The interactive training providers taking the social work profession by storm.

The interactive training providers taking the social work profession by storm

Social workers in attendance at Sanctuary’s CSE training workshop in Bristol were treated to a phenomenal training workshop courtesy of interactive training provider, Loudmouth. We speak exclusively with Chris Cowen, Director of Loudmouth, to discover what sets their training apart from other providers and why they use dramatic performances to underpin their training seminars.

How did Loudmouth’s training develop?

Loudmouth was set up in 1994 by me and Eleanor Vale and we’re both proud to still be the Company Directors. We first met as students at the University of Kent and we were interested to learn how drama could be used as a teaching or community tool.

Since setting up Loudmouth, the majority of our work is delivered to children and young people although there has always been a training element for professionals. These training sessions usually involve using drama to raise awareness of issues and / or passing on techniques for engaging young people around the issues.

What made you decide to use dramatic performances within your training?

We find that using drama helps trainees to quickly gain awareness and insights into the issues covered; build empathy for those affected and engage with the human or emotional aspects.

What social workers have to say about Loudmouth:

“The training was incredible; it really helped me to be in the voice of the young person and understand what they are going through. It also brought to life how incredibly quickly grooming can escalate.” Nancy, Operational Manager, CAMHS team

“The training was completely on-point. It really made you think that you were in the room with that child. It was absolutely spot on.” Karin, Family Court Advisor, CAFCASS

“It was absolutely brilliant, really realistic. It was so hardhitting, and although it reiterated what I already knew, it was thought-provoking because it showed how easy it can be done. The question now is, how can we deal with this?” Joanne, Social Care Practitioner

We do a lot of research before we develop any of our education or training programmes. The drama, discussions and exercises that follow aim to give a more realistic experience and understanding of the broader issues that can be hard to do in a written report or case study. Our training usually includes elements where the professionals talk to the characters from the drama and so there is an opportunity for our Actor / Facilitators to respond in role passing on the research in an engaging and authentic way. This can be important in giving the voice of the victim and that children and young people’s views on issues and services are heard.

In your “Working for Marcus” training workshop, your actors can really get into the mindset of a young person being groomed; how difficult is it for them to get into that character?

We cover a lot of issues including child sexual exploitation and grooming. Our Actor / Facilitators are permanent members of staff and are recruited for having an interest in the issues, a good temperament for training around sensitive issues as well as having the acting and facilitation skills.

There is a lot of work during rehearsals to build up an understanding of the characters that they will be playing, lots of research and reading of case studies and discussions on the issues covered. Sometimes it can be challenging to get into and out of a character especially if you are delivering sessions where you don’t feel that the audience or group related to or empathised with the character as much as you

"We believe that education around these issues is crucial for young people to ensure that they are safe"

hoped. To support with this our Actor / Facilitators always work in teams of two and debrief after sessions and have support structures in place.

Our Actor / Facilitators are used to coming in and out of character as they have been working around the issues for a long time, however it's important that they have support if they find it difficult.

How much research is done to ensure the training is accurate?

Each new programme goes through months of research with a review of available material, data or reports. We work closely with key organisations who are experts in the field to ensure that the accuracy of any stats or current legislation is correct and that the messages in the training are in line with best practice. We do as much work as we can to get first person accounts so that the situations and characters reflect real experiences. This can be interviews with survivors of abuse, with professionals who work closely with survivors, blogs or non-fiction accounts.

You regularly work with schools and colleges to support children and young people. How important is it that we educate our children on issues such as CSE, grooming, domestic violence, drugs and alcohol etc?

We believe that education around these issues is crucial for young people to ensure that they are safe. We also believe that it is important to look not just about what is being taught but how. We do a lot of work to make sure that our drama, workshops and supporting materials are age appropriate, provide space for young people to discuss and explore attitudes and values, as well as learn information and statistics in a safe, relaxed and open atmosphere. Our evaluation shows big increases in knowledge of services as well as young people stating that as a result of the sessions they would act differently and found it useful to learn through the drama.

What other training do you have available for social work professionals?

We currently offer work on CSE awareness as well as another training on interactive techniques to engage young people around Health and Relationships and Sex Education. The company specialises in relationships and safeguarding education.

Can you carry out any bespoke training if required?

We can develop bespoke training and are always interested in new opportunities. Due to the approach we take there are obviously development costs to ensure the research and messages are right. We also have 10 different theatre in education programmes aimed at different ages of children and young people and so there are sometimes options for us to use the drama from these in a training programme if required.

Find out more:

To find out more about Loudmouth’s range of training workshops, visit loudmouth.co.uk, phone 0121 446 4880 or email info@loudmouth.co.uk