About

Introduction

Section 31 Training & Consultancy was set up in 2016 by Scott King, a former fostered child. Scott has spent his entire life living and working in the care system and through that has gained great insight and a huge amount of valuable experience which he uses to help, support and educate those working with children in care.

 

Scott was taken into care when he was 6 months old along with his brother who was 3 at the time. After a failed adoption Scott went on to have a roller coaster journey consisting of 36 placement moves, 2 of which were in residential care. Scott’s traumas were compounded whilst in care as he suffered many let downs, a split from his brother at age 7 and even abuse from foster carers.

 

Scott officially stopped receiving services at 24 and since he left care he has dedicated his life to educating foster carers and social care professionals around the importance of stable placements and the deep traumas that are cause by multiple moves.

 

Scott has been involved in a range of changemaking movements and now runs Section 31 Training & Consultancy. Scott is a passionate advocate for looked after children and care leavers with his main goal being to reduce the amount of moves children are subject to in the care system by providing care providers and caregivers with a new level of understanding and new ways of thinking.

 

Scott has worked within this system ever since he left care in various different roles including residential support work, advocacy, mentoring, parliamentary advisory work, children’s champion and youth work. Scott is also a proud member of The Care Leaders.

 

Scott stands as an example that people can prevail in the face of adversity. Through his training and support services he aims to make fostering a better experience for everyone involved.

Message from The Founder

Hello, my name is Scott King and I am the Founder and Director of Section 31 Training & Consultancy.

My main goal is to do all I can to reduce the amount of placement moves children have in care by bringing a new level of understanding to what many typically define as “challenging behaviour”. I believe that many of the negative stories we hear from children in care come from miscommunication and misunderstanding more than anything else.

My journey through care was chaotic and traumatic. I was left emotionally scarred. After leaving care I had many questions in my head about my past and so I embarked on a 3 year recovery journey to get those questions answered. That journey involved accessing my care files, learning about the care system from the others side but also I spent a long time revisiting places from my past and finding significant adults from my life.

On the list of people to find were foster carers, residential care staff, social workers, therapists, teachers and youth workers. I found everyone. What I will say is that this journey has been a hugely therapeutic experience. I discovered that actually, I was very much loved in foster care and I was never forgotten, by anyone.

It became very clear to me that what caused me the most trauma in care did not come from what was factually happening around me , it came from my understanding of what was happening. The reality is that I didn’t know what was going on behind the scenes, things were not explained to me in a way I could understand and from my files I could see that although so many people were trying to help me, the system around me was very much focussed on my surface behaviours.

 

I learned that actually most people misunderstood what I wanted and needed because as a child I couldn’t articulate it, I just screamed, I shouted and I threw things around. People who I loved I told that I hated. People I wanted near me I would attack and tell to go away. When I wanted a hug I would physically attack. No wonder people struggled to understand me.

 

My Journey has been a long one and I feel experientially much older than I am. After 24 years of living in this system and 10 years working within it I have learned a lot. My care experience has helped me to understand the difficulties that face children in care and my professional experiences have helped me to understand the difficulties that those working in the system face. I have seen this system from all sides and I can see so many solutions In between.

 

I set up my training company to help those working with children in care to understand those things that children cannot articulate. I call it “the language of trauma”. My hope is that by sharing my experiences and projecting the voice of other children in care, people will see that children who have experienced trauma do not have behavioural issues which need to be addressed, they have extreme survival skills which need to be understood.

 

I stand as an advocate for the “naughty kids”, as a firm promotor of trauma informed practice and as a testament to the fact that children in care can make it through.

 

I believe this is a good system that is abundant with love and incredible individuals. I believe that if I can increase understanding , that will change how people feel, if people change how they feel that will change their response and ultimately it is the responses of those around children that impact how children feel and behave.

 

I am confident that my training and support services will leave long lasting impacts that make a big positive difference to care experiences. Feedback has shown that my method works and that with increased understanding, additional trauma can be prevented.

 

Mission

Reduce the amount of placement moves children have

Training aimed at aiding understanding around why children behave the way they do. Carers and staff are taught new skill sets and fresh mindsets. Courses are built to help adults understand children’s behaviour and respond better. This helps to result in stronger relationships, behavioural improvements and more stable placements.

 

Prevent more children coming into care

Through training and support comes better care and this can help children to recover and break free from the cycles of abuse from which they came. Breaking a cycle for one child can break the cycle for the next generation.

 

Retain Carers & Staff

It is evident that most carers and staff give up on themselves before they give up on the children they work with or their role as a whole. Section 31 Training recognises the importance of building confidence within caregivers and rewarding the incredible work they do. All training courses are built to inspire everyone to continue to champion the needs of children in care even when things become difficult.

 

Provide children and young people with a platform to share their experiences.

Providing workshops and support for children and care leavers, helping them to understand the importance of speaking up about their experience and utilising this knowledge to help others.

 

Inspire and Promote Change

Show the people that the system is the people and everyone has an opportunity and the ability to make a real positive difference to a child’s life. Courses are there not just to provide new insight but also to build caregivers up and to help them to be the life changers that children in care need.

 

FAQs

Trainers are freelance, but director Scott King is based in Great Dunmow.

We have clients in Wales, Guernsey, Scotland, and throughout England. No distance is too far – please contact us directly to discuss.

No distance is too far to work with professionals, however one-to-one work with children at this point can only be provided in Kent and Essex due to sustainability. We don’t care about travel – but we care about sustainable relationships.

This has been in the works for some time, but it’s something that can’t be rushed so there will be a number of small self-help books and a biography in due time. Watch this space!

5 – 25 people is the best for a better training experience however exceptions can be made to this.

Face to face courses are set at a day rate. For quotes please email courses@section31training.co.uk.

Online courses vary (prices will be stated online on the course page).

Teachers are experts in certain fields and get paid to teach what they know. Somebody who has experienced trauma and who shares that knowledge is no different. Trainers are paid for their time, as well as having access to a community of other care leavers to support them. 

About Us

We want to stop children being moved from home to home by standing as an advocate for the “naughty kids” and promote a new perspective of care and give a new, deeper level of understanding.

Great Dunmow, Essex, UK

+44 (0) 1371 513 038

contact@section31training.co.uk

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