Understanding Accreditation, Affiliation and Certification
History & Roots
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Safer Handling are international specialist providers of a holistic approach to training and consultancy in the promotion of positive behaviour support (PBS) and the implementation of sensible, restraint and restrictive practices, reduction strategies that adequately protect the staff and those in their care. Avoidance and understanding of the reasons for behaviour to our team is paramount.
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Safer Handling are NICE stakeholders and operate as a licensed centre for the Royal Society for Public Health, headed up by Alex, a former violence reduction lead for Lancashire NHS. We provide nationwide coverage delivering their Level 3 and 4 range of Violence Prevention and Reduction courses, including train the trainer modules.
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Safer Handling have been designing and delivering legal briefings to help staff, stakeholders, management, parents and carers better understand ‘Reasonable Force’ and how to select a least restrictive approach programmes - inclusive of appropriate and effective physical skills - since 1999.
OUR ETHOS
Our ethos is in reducing restrictive practices & helping organisations implement appropriate systems of physical intervention; without compromising on safety or simply relying on ‘accreditation’.
THE TECHNIQUES
The techniques in our independently reviewed manual, and the step by step tutorials on Safer Handling online are subject to legal, medical and dynamic review by SWC Experts (Safety Without Compromise).
OUR CEO DOUG MELIA
Our CEO Doug Melia is a subject matter expert accredited trainer, consultant & speaker on the use of force, safer handling strategies & reducing restrictive practices practitioner as well as being a registered expert witness, auditor, risk assessor and specialist member of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (SIIRSM). Our international arm Passenger Safe have had our courses accredited through ISCA by the Bahama’s Maritime Authority.
He is a lifelong member of the Howard league for penal reform, Master trainer with ESL and works with government departments to make services safer for staff and those in their care. In 2020 Doug worked with the MMPR team across YOIs and secure children’s homes to reduce the use of pain inducing techniques.​​
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Approach, Accreditation and Quality Standards
Safer Handling have always believed in delivering training and consultancy which exceeds national standards & which aligns with our holistic approach to reducing restrictive practices.
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Vocationally we map our awards to Edexcel, City and Guilds and Highfield standards, whilst tailoring each package to the organisation, person and location considering the culture and challenges highlighted in our training needs analysis; which is mandatory in line with best practice.
Safer Handling operate as a licensed centre for the National Federation for Personal Safety and offer their range of BTEC awards - which are specifically tailored to the Care and Education sector.
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Safer Handling are also a licenced centres of the Royal Society of Public Health to deliver RSPH Level 3 and 4 Awards in Violence Prevention and Reduction for Operational Leads and Strategic Specialists
Our trainers are registered with the Institute of Conflict Management who published the National Occupational standard and we are members of the International Corrections and Prison Association, the National School Resource Officers Association (NASRO) and are licensed by the CIHQ Centre for Improvement in Heath are Quality and routinely support organisations who opt to have their systems accredited by BILD Act.
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At Safer Handling we do not believe in a one size fits all approach, or system of training. Especially not in social care, child and adolescent mental health or educational settings - where people come in a range of different sizes with varied complex needs where there may be transport, containment or support being provided in varied environments.
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Safer Handling’s approach at Justice Health, Sydney, Australia was cited as best practice in a coronial inquiry by NSW Government.
Charity Involvement
Our CEO Doug Melia takes part in charity events such as annual bike ride challenges and most recently trekking the Inca trail to Machu Pichu.
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Since 1996 we have been members of Lancashire partnership against crime (LANPAC) and we regularly provide personal safety input for their community projects.
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Annually we sponsor Woody’s lodge, a charity for veterans, emergency services personnel and their families. We are proud to this year be the headline sponsor for the launch of Rebecca House’s play “A silent approach’ which is the dramatisation of her book Police to Paranoid.