When challenging behaviour in healthcare and social care settings arises, it can put clients, staff, and organisations under serious stress. Sudden escalations, verbal aggression, behavioural crises, or distress from illness (such as dementia or mental health issues) mean managing these situations well is essential for safety, dignity, and the quality of care people receive.

One of the most effective resources for managing these types of behaviour is Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training.

At Nurseplus, we’ve made a strong case for CPI training across our network to safely support our clients and the people they care for. Following, we’ve pulled together a set of proven techniques and strategies taken from our training that, when combined with other best practices, can help care staff and organisations respond better to challenging behaviour.

What is CPI Training?

Getting a better understanding of what CPI Training is will lessen the likelihood of misunderstandings, or worse, illness or injury towards staff and those we care for.

• CPI stands for Crisis Prevention Intervention. It’s a structured training programme that’s designed to give care staff the skills they need to recognise early warning signs of distress, de-escalate potential crises, and prioritise empathy and understanding.

• Training covers stages of crisis (e.g. escalation phases). These techniques teach staff to intervene safely before behaviour becomes dangerous for staff or the person displaying the behaviour.

• At its core, CPI Training reduces the use of restraint where possible in favour of de-escalation and preventive measures.

At Nurseplus, we encourage all our care staff to undertake CPI training as part of their ongoing professional development so we can help to ensure safety and service quality across the care settings we support.

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Why Use CPI?

Some of the key benefits of CPI training in managing challenging behaviour include:

1. Safer environments - both for the people we care for and for the staff that care for them. Early recognition, de-escalation and safe intervention reduce incidents and protect us all.

2. Improved outcomes - more consistent, compassionate care means less risk of harm and builds stronger relationships.

3. Reduced use of restraint - CPI is aligned with restraint reduction initiatives, using preventive techniques instead of reactive ones.

4. Enhanced staff confidence and wellbeing – being trained and prepared to manage difficult behaviours, reduces stress and increases job satisfaction.

5. Better workplace cultures - trust, safety, respectful interactions and more predictable handling of challenging situations can help nurture caring environments.

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Techniques & Practices for Dealing with Challenging Behaviour

Here's an example of some of the practical techniques and strategies, some of which are drawn directly from CPI principles, others are more generally recognised amongst the healthcare sector for managing challenging behaviour:

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What This Looks Like in Practice

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Our Most Helpful Resources

Here are some concrete resources and support to help in implementing good practices around challenging behaviour:

Our own CPI Training Courses – We’ve developed CPI Training to equip our staff to act with confidence in multiple care roles (nurses, support workers, residential care staff, etc.) Their skills enable them to handle crisis situations with skill and compassion.

Policies and Protocols – Care providers are advised to have clear behaviour management, de-escalation, and restraint-use policies and access to CPI training content that supports or aligns with these.

Restraint Reduction Networks – At Nurseplus, we believe in being affiliated with or aware of such networks to help staff find guidance, support, and best practice examples.

Peer Support Groups & Reflective Supervision – Open up conversations about their experiences so they can share lessons and support each other in a comfortable and collaborative environment.

Literature and Evidence-Based Tools – building a library of research articles, guidelines (e.g. from health or social care authorities), and case studies can give staff the opportunity to learn more in their own time.

Tailored Training and Simulation – running regular role-plays, or simulations that mimic real-world scenarios, can help embed the essential skills your staff need to protect themselves and the people they care for.

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