Substance use and vulnerability
Recognise emerging concerns, understand substance-related risk and practise supportive conversations and proportionate responses.
Recognise concerns • Start a conversation • Identify appropriate support
Staffordshire • Stoke-on-Trent • Midlands
Practical staff training for care and support services
Help your team feel more confident recognising concerns, communicating clearly and supporting people as individuals. Local workshops shaped around your service, staff roles and current priorities.
For care homes, homecare, supported living and independent health and support teams.
Training matched to your setting
Choose a focused briefing or combine themes in a tailored team workshop. Content and scope are agreed before booking.
Safeguarding in everyday practice
Use realistic scenarios to practise recognising vulnerability, responding to disclosures and recording and escalating concerns through your service's agreed pathways.
Respond calmly • Record clearly • Escalate appropriately
Autism and learning disability awareness
Explore individual communication needs, recognise distress and consider practical sensory and environmental adjustments. Autism and learning disability are distinct; support is shaped around the person.
Adapt communication • Understand distress • Make practical adjustments
Support your improvement work
Training can respond to a specific learning need identified through staff feedback, quality assurance or a CQC report. We focus on the parts that fit Waymark's expertise and agree what staff should be able to recognise, say and do afterwards.
Attendance records, learner feedback and practical action points can contribute to your evidence of staff development. Training sits alongside your own supervision, competency checks, policies and management oversight.
Workshops do not guarantee an inspection outcome or carry CQC endorsement. Bespoke sessions complement role-specific training; any required clinical or accredited safeguarding training should be arranged with an appropriate provider.
Your facilitator
Dan Gibbons
Based in the Staffordshire Moorlands, Dan brings experience across substance-use education, supported housing, specialist mental health and SEND settings.
He also facilitates Tier 1 and Tier 2 Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training through University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust.
Waymark's bespoke workshops are separate from the official Oliver McGowan programme. Enquiries about official delivery are scoped against the required approved training team and programme arrangements before any booking is agreed.
Explore Oliver McGowan training enquiries →Planning your session
Your commissioning questions
Can you tailor training to a CQC finding?
Yes, where the finding relates to Waymark's expertise. Share the relevant learning need and any work already completed. We agree realistic learning outcomes and identify matters that need management action or a different specialist.
What formats and costs are available?
Focused briefings, half-day workshops and tailored team sessions can be discussed. Care-service workshops are quoted individually based on duration, staff numbers, preparation, travel and delivery arrangements. There is no commitment when you enquire.
Can a business outside health and social care enquire?
Yes. Businesses can discuss bespoke autism and neurodiversity awareness, accessible customer communication and practical adjustments. The content is matched to staff roles and competence; it is distinct from the official Oliver McGowan programme.
What do staff take away?
We agree learning outcomes, use relevant scenarios and identify practical next steps. Attendance and learner feedback can be recorded. Your service remains responsible for checking how learning is applied in practice.
Discuss your team's training needs
Tell me about your service, staff group and one priority you would like to address. We can then agree a practical starting point.
Request a tailored quote