Tender: acting (and training) to end abuse

Tender are a charity working to counteract abusive, unhealthy and controlling releationships through training, consciousness raising, outreach work and widespread educational initiatives. I admire their work immensely, especially their focus upon working with young people in schools and their drive to create an overall youth culture which is healthy, mutually respectful, self-respecting and supportive. They have sent me details of three of their upcoming one-day training events. The days are usually attended by professionals already working in this field, but I thought I'd share the details because they highlight some of the major psychological, physical and social issues surrounding violent, abusive and controlling relationships and seek to address the dynamics of abusive relationships, the pressures on victims and survivors, perpetrators' own excuses and dynamics, the wider social tolerance - even expectancy - surrounding abuse, bystander apathy, perpetrators' non/acceptance of responsibility, risks and routes out of abusive relationships and much more.

1. Awareness and Good Practice when working with women experiencing violence and abuse in relationships
Thursday 14th June 2012
Central London
£90
This one day training event will equip participants with an understanding of the issues for women experiencing violence from men they know. The day will give attendees an appreciation of the barriers faced by women seeking help to leave an abusive relationship.

The training will enable participants to:

• Define the different types of abuse
• Understand the pressures on women to stay in violent relationships and what might prevent them from seeking and securing the help they need
• Explore the additional issues for women from marginalised groups
• Examine the responsibility for violence using the power and control model
• Address the impact on children witnessing and experiencing domestic abuse

The day is aimed at staff in any agency who may be called upon to support, advise, treat, or otherwise assist a woman experiencing violence from a man she knows.

2.  Working with young people to address violence in teenage relationships
Thursday 21st June 2012
Central London
£150
This very practical day will equip participants with a clear understanding of the key issues of abuse and violence in relationships and practically examine how drama techniques can be used to engage young people in these issues. These exercises have been tried and tested in a range of youth settings including schools, youth centres and pupil referral units and the training will be delivered by facilitators with a wealth of experience in delivering issue based projects.

This training will:

• Give participants a theoretical understanding of issues such as different types of abuse, the excuses perpetrators give and the pressures on victims to stay in abusive relationships through our gendered model
• Practically explore exercises that can be used to engage young people
• Explore how the activities can be applied in a variety of youth settings, and learn effective techniques for engaging and encouraging young people to participate
• Trouble shoot particular barriers participants have encountered when carrying out this kind of violence prevention work
• The day is aimed at professionals working directly with young people. Participants do not need to have previous experience of drama or theatre to take part in the day

3. Working effectively in and with schools: a practical approach to successful partnerships with schools
Thursday 28th June 2012
Central London
£150
This one day training event will help participants to create robust and mutually beneficial links with schools to deliver high impact work with students and teachers. Working in schools is often a big challenge for organisations. Tender has experience of identifying ways to work successfully with a school’s administration, schedules and ethos to build a strong relationship. Attendees will increase their understanding of the needs and challenges faced by teachers and will develop methods of adapting their approaches to appeal to schools in light of these.

This training will address:

• Making initial contact with schools – strategies and methods
• Working with key teachers
• Maintaining relationships once a project is underway
• Secondary, Primary, Special, Pupil Referral Units – identifying their differing needs
• School-speak: becoming familiar with the language that schools and teachers use
• Developing and delivering teacher training

The day is aimed at staff in any organisation that may be starting to work directly in primary, secondary, special schools and pupil referral units.


Further notes for interested parties:

• Tender say they can always respond to individual training needs of organisations and develop tailor made packages of training; they provide on-site consulting for agencies and organisations.
• To find out more please contact Susie McDonald on 020 7428 7313 or email susie@tender.org.uk
• To request a booking form or some more information please contact Jake Tily on 0207 431 7278 or email jake@tender.org.uk