Difficult Conversations: How to Say the Hard Stuff Without Breaking Trust

Difficult conversations are essential in residential life and often involve conflicts among colleagues, performance issues, or poor practices. However, many staff members feel unprepared for these discussions. Such conversations are crucial for compliance with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Supported Accommodation Regulations 2023, which emphasise the importance of leadership, openness, and effective communication.

This training supports the Leadership and Management Standards, which require leaders to create a culture of honesty and ensure staff are equipped to raise concerns. It also aligns with the Protection Standards, enabling staff to address unsafe behaviour clearly and respectfully, as well as the Relationship Standards, which focus on maintaining safe and trusting connections with young people and staff.

Led by Dr. Natalie V. Bailey, this interactive session provides practical strategies for managing conflicts and performance issues while promoting accountability and dignity. Learn to communicate effectively while preserving relationships—an essential skill in residential care.

Say what matters. Keep the relationship. This is what brave, intentional communication looks like in residential care.

Learning outcomes

• Clarity on the three most common types of difficult conversations — and how to prepare for each

• Confidence to speak up when it counts, without fear or avoidance

• Language that balances honesty, empathy and authority

• Emotional self-regulation strategies to stay grounded during tense moments

• Trauma-aware techniques to protect psychological safety and relationships

• A practical framework to plan, deliver and follow up conversations that matter

About the Trainer: Dr Natalie V. Bailey is a psychologist, TEDx speaker and trainer known for her impactful work in children’s homes, supported accommodation, and emotional well-being services. With a background in NHS CAMHS and a specialism in trauma-aware care, Dr Bailey brings psychological clarity and practical strategy to the everyday challenges of caregiving and leadership. Her work helps teams lead, connect and respond with greater confidence, calm and compassion.

Feedback from participants

• Very professional and detailed session, Natalie makes sure everyone’s involved and understands the topic well. The ideas are detailed and go in depth to help management , senior or support worker levels ! Great training !
• Excellent training, good material and delivery with effective breakout workshops
• Would recommend for anyone needing to have difficult conversations with people they work with, as Dr Natalie provides tools that can be used to reduce the risk of trust being broken and aims to achieve the best outcomes.

Delivery - The virtual classroom is hosted on Zoom. Participants need access to a laptop or tablet with a camera and microphone, as well as a quiet and private space to join from, to ensure they can access Zoom.

A certificate will be provided.

Cost: £60+VAT

We issue a limited number of tickets to enable maximum participation. If this session is sold out, please email your details to office@childrenshomesquality.com and we will add you to the waiting list and inform you when the next course will be held.

https://childrenshomesquality.com/