A Trusted Learning and Development Advisor
A Trusted Learning and Development Advisor
How tailored de-escalation training helped staff and volunteers respond to challenging behaviour calmly, respectfully and safely.
Transit Soup Kitchen and Food Support provides practical help to people experiencing hardship. Every day, its staff and volunteers welcome people, prepare and serve meals, provide food support and create a place where community members feel respected and supported.
At the centre of this work are people who give their time, energy and care to help others, whether in the kitchen, greeting visitors, distributing food, driving, coordinating volunteers or responding to someone who needs immediate assistance.
The work makes a genuine difference, but it can also be unpredictable. Transit Soup Kitchen recognised that supporting the community also meant supporting the people delivering its services.
People seeking support may be experiencing financial pressure, housing instability, trauma, mental health concerns, isolation or significant personal stress. Most interactions are positive, but frustration, distress or confusion can sometimes lead to challenging or aggressive behaviour. Staff and volunteers need to manage these moments without making anyone feel judged or unwelcome, while staying aware of other people, exits, physical space and their own safety.
Preferred Training Networks delivered a tailored De-escalating Violence program for Transit Soup Kitchen and Food Support. The program brought together managers, kitchen staff, community support workers, drivers, frontline employees and volunteers, and was designed around the situations they may encounter in their day-to-day work.
The training received excellent feedback. Of the 34 participants who completed an evaluation, 100% of those who gave an overall rating assessed the program as either Very Good or Best Course Ever. Participants also identified clear changes they intended to make in how they respond to challenging situations.
The program was practical, relevant and grounded in the realities of Transit Soup Kitchen’s work.
Key elements of the approach included:
Particular attention was given to body language and situational awareness. Participants explored how hand position, facial expression, physical distance and voice tone can either reduce or increase tension. They also considered how to stay aware of what is happening around them without losing focus on the person in front of them. In a busy service environment, these small details can make the difference between a situation settling down and one that escalates.
Transit Soup Kitchen’s staff and volunteers often respond to people during some of the most difficult periods of their lives.
The training was not about controlling every difficult situation. It was about helping people recognise risk earlier, communicate more effectively and make safer decisions when a situation could no longer be resolved through conversation.
After the program, participants committed to paying closer attention to:
By investing in practical de-escalation and personal safety skills, Transit Soup Kitchen is helping its people continue this important work with greater awareness, confidence and care.
Preferred Training Networks was proud to support Transit Soup Kitchen and Food Support and the dedicated people who make its services possible.
Every participant who provided an overall rating assessed the program as Very Good or Best Course Ever.
More than a third of participants selected the highest available rating, with the remaining 65% selecting Very Good.
Ratings for training outcomes, materials, facilitator audience fit, subject knowledge and learning environment were concentrated at the highest end of the scale.
David is an excellent training facilitator. He took the time to adapt examples that we could really relate to. He is an EXCELLENT listener! And he is really good at picking apart what individuals say (in a good way) and applying the training to situations we bring forward. As someone who rarely feels comfortable speaking up in a situation like this, his approach was very much appreciated.
Preferred Training Network developed a coaching training package that really met our needs and they made the contextualizing process so easy. Their customer service before and after was excellent and their trainer was refreshing and innovative and really knew his stuff. A pleasure to do business with.
Aligns with recognising early warning signs and responding calmly without being drawn into an argument.
Aligns with situational awareness, safe distance and knowing when to disengage.
Aligns with responding respectfully to people experiencing distress, frustration or significant personal stress.
Frontline staff and volunteers deserve to feel prepared when a situation starts to escalate. Preferred Training Networks develops customised workplace training programs around the situations your people actually face, from recognising early warning signs and using calm body language to setting boundaries and knowing when to step away.
