Training

The Foundation offers training for staff and volunteers working in the criminal justice system, providing opportunities for participants to develop knowledge and skills to communicate more effectively with speakers of English as a second or additional language (ESL).

The Foundation currently offers:

  • ‘Victim support staff: Communicating with ESL speakers’ – a 2.5 hour online or face-to-face course aimed at staff working in victim support services.
  • ‘Prison and probation staff: Communicating with ESL speakers’ – a 2.5 hour online or face-to-face course aimed at staff working in prison and probation services.

Participants will gain:

  • An increased understanding of the language barriers facing speakers of ESL.
  • Practical strategies for communicating more effectively, including techniques for adapting speech to be more easily understood.
  • Advice and guidance on useful communication tools and aids.

The Foundation’s training is informed by the latest research into language barriers in the criminal justice system and effective approaches for supporting speakers of ESL.

The courses, developed as part of the Criminal Justice Programme, were trialled and evaluated with professionals working in victim support and in prison settings.

In 2022, the Foundation’s courses for the criminal justice system achieved a recommendation rate of 100%.

Participants said:

I found the course really useful. It's given me food for thought and really got me thinking about my future interactions

This course taught me how to reflect on how I speak at work and taught me useful techniques to ensure others can understand me!

I will be more aware of how clear my instructions come across. The session had great pacing and content level

For anyone engaging with people who use English as a second language, this is an informative course input which delivers an awareness and understanding of the need to adapt language to engage effectively

Upcoming training dates can be found on the Training and Events Page. To register your interest in future course dates, enquire about the Foundation running face-to-face training for your organisation, and/or to provide suggestions for further training, please use the Contact Us page.

The Foundation also provides a range of free resources for supporting speakers of ESL in contact with the criminal justice system.

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