About

What is Conflict Response Institute?

Conflict Response Institute represents a corporate, philosophical and evidence-based training establishment that promotes safe and effective management of interpersonal non-violent and violent conflict situations, while fostering the restoration and preservation of individual health and safety. Conflict Response Institute was established as a credible and unique training provider in order to meet the increasing local and global demand for holistic evidence-based education and training in interpersonal conflict management. Conflict Response Institute has revolutionised the philosophy and technology of education and practice in the management of interpersonal conflict by including principles such as, simplicity, risk assessment / management, prevention, avoidance, mediation, negotiation, de-escalation, diversity responsiveness, personal protection and safe and compassionate manual restraint techniques, incorporating a humanistic model of intervention, duty of care and reflective practice. This evidence-based course is conducted over seven (7) days: but can also be adapted to into a five (5) days intensive course, to accommodate individual and organisational needs.

Our Conflict Response training philosophy is informed by in-depth empirical research into interpersonal conflict management that includes the theoretical and practical fundamentals of education practice and reflection. The course is appropriate and adaptable for any category of individuals who may have to deal with interpersonal conflict and other challenging behaviours in their work place. The training doctrines educate and inform participants on the necessity, practicalities and timely use of prevention, de-escalation or compassionate physical intervention skills, through the assessment, justification and implementation of safe, secure humane and dignified techniques including reflective post incident review. Conflict Response Institute does not endorse the wanton use of physical intervention as the first option in dealing with challenging behaviour problems. Alternatively we maintain an increasing commitment towards prevention, avoidance, duty of care and provisions of holistic evidence-based education; merging innovative knowledge attitudes and skills where the safety for all comes first and the quality of our service and excellence in information and skills dissemination are second to none.

CONFLICT RESPONSE Ltd, T/A Conflict Response Institute, Registration number 7299765, was registered in 2010 in England. We operate from Sutton Surrey England and have the capacity to take our training and consultancy services to the doorstep of the purchaser. Mr Carl J. Ryan, CEO and principal tutor of Conflict Response Institute has been a lecturer and practitioner in the principles and sciences of conflict management since 1990 and previously provided training services on an individual application basis to various academic and health organisations.

Principal Tutor Profile

Carl J. Ryan is a registered mental nurse (RMN) and was trained as a certified instructor in the principles of self protection, safe handling and restraint technology in September 1990 at Broadmoor Hospital. Subsequently, he worked in a variety of psychiatric settings and has taught in various academic, national and private health as well as allied organisations. In the mid 1990s he was invited by both the prison and police services, to review their version of restraint practices.

The prison and police methods of restraint intervention, although potentially useful in the protective service context, do not necessarily posses or promote the standard and duty of care that is required when dealing with conflict situations in health care settings.

His conclusion is that comparatively, there remains a common core of physical intervention techniques, which are practiced across various health and non-health sectors in the UK, although those techniques are referred to by different terminologies and application protocols.

It is however, extremely important to note that principles of prevention, avoidance, humanity, compassion, dignity, duty of care and the promotion of the  preservation of life should be central to practice: as well as justification and acceptability for any form of restraint interventions, whether within or outside the protective services. Since the early 1990’s Carl Ryan has also been actively involved in the research and development of interpersonal conflict management that involved self protection and restraint technology, in order to develop holistic alternatives, simple and more effective humane methods of approach; particularly to address the general safety requirement and duty of care that should be required. He was recently awarded a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Mental Health at the City University London, for the completion of an empirical research study into conflict management involving the use of manual restraint techniques, in mental health settings.

Qualifications

  • Registered Mental Nurse (RMN) 1971
  • Diploma -Physical Training Instructor 1985
  • Martial Arts Instructor / Judge – Japan Karate Association 1984
  • Nurses and Midwifery Council England, formally UKCC, registration 1990
  • Certificate – Instructor of Manual Restraint Technology 1990
  • Certificate -Teaching and Assessing in Clinical Practice (ENB 998) 1991
  • Certificate of Education Greenwich University 1994
  • Certificate – Self Defence Instructor (British Combat Association) 1997
  • Expert witness in restraint practice (Bond Solon Solicitors) 1998
  • BA (Hon) Education and Training (Greenwich University) 1998
  • Lecturer / Practitioner in conflict management including restraint techniques
  • Trained in basic life support and resuscitation techniques
  • Specialised in the management of acute, psychiatric intensive care, substance misuse and forensic services, including the prison mental health services
  • Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Mental Health, City University 2009

Affiliations / Memberships / Achievements

  • Member of the national association of psychiatric intensive care units (NAPICU), England
  • Associated with the European Violence in Psychiatry research group
  • Affiliated to the organisation of national alliance for the mentally ill, US.
  • Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrist, qualitative research group
  • Member of the advisory group on aggression management at the DH National Institute of Mental health (NIMHE)
  • Member of expert tutor group – NHS counter fraud and security management services CF/SMS
  • Familiarised with the NHS/CF/SMS-PSTS training syllabus
  • Familiarised with the DH Knowledge and Skills Framework essentials for competency
  • Publishes in the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing; and Mind
  • Speaker at various annual national and international conferences in nursing sciences
  • Exceptional work in prisons including liaison, outreach, forensics, mental health assessment / management and substance misuse detoxificaton
  • Nominated for an award of excellence in research into conflict management in 2006 by East London and the City NHS Trust
  • Published author of “Manual restraints in psychiatric settings: Empirical realities” 2010
  • Member of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody