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Training Fund: Building Confidence to Tackle Conflict in Bradford and Keighley

Training Fund: Building Confidence to Tackle Conflict in Bradford and Keighley

Training Fund: Building Confidence to Tackle Conflict in Bradford and Keighley

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

 

We spoke to Cathy from Feeding Bradford and Keighley about how the Training Fund can support local food aid groups to access vital conflict management training. With many volunteers working on the frontline, the course helped boost confidence, improve safety and strengthen the network’s ability to respond to challenging behaviour. 

Set up in 2017 originally as a pilot project, Feeding Bradford and Keighley is a collaborative network of charities, community groups and organisations across the Bradford district that are working together to tackle food poverty and improve access to affordable and healthy food. 

Made up of over 90 member organisations and individuals, the network provides a platform to share knowledge, coordinate efforts and develop joint initiatives that support food security across the district.

The Need

Cathy, Development Worker at Feeding Bradford and Keighley, told us how they are collaborating with food aid projects across the district. Through the network, they provide meals, outreach and support for individuals, including those experiencing or facing homelessness.

“Some of the groups who are part of the network are unfunded community groups, others small charities. In our early meetings, groups identified dealing with aggressive behaviour as one area of concern, alongside drugs and alcohol harm reduction and first aid training.”

Cathy explained that the network organisations are mostly run by volunteers who often feel disconnected and isolated from the more established services. In their roles, they meet many people in difficult situations and recognise the need to keep themselves upskilled so they can offer the best service.

The Training

The training, which was facilitated by Homeless Link, was attended by five different organisations within the network. Conflict Management: Violent and aggressive behaviour is a one-day training course aiming to equip frontline staff and volunteers in the homelessness and supported housing sectors with the tools to manage and resolve conflict before it escalates into violence or aggression. 

Participants learnt to recognise and respond to conflict, understand different behavioural responses, and integrate practical measures to ensure safety and enhance service provision.

“[The course] was very much appreciated. I attended it myself and found it very thought provoking and interesting.” 

“It has been very useful to me as I can see the value in it and have been able to recommend the training to groups when they express concern about this issue.”

The Application Process

“I found the application to the Training Fund straightforward. Naomi from the team was happy to discuss the application with us, and sent back further questions rather than knocking back the application where it didn’t exactly fit. This was very helpful.” 

“The training was excellent, having the funds allowed us to access a well recommended and experienced trainer. Many of our network members are small charities and community organisations with little or no public funding, and correspondingly small or non-existent training budges. Accessing such training without funding would have been prohibitive for the groups involved.” 

Cathy and the team are now hoping to arrange attending a drugs training course in the coming weeks, through the Training Fund.

 

If you have, or your team has, a training need that you are struggling to pay for

APPLY TO OUR TRAINING FUND

and we will do all that we can to help.

 

Find out more about Feeding Bradford and Keighley: https://feedingbradford.org.uk/

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