Promoting Positive Behaviour & De-escalation Skills (with Playfulness from PACE) (2/5) (Zoom)

This is the second instalment of our five-part PACE for Professionals training programme. Participants must complete the PACE Mindset (Module One) before attending this course, as it builds directly on the relational foundations and shared understanding established in the first module.

Why this training matters

Children and young people who have experienced neglect, abuse or loss often struggle to trust that adults can be safe, friendly and emotionally available. In high-pressure situations, interactions can quickly become tense, increasing shame, resistance and escalation.

This module focuses on Playfulness as a trauma-informed relational strategy that helps lower threat, reduce shame and communicate safety, even when things have gone wrong. Used appropriately, playfulness supports de-escalation, preserves relationships and helps children remain emotionally engaged rather than defensive or withdrawn.

What this module focuses on

This training supports professionals to use playfulness purposefully and safely, alongside Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), PACE and de-escalation strategies.

Participants will explore how reframing challenging behaviour as communication allows practitioners to identify unmet needs and respond proactively, reducing the likelihood of crisis situations and improving emotional regulation.

Throughout this course and the subsequent modules, participants are provided with practical tools, strategies and recording methods to support reflective, evidence-informed practice and demonstrate impact to inspectors and partner agencies.

Key components of the training

Participants will learn to:

• Identify what playfulness is – and is not – and when it is appropriate to use it

• Understand the challenges presented by children and young people who have experienced trauma

• Explore the roots and drivers of challenging behaviour

• Apply the PACE mindset to suggest supportive, relational responses

• Carry out functional analysis to identify triggers and inform behaviour support plans

• Use active calming and de-escalation strategies during heightened distress

• Understand aggression, including physiological signs of anger and common triggers

• Recognise how emotions drive behaviour

• Identify different levels of distress and select appropriate interventions

• Learn strategies that reduce the risk of restraint or physical confrontation

• Develop ways to manage personal emotional responses under pressure

• Strengthen evidence-based skills in de-escalation and defusion techniques

Programme structure

This module forms part of the full PACE suite. While it can support positive behaviour and de-escalation skills, it is designed to be undertaken as part of the complete five-module programme to ensure safe, consistent and trauma-informed application of PACE across practice.

Who this training is for

Our PACE for Professionals suite is suitable for a wide range of roles working with children and young people. Annual refreshers are recommended to support reflective practice and prevent drift under pressure.

• Social Workers: Case managers, child welfare workers, and community organisers.
• Caregivers: Residential workers, care home staff, Foster carers, adoptive parents, and kinship caregivers.
• Mental Health Professionals: Therapists, counselors & social workers.
• Educators: Also see "PACE for Schools" - Teachers, school counsellors, and special education professionals.
• Birth Parents: Use "PACE for Parents" instead. This is workforce development training. Some content may be triggering, and it will not be appropriate to address specific individual examples or development needs in front of the group.

⚠️ This is workforce development training. Some content may be emotionally challenging and is not suitable for addressing individual therapeutic needs within a group setting.

What others say

You can read feedback from professionals who have attended our training HERE.

Format, CPD & Resources

• Delivery: Live training via Zoom

• Format: Taught input, small group work, paired activities and whole-group discussion

CPD Suitability

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.