Training: Turning Values Into Behaviour and Practice

Training reduces stigma by changing what people do, not just what they know. It focuses on skills and behaviours that make care and support more respectful, effective and equitable - especially under pressure. Training often includes education, but goes further by enabling practice, feedback and reinforcement.

What training is

Training is structured, practice‑based learning designed to build confidence and competence in destigmatising behaviours - for example:

It’s particularly helpful where staff feel uncertain, emotionally stretched, or worried about “getting it wrong” - conditions that can unintentionally increase stigmatising responses.

Three features of effective training

Define clear, role‑specific behaviours

High‑quality training spells out what “good” looks like in daily work. For example:

• Use respectful, person‑first language in your everyday interactions

• Actively listen and ask open questions to the people you work with/support

• Seek to understand context and background of people’s lives, avoid the tendency to attribute observed behaviours to “character”

• Challenge stereotypes when they show up in team talk – create an awareness that challenge is expected and valued.

Build capability, opportunity and motivation

Training is stronger when it:

• Explains why behaviours matter (capability)

• Reduces barriers to doing them (opportunity)

• Helps staff experience them as worthwhile and doable (motivation)

This includes practical strategies like demonstration by facilitators, structured rehearsal, and discussion of real constraints (time, caseloads, thresholds).

Reinforce learning over time

Training sticks when it is reinforced through:

• Supervision and mentorship

• Reflective practice sessions

• Feedback loops and peer learning

• Visible leadership modelling destigmatising norms

A practical training session format (60–90 minutes)

Next: Structural interventions: Changing the games, not just the players