Engaging With Parents After a Serious Incident
The phone call, the meeting and the plan that follow a restraint: getting the hardest conversation in school right, on the day it has to be had.
A named caller
Someone is responsible for the call, and a deputy for when they are in a meeting.
Same day, before home
A late call reads as concealment, even when nothing was concealed.
Facts before dialling
A call without facts creates a version of events the school then spends weeks correcting.
Office staff included
They often take the first call. They should be on the course.
What is at Stake?
Most complaints are not about a restraint. They are about finding out on Friday that their child was held on Tuesday, and about the person on the phone not being able to answer a single question.
A parent who was met properly is far more likely to accept a plan, and far less likely to write to the board.
01
The late call
It reads as concealment, even when nothing was concealed.
02
The call without facts
It creates a version of events you then spend six weeks correcting.
03
The parent who was met badly
They tell other parents, and the school manages a reputation instead of a child.
What the day actually rehearses
Real incidents from your own school, anonymised, with the person who takes the call in the room. Generic role-play teaches nothing that survives an angry parent.
The four questions that come every time
What happened, why was my child held, who decided, and what happens now.
Anger and grief
What a parent's anger is usually about, and when to stop the call and continue in person.
Complaints and escalation
What the complaint is really alleging, and where the safeguarding line sits.
The day covers who calls and when, what you can say while facts are moving, the conversation itself, the meeting afterwards, and the complaint if it comes.
Who calls, and when
The named person, the same-day deadline, the deputy, and what to do when the named person is unavailable.
What you can say while facts move
The difference between what happened, what I know so far, and saying nothing at all.
The conversation and the meeting
Opening with the child’s welfare, the questions that come every time, and closing with a next step and a date.
Complaints and escalation
What the complaint is really alleging, what your records must show, and where safeguarding begins.
Our Impact in Your Schools
Most complaints grow from what a parent was told, and when. Staff we train know what to say in the first conversation and can hold the second. Fewer of them escalate past that point.
K
Parents get one version of events, on the day, from someone who can be found again.
Dynamis Training
Guiding You Through
We listen, design and deliver training that reflects the real challenges your people face.
We understand that most complaints begin with what a parent was told, and when, rather than with the incident itself. We have worked with schools on the conversation after the hold, not only on the hold.
The Customer Journey
Schools usually bring two or three real incidents. We rehearse the calls they would have made, deliver the day on site, and leave a named-caller rota and a call record format.
UNDERSTAND
We start by understanding how your school tells a parent that something serious has happened, and where that conversation goes wrong.
ADDRESS
Then we rehearse the conversation your staff actually have to hold, with the parent in front of them.
ENHANCE & SUSTAIN
Afterwards we help you keep the standard: refreshers, wording your staff can use under pressure, and a route to train your own trainers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we do this alongside positive handling training?
Yes, and it is the better order. The physical day gives staff something to talk about; this day teaches them how to talk about it.
Do you cover the phone call only, or the whole process?
The whole sequence: the call, the follow-up meeting, the written record, the plan, and the complaint if it comes.
What if our office team takes the first call and gets it wrong?
That is exactly the risk this day is designed for. Office staff usually join for the morning.
Guides
Download our Positive Handling starter guide for schools.
Contact Us
Ready to explore Positive Handling training for your staff team? Let’s talk today.
Starting from £99 per learner for most teams.
Face-to-face, in-house across the UK. Tell us your team size and we will price it properly.