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Every member of our team is trained by our own training company, SLC Training UK. It means the training our staff receive is built around the realities of children’s residential care, delivered by people who understand our homes, and backed up by coaching on shift long after the course has finished.
I’m Rhys Herbert, Managing Director of Silver Lining Care and a co-founder and trainer at SLC Training. In this post I’ll explain what SLC Training is, what it offers, and why training our own staff matters so much to the young people we care for.
What is SLC Training UK?
SLC Training UK Ltd is a training provider based in South Wales, at the Baglan Bay Innovation Centre in Port Talbot, on the M4 corridor. It supports people who work with vulnerable children and adults through safeguarding, conflict management, physical intervention and professional development training.
It was co-founded by Daryl Herbert and me. Training is led by Head Trainer David Meredith, with Jade Hill as Safeguarding and Child Protection Specialist.
SLC Training delivers in three ways:
- face-to-face workshops;
- web-based modules;
- a patented board game designed to promote positive life choices.
It also offers specialised help with risk assessment, and aftercare.
What training does SLC Training offer children’s homes?
For children’s homes and services, SLC Training runs:
- Safeguarding Children
- Physical Intervention
- Breakaway
- Knife and Bladed Article Awareness
- Child Criminal and Sexual Exploitation (CCE and CSE)
- Self-Harm and Ligature Awareness
- Room Searches
- a Children’s Home Training Package
- RI Outreach and Support, for Responsible Individuals
It also trains foster carers, schools and education settings, adult care and support services, and workplaces in any industry, with courses including conflict management, leadership and management, mental health awareness, and effective communication and teamwork. You can see the full list on the SLC Training courses page.
How is SLC Training’s physical intervention training accredited?
Physical intervention is the area of training that needs the most scrutiny, so it’s worth being clear about how it’s checked:
- Qualifications: SLC Training’s physical intervention modules lead to BTEC Level 2 qualifications.
- Medical review: its physical intervention and breakaway techniques are regularly reviewed by an independent medical expert, Dr Tony Bleetman.
- Standards: the training is mapped to the Restraint Reduction Network (RRN) Training Standards, and complies with them where legally and reasonably practicable.
- Law and rights: it’s set within UK statute and common law, and designed to be human-rights compliant.
Just as important is what the training teaches about when to use physical intervention: only as a last resort, after de-escalation, and only to prevent harm. I’ve written more about that in our post on de-escalation and physical intervention in children’s homes.
Why do we train our own staff?
We chose to build our own training company, for four reasons.
1. Training that fits the work
Generic courses can leave staff unsure how to apply what they’ve learned to a particular young person on a particular evening. Because SLC Training and our Behaviour Management Team work closely with our homes, coaching is tailored to the young person, the team and the context.
2. Learning that doesn’t stop at the course
At Silver Lining Care, our Behaviour Management Team is available to staff at any time, on shift or off, for one-to-one coaching, informal refreshers and practical walkthroughs, and for planning around known behaviours or risks. After any significant incident, a member of the team attends the home in person within 24 hours, or as soon as the staff involved are next on shift, to lead a structured debrief.
3. One consistent approach
When every member of staff is trained in the same approach, from PACE and the Trauma Recovery Model to de-escalation, young people get the same response whoever is on shift. Consistency is one of the things that helps them feel safe.
4. Training that responds quickly
When something new comes up, we can arrange bespoke training quickly. In our 2025 inspection, Care Inspectorate Wales’s feedback highlighted strong leadership oversight, timely support and bespoke training in response to events and incidents.
What training do Silver Lining Care staff receive?
Everyone who joins us gets a full induction, including the All Wales Induction Framework for Health and Social Care, and a funded Level 3 Health and Social Care (Children and Young People) qualification. Alongside that, SLC Training provides:
- safeguarding, up to Level 3;
- de-escalation;
- BTEC Level 2 Physical Intervention.
We also pay for each new starter’s DBS check and Social Care Wales registration. You can read more about our approach on our training page.
Seminars and networking days
SLC Training regularly hosts seminars, open forums and networking days at the Baglan Bay Innovation Centre. They bring professionals together to share insights and talk through the pressing issues in our sector. If you work in care, education or support services in South Wales, you’d be very welcome.
Frequently asked questions about SLC Training
Can other organisations book SLC Training courses?
Yes. SLC Training works with children’s homes, foster care, schools, adult care and workplaces in any industry. Courses can be delivered face to face or online. Ask about dates and prices through the SLC Training website.
Where is SLC Training based?
At the Baglan Bay Innovation Centre in Baglan, Port Talbot.
Does SLC Training offer safeguarding training in line with the Welsh standards?
SLC Training has written a detailed guide to safeguarding training in Wales, Groups A to F, which explains which group each role needs.
Want to be trained by us?
We’re recruiting Residential Support Workers, with full paid training and no experience needed. See our vacancies.
