Crisis Intervention and Self-Harm in Schools
Responding to a pupil in acute distress, and to the rare moments when distress becomes a danger to the pupil or to others: the decision-making clear before the incident, not after.
Two situations, often confused
A pupil who is self-harming is not a pupil who is attacking someone. The response, and the law, differ.
We do not teach restraint as a response to self-harm
We teach the decision-making around it, and the routes that lead somewhere useful.
The first five minutes
Who goes to the pupil, who clears the space, who calls, and what is said first.
A plan that exists before the crisis
What a pupil-specific plan says, and how staff find it in thirty seconds.
What is at Stake?
A pupil in crisis is often a pupil who has already told several adults, in several ways, that something is wrong.
Handled badly, the incident becomes a physical struggle with a child who needed medical help, a staff member injured in a hold that should never have started, and a file that asks why nobody called for the right support sooner.
01
The wrong first response
Treating every crisis as a behaviour problem delays the help that was actually needed.
02
Physical intervention in the wrong moment
A hold can escalate a child in acute distress. The day is explicit about when it is the wrong answer.
03
The staff member afterwards
Somebody has to look after the adult who has just spent an hour on a corridor floor.
The harder half of positive handling
Judgement under pressure: recognition, escalation routes and the decision test, for teams who already hold a basic positive handling certificate.
Recognition before response
Acute distress, self-harm, suicidal ideation and violence towards others, and why the first response is not the same.
Medical and safeguarding routes
When to call an ambulance rather than a colleague, and how to hand over without losing detail.
No method, no images
Recognition and escalation only. We do not teach method or use material that could instruct.
The day covers recognising the difference, the first five minutes, when physical intervention is appropriate and when it is not, medical and safeguarding routes, the debrief, and the pupil-specific plan.
Recognising the difference
Acute distress, self-harm, suicidal ideation and violence towards others: what each looks like, and why the first response differs.
The first five minutes
Who goes to the pupil, who clears the space, who calls, and what the staff member says first.
When physical intervention is appropriate
Narrowly framed: imminent risk of serious harm, no lesser option, shortest time, and the situations where a hold would make things worse.
Afterwards and the plan
Recording, informing parents, supporting the pupil and the staff member, and the plan staff can find at 2pm on a Friday.
Our Impact in Your Schools
Schools that train with us find staff act sooner and hand it to the right agency. Safeguarding leads describe the medical and the behavioural as separate in the moment, where before they blurred. There is a post-incident route, and people follow it.
K
Because the subject is distressing, we run this for up to twelve staff and build in time to debrief the day itself.
Dynamis Training
Guiding You Through
We listen, design and deliver training that reflects the real challenges your people face.
We understand that self-harm and suicidal ideation arrive with a safeguarding process attached, that a medical emergency is not a behaviour incident, and that your staff are often the first adults there. We have trained school staff for those moments.
The Customer Journey
Pastoral and safeguarding teams usually bring a real case. We structure the day around it, deliver it on site, and build in debrief time for the group itself.
UNDERSTAND
We start by understanding what your staff already do when a young person is at risk of serious harm, and where that breaks down.
ADDRESS
Then we train the responses your staff need, rehearsed against the situations they have already faced, with the medical and the behavioural kept apart.
ENHANCE & SUSTAIN
Afterwards we help you keep the standard: refreshers, a clear post-incident route, and a way to train your own staff to hold it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this replace our positive handling course?
No. It sits alongside it. Positive handling gives staff the physical skills; this day gives them the judgement about when those skills are the wrong answer.
Do you show self-harm images or describe methods?
No. We teach recognition, response and escalation. We do not teach method, and we do not use material that could instruct.
Who should attend from a school?
The designated safeguarding lead or a deputy, pastoral leads, and at least one member of staff who is routinely first on the scene.
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 per day for most teams.
Face-to-face, in-house across the UK. Tell us your team size and we will price it properly.