Equip Your Team to Understand Behaviour, Not Just Manage It
Grounded in Polyvagal Theory and trauma-informed neuroscience, not just techniques. Our 2, 3, and 4-Day courses give adult learning disability staff the PBS and trauma-informed skills to reduce incidents, lower restrictive practices, and create environments where the people you support can thrive.
In brief:
ProActive Healthcare delivers BILD Act (RRN) certified behaviour support training for adult learning disability services. Our programmes are designed for teams supporting adults with learning disabilities in residential care, supported living, and day centres.
Reduction in Incidents Within 12 Months
Workplace Accidents
Days Lost to Injury
Verified data from one of our customers: a CQC-regulated adult short breaks service in Kent, commissioned through Kent County Council. 12-month review period. Aligned with “Positive & Proactive Care” guidance. Comparable outcomes have been recorded across other commissioning authorities we work with.
Two examples from the local authorities and care providers commissioning our adult LD training.
When Your Team Is Surviving, Not Thriving
You know the signs. One individual with complex needs. Nine incidents recorded during just seven overnight stays in a single month. Staff responding reactively, without a shared framework for understanding the function of behaviour.
Feeling Powerless When Behaviours Escalate
Staff feel powerless when behaviours of concern escalate, and nothing they have tried makes a lasting difference. One individual with complex needs can generate nine incidents in just seven overnight stays.
Empathy Running on Empty
The emotional toll is showing in sickness, turnover, and agency costs. Your team cannot help people in crisis if they are in crisis themselves.
Defaulting to Restrictive Practices
Without a shared framework for understanding the function of behaviour, staff default to restrictive practices because they do not know what else to do. No consistent approach to de-escalation. Confidence eroding with every shift.
Dreading Work and Losing Passion
Your team members are dreading work and losing the passion for a career they once loved. The answer is not more of the same training. It is a fundamentally different approach.
Your team cannot help people in crisis if they are in crisis themselves. The answer is not more of the same training. It is a fundamentally different approach.
From Surviving Each Shift To Genuinely Thriving
When your team fully understands trauma, unmet needs, and the neuroscience behind behaviour, they do not just manage situations differently. They rediscover why they chose this career.
Your Team Becomes “Amygdala Whisperers”
We teach staff to use their own calm nervous system to down-regulate a person in distress, through co-regulation, not control. This is the science of Polyvagal Theory applied to daily practice.
Built on Proven Frameworks, Not Generic Techniques
Every module is grounded in named, evidence-based models, giving your team the language and credibility to articulate their approach to CQC inspectors, commissioners, and families.
Polyvagal Theory
Explains why behaviour happens at a neurological level, and how staff can use co-regulation to create calm.
PACE Model
Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy: a practical relational framework for every daily interaction.
Huckshorn's Six Core Strategies
The gold-standard organisational framework for reducing restraint and restrictive practices.
Attachment Theory
Understand why people are avoidant, clingy, or chaotic, and the hidden need driving each pattern.
PERMA Model
Seligman's wellbeing framework applied to staff resilience, linking team wellbeing to quality of care.
Bruce Perry's 3 R's
Regulate, Relate, Reason: the correct sequence for responding when someone is in crisis.
Therapeutic Lens
Our proprietary framework for analysing behaviour through sensory, attachment, and trauma dimensions.
Shields Against Shame
Understand aggression, withdrawal, and people-pleasing as protective responses to the fear of disconnection.
The What, The Why, The How
Our unique 3-Step Method is built on real-world experience, empathy, and becoming a trusted person. Each step builds on the last, giving your team a complete framework.
The What: Academic Education
Gain a foundational and practical understanding of behaviour and unravel the complexities of supporting adults with behaviours of concern by exploring lived experiences.
- Establish a PBS approach and Human Rights-based Value Base as the foundation for practice
- Define behaviours of concern through a therapeutic lens, adopting a person-centred mindset
- Explore lived experiences (ACEs), the significant impact of trauma and unmet attachment needs
- Understand the 5 Service Accomplishments (O'Brien) and person-centred planning
The Why: The Neuroscience of Behaviour
Delve into why behaviours occur by exploring Polyvagal Theory, neuroception, and co-regulation, the science that explains how your staff's nervous system directly influences the people they support.
- Understand Polyvagal Theory: how the autonomic nervous system drives fight, flight, and freeze responses
- Learn about neuroception: the subconscious detection of threat that triggers behaviour before conscious thought
- Explore Shields Against Shame: how aggression, withdrawal, and people-pleasing are protective responses
- Discover setting events and triggers, and the relationship between personal and environmental conditions
The How: Practical Application
Apply techniques and strategies into daily practice, providing positive experiences for the people you support so they can thrive and enjoy a better quality of life.
- Implement the PERMA model (Seligman) to promote quality of life, autonomy, and choice
- Apply the PACE model (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy) in daily interactions
- Use Bruce Perry's 3 R's (Regulate, Relate, Reason) as the correct crisis response sequence
- Master setting-specific de-escalation strategies from our five specialist toolboxes
Five Specialist De-Escalation Toolboxes. Not One Generic Approach.
We do not deliver a one-size-fits-all course. Your team receives de-escalation strategies specifically designed for the people they actually support.
Learning Disability & Autism Services
Your Primary ToolboxTotal Communication
Multi-modal communication approaches tailored to individual needs
Makaton & PECS
Sign-supported and picture exchange communication systems
Visual Supports
Timetables, social stories, and visual schedules for predictability
Sensory Regulation
Identifying and managing sensory triggers and overload
Accessible Information
Easy-read materials and adapted communication strategies
Adult Services
Residential & Supported Living
- Hurdle Help
- Proximity
- Injection of Praise
- Planned Ignoring
- Leave-It Option
Dementia
Specialist Dementia Care
- Validation Therapy
- Biographical Anchoring
- Sundowning Protocols
- Therapeutic Doll Use
- Errorless Learning
Mental Health
Mental Health Settings
- CBT/DBT-Informed
- Psychosis-Specific
- Dissociation Response
- Recovery-Focused
- Grounding Techniques
Verbal & Non-Verbal
Complex Communication Needs
- Count-to-8 Rule
- Non-Verbal Cue Reading
- Environmental Modification
- Sensory De-escalation
- Augmentative Communication
Every strategy adapted for the people you actually support. Your trainer will customise the toolbox selection based on your service's specific needs.
What If Aggression, Withdrawal, and People-Pleasing Are All the Same Thing?
Shame, the fear of disconnection and rejection, drives many of the behaviours that care staff find most difficult. Our training reveals how these are all unconscious protective responses to the same underlying pain.
Aggression
“If I push you away first, you can't reject me”
Withdrawal
“If I disappear, I can't be hurt”
People-Pleasing
“If I'm perfect, you'll keep me safe”
Refusal
“If I don't try, I can't fail”
Give Your Team the Skills They Deserve
Get the full course guide with pricing for all three levels and available dates. Or book a call to discuss which option suits your team.
From Reactive to Reflective: A 12-Month Transformation
One of our customers, a CQC-regulated adult short breaks service in Kent commissioned through Kent County Council, was experiencing rising incidents linked to one individual with complex needs. Following our training, the results were sustained across every quarter. We see similar trajectories across the wider portfolio of services we support.
Reduction in Incidents
Workplace Accidents
Days Lost to Injury
Quarter-by-Quarter Trajectory
9 before training, 1 after training in same quarter
Reduction sustained; several stays were incident-free
Highest level of reflective practice observed
Strongest stability; multiple incident-free stays
What Actually Changed
Behaviour as Communication
Staff developed a fundamentally different understanding of why the person was dysregulated. They learned to ask what was driving the behaviour and respond accordingly.
Teaching Coping Strategies
Rather than simply containing difficult moments, staff began involving the individual in preparing personal care items, using visual timetables, and offering structured choices.
Debriefs That Drive Learning
Team debriefs shifted from administrative exercises to genuine reflective practice, analysing triggers, evaluating strategies, and agreeing consistent approaches.
A Joined-Up, Confident Team
Staff consistently used the same trauma-informed approaches, shared learning through handovers, and demonstrated a shared understanding of triggers and support needs.
Smarter Environmental Planning
The team introduced environmental changes informed by their learning, carefully planning stays to reduce overstimulation and create a more predictable, emotionally safe environment.
“Staff recognised that the behaviours were not deliberate but were communication of emotional or sensory needs.”
Registered Manager, Kent County Council
“Staff felt safer due to having clear strategies and a comprehensive risk assessment that outlined thresholds for decision-making. Knowing what to look for, how to respond and when to escalate gave the team confidence and stability.”
Registered Manager, Kent County Council
What Our Partners Say
“Three months in, we realised we were having entire weeks without a single restrictive intervention. But more importantly, the people we support are visibly happier and more engaged.”
Sarah T.
Registered Manager, Supported Living Provider
“The difference in our CQC inspection was remarkable. The inspector highlighted how our team could clearly articulate the needs underlying behaviours and demonstrate their person-centred approach.”
James R.
Operations Director, Multi-site Adult Care Provider
“My biggest surprise was the financial impact. The reduction in staff turnover alone saved us over £38,000 in the first year, not counting reduced agency costs and absence rates.”
Helen M.
Operations Director, National Care Group
“I used to dread walking into the service because you could feel the tension. Now there is this sense of purposeful calm. The whole atmosphere has shifted from containment to genuine support.”
David K.
Deputy Manager, Supported Living Service
“We have spent years training teams to be trauma-informed about the people they support. Now we need to be trauma-informed about the team.”
Simon Gower, Founder, ProActive Healthcare Group
Not Just a Course. A Complete Toolkit.
The most common complaint about training is “my staff go on a course, come back, and nothing changes.” Our delegates leave with practical, setting-specific resources they can use on the floor the next day.
5 De-Escalation Toolboxes
Setting-specific strategy guides for Adult Services, Dementia, Learning Disability, Mental Health, and Verbal/Non-Verbal communication.
Comprehensive Delegate Workbook
Full course workbook with theory summaries, reflection exercises, and space for personal action planning.
Attachment Theory Handout
Practical guide to recognising avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganised attachment patterns, and the hidden need behind each.
Shields Against Shame Guide
Case studies and framework for understanding aggression, withdrawal, and people-pleasing as protective responses.
Communication Differences Sheet
Reflection tool covering sensory overload, processing delays (the 'Count to 8' rule), and adapted communication strategies.
Online Academy Portal Access
Digital access to all materials, step-by-step embedding guidance, and ongoing CPD resources after the course ends.
10+ Years. Thousands of Staff. Proven Results.
Over the past 10 years, we have helped thousands of care staff to identify, understand, and respond confidently to behaviours of concern using proven strategies and techniques. This bespoke course is your solution to easily access BILD Act (RRN) Certified PBS training, uniquely designed using our exclusive 3-Step Method for adult social care, supported living, and mental health settings.
Our Trainers
Created by Simon Gower, author of The Empathy Gap and a practitioner with nearly 30 years in care settings. Many of our trainers have been Registered Managers. They have managed the services, supported the people, and built the cultures you are working to create. They teach from experience, not textbooks.
Three Simple Steps to Get Started
Download the Course Guide
Get the full course guide with pricing for all three levels and available dates. Or book a call to discuss which option suits your team.
Choose Your Course Level
Select the 2, 3, or 4-Day course based on your team's needs and budget. We deliver at your premises, so there is no disruption to rotas.
Your Team Starts Applying New Skills
Your staff return to work with BILD certified skills, practical toolboxes, and the confidence to make a real difference from day one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Give Your Team the Skills They Deserve
Take the first step towards a team that feels confident, supported, and equipped to make a real difference in the lives of the people they support.