Success story: Interchange Shoalhaven, NSW | Team Teach

In brief

• The challenge

  Staff said their previous behaviour support training didn't reflect frontline work and was hard to remember under stress.

• The solution

  A five-day Team Teach train-the-trainer course, so Interchange Shoalhaven could train its own teams.

• The impact

  Staff feel more confident delivering support, better equipped to use approved skills and strategies, and supported well beyond the training day.

The challenge

Staff told leaders that their previous behaviour support training didn't really reflect what it's like on the frontline. The training could have been better structured and easier to follow, and some of the skills were difficult to use in real situations.

Some of the skills were hard to put into practice and difficult to remember when things became stressful.

Xariet Sipple and Louise Bohme, Interchange Shoalhaven

For a team supporting people across housing, community programs and individual support, that gap mattered. Staff needed skills they could rely on wherever they were working.

Why Team Teach

We listened to our staff's feedback and knew we needed to make a change.

Interchange Shoalhaven chose Team Teach for practical training that would help the team feel more confident and better equipped to handle tricky situations, wherever they were working.

The values were a deciding factor too. The team liked that Team Teach's values are respectful, supportive, practical, accessible and mindful: "things that matter in our everyday work."

The approach: training the trainers

To build behaviour support skills from within, Interchange Shoalhaven put its own staff through a five-day Team Teach train-the-trainer course, led by Team Teach trainer Richard.

Once we met Richard at our five-day train-the-trainer course, we knew we were in safe hands. He was experienced, understanding and knew what it was like to work on the frontline. His calm, supportive approach helped us build our own confidence, which we could then take back to our teams.

Xariet Sipple and Louise Bohme, Interchange Shoalhaven

The course was built to be engaging from start to finish:

• 1

  Theory and practice together

  Sessions moved between theory and practical activities, which kept the training engaging throughout.
• 2

  Room to share experience

  There was space to share experiences and let discussions happen naturally. "We learnt a lot from those conversations too."
• 3

  Confidence to pass on

  The trainers left ready to take what they had learnt back to their colleagues.

The impact

The biggest change has been in staff confidence. Feedback from across the organisation has been positive.

Having trainers they can check in with, ask questions and get ongoing support from Team Teach has made a real difference too.

That ongoing support is a big part of the value. Staff come back with questions and feedback from situations they've faced at work, and the team works through them together, seeking guidance from Team Teach when needed. As Xariet and Louise put it, "it helps staff feel heard and supported well beyond the training itself."

Advice for other organisations

Your staff need behaviour support training, so invest in doing it well from the start.

Xariet Sipple and Louise Bohme, Interchange Shoalhaven

Four best practice lessons from Interchange Shoalhaven

1. 1

   Act on frontline feedback

   Let your staff's experience of training shape what you choose next.
2. 2

   Grow your own trainers

   A train-the-trainer course builds confidence in-house that trainers can pass on to their teams.
3. 3

   Mix theory with practice

   Practical activities and shared experience make skills easier to use when things get stressful.
4. 4

   Keep support going after training

   Trainers staff can check in with, backed by Team Teach, help staff feel heard and supported.