants must have the following physical abilities in order to participate:

• ability to comfortably perform a series of flexibility exercises 
• ability to maintain a balanced stance with feet shoulder-width apart and weight on the balls of the feet 
• ability to perform three fundamental movements of STT (i.e. steps, shuffles and pivots)

Upon successful completion of the Safety Techniques Train-the-Trainer program, certification is awarded to qualified participants by Devereux. Participation does not guarantee certification. Web-accessible training resources (via trainer login) are available to certified Trainers. Annual Trainer Updates are required to maintain trainer-certification.