Following an analysis of trainee and residential staff behavior trends at Northville Workforce Group, it was determined that residential staff were employing forceful and ineffective redirection strategies with trainees. This approach led to a high number of trainee complaints regarding residential staff behavior, confrontations between trainees and residential staff, and trainee resignations citing conflicts with residential staff.
To address these issues, I concluded that residential staff working directly with trainees would greatly benefit from training in trauma-informed strategies for effectively addressing and redirecting unwanted behaviors. This training aims to mitigate and prevent the escalation of negative behaviors and confrontations. I chose an instructor-led training delivery for this training as it could be implemented for a group of residential staff at once in a group training setting, which staff receive every quarter.
In response, a four-step redirection model called the APAT model was designed to guide residential staff in their interactions with trainees. Additionally, a follow-up survey and audit of negative incident reports and resignations was planned to evaluate the efficacy of the APAT model in reducing confrontations and conflicts between trainees and residential staff.