Participants are required to have their cameras on for an interactive experience.
Maximum of two people per screen
Sessions are recorded for quality assurance purposes. They are only viewed by SCTS staff and deleted within 14 days.
£35.00 3 hours
This is the first instalment of our five-part PACE for Professionals training programme. All participants must complete this module before attending the remaining four, as it establishes the shared understanding and relational foundation needed to apply PACE safely and effectively in practice.
This module introduces the PACE mindset but does not provide full practical competence in all four PACE elements. To support meaningful, consistent implementation, we strongly recommend booking all five modules.
Professionals working with children and young people who have experienced trauma are often managing high levels of emotional distress, challenging behaviour and complex relational dynamics. This training supports workers to move beyond reactive or compliance-based responses and develop a trauma-informed, relational approach that increases emotional safety, reduces escalation and strengthens therapeutic relationships.
PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy), developed by Clinical Psychologist Dan Hughes, provides a clear and evidence-informed framework for understanding behaviour as communication and responding in ways that prioritise connection before correction. This mindset supports safer interactions, greater consistency across teams and improved outcomes for both children and professionals.
This training focuses on building a strong understanding of the PACE mindset and the trauma-informed principles that underpin effective relational practice.
Participants will explore:
Understanding trauma in context
Explore the national profile of trauma and its relevance to social care, education and therapeutic settings.
Children’s responses to trauma and loss
Develop insight into how trauma and loss shape emotional regulation, behaviour and relationships.
Attachment and the secure base
Understand the secure base model and why felt safety and connection are essential for change.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Gain an overview of ACEs and explore how coping and self-medicating behaviours may develop.
The impact of trauma on development
Identify key biological, emotional and psychosocial impacts of trauma.
Brain-based, trauma-informed caregiving
Develop a working understanding of Dan Hughes’ brain-based, relational approach to supporting children.
Understanding behaviour as communication
Reframe “challenging behaviour” as an expression of unmet need rather than deliberate defiance.
The realities of implementing PACE
Explore common challenges and barriers to applying the PACE model in real-world settings.
Behaviour support planning
Understand how behaviour support plans identify triggers and patterns, and how they can be used to guide safe, consistent responses during crises.
Supporting practice under pressure
Learn how to use behaviour support plans as a relational tool rather than a purely procedural one.
This module provides the essential foundation for the full PACE programme. Completing all five modules supports practitioners to move from understanding the mindset to confidently applying Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy in complex, emotionally charged situations.
Our PACE suite is suitable for a wide range of roles working with children and young people who have experienced trauma or disrupted attachment. Annual refreshers are recommended to support reflective practice and prevent drift back to less relational responses under pressure.
⚠️ This is workforce development training and does not provide individual therapy. Some content may be emotionally challenging. It is not suitable for exploring personal therapeutic needs within a group setting.
You can read feedback from professionals who have attended our training HERE.
Delivery: Live training via Zoom
Format: Taught input, small group work, paired activities and whole-group discussion
This training is suitable for Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
Participants receive a certificate of attendance and reflection prompts to support CPD recording in line with Social Work England guidance and similar professional frameworks.
Resources: Downloadable handouts and resource library provided
Those seeking to be certified in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) or to further explore PACE in action are invited to visit the founder's website.
This option is aimed at an audience with prior knowledge of the subject and isn’t suitable for. Those that are new to the subject would be better with our standard course.
Generic training can leave staff feeling unprepared for the real-life scenarios they face. Our tailored approach ensures the content, delivery method, and case studies are directly relevant to your sector (e.g., education, healthcare, sport, charity, corporate), your local policies, and the specific vulnerabilities and risks present in your community.
We design engaging, practical, and compliant training across three core areas:
Invest in training that transforms knowledge into action. Equip your team with the confidence and competence to protect those in your care proactively.
We recognise that sometimes groups need more time for discussions and group work. This can mean that a two-hour session is just not long enough to explore the curriculum and engage in question and answer sessions. So we are you offering the opportunity to extend the session by an hour to allow your trainees the chance to explore the curriculum fully!
