June 4, 2025

WMCA and Crisis Prevention Unit (CPI) announce new partnership


Introducing Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI): Supporting Safer, Stronger Care Environments



The Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) is proud to partner with the West Midlands Care Association (WMCA) to support care providers across the region in delivering safe, respectful and high-quality care. For more than 40 years, CPI has been a global leader in behaviour management and de-escalation training, with a strong presence in the UK’s health and social care landscape.


Our mission is to advance prevention-first practices that protect the safety and dignity of everyone involved: staff, service users and families alike. We are committed to a person-centred approach that prioritises empathy, proactive planning and meaningful outcomes.


CPI’s core training programmes include:


  • Essential Care and Support: practical skills for frontline workers delivering personal care, rooted in dignity and safety.
  • Verbal Intervention™ : strategies for recognising and responding to escalating behaviours using trauma-informed communication and early intervention.
  • Safety Intervention™: a comprehensive programme that teaches how to manage risk, de-escalate aggression and apply safe, respectful disengagement and physical interventions when absolutely necessary, that includes both restrictive and non-restrictive physical skills.


Our programmes are designed to help staff confidently support individuals with complex needs while minimising conflict, injury and distress.

Meet Your CPI Contacts


Our partnership with WMCA is backed by the dedicated support of two Senior Account Managers:



Max Oerton, Senior Account Manager at CPI, is a key contact for WMCA members, bringing over 10 years of experience across the social care sector, with a focus on workforce development and provider support. He began his career in elderly care recruitment, partnering with providers specialising in dementia care to help build resilient, person-centred teams that promote independence and dignity.


Max has since worked in consultative roles with supported living providers, deepening his understanding of sector challenges around staffing, safety, and retention. He combines frontline insight with strategic thinking to support agencies in delivering confident, high-quality care through tailored CPI training solutions.


Max brings over a decade of experience in elderly care recruitment, offering valuable insight into the operational and workforce challenges that care providers face daily.

Charlotte Harrison, Senior Account Manager at CPI, is a key contact for WMCA members, bringing 20 years of experience across Health and Social Care, agency management and the training industry.  She began her career as a support worker in residential ASD services before progressing into leadership roles, managing adult care teams and overseeing complex service delivery across supported living and social care.


Her background spans frontline care, recruitment and business development, including work with local authorities and national providers. Charlotte combines strategic insight with hands-on experience, offering tailored guidance that addresses real-world challenges in staffing, compliance, and retention, supporting providers to deliver safe, confident, person-centred care.


Charlotte has 20 years of experience spanning autism support, learning disability care and frontline training delivery. Her passion lies in helping providers embed best practice into every aspect of care.


Max and Charlotte are here to guide WMCA members through every step of their CPI journey, from choosing the right training path to ensuring successful, sustainable implementation.


A Partnership That Makes Sense for Care Providers


CPI and WMCA have come together with a clear, shared purpose: to strengthen the quality of care across the West Midlands by empowering teams with the knowledge and tools they need to prevent and manage challenging situations safely.


This partnership is designed to reach providers of all sizes, offer practical and cost-effective training options and create space for open, two-way dialogue about what really works in today’s care settings. WMCA members will have the opportunity to act as a collaborative focus group, influencing future training innovations and thought leadership projects that benefit the wider sector.


What We Hope to Achieve Together


Through this collaboration, we aim to reduce incidents in care environments, boost staff morale and confidence and show care workers that they are not alone in managing difficult behaviours. Most importantly, we want to help build long-term, trusting relationships with providers, working together to raise standards and improve outcomes for those you care for.

Member Benefits


As a WMCA member, you will gain discounted access to CPI programmes, personalised support from Max and Charlotte and the chance to implement a sustainable Train-the-Trainer model within your organisation. Our training helps improve staff retention, support individuals with more complex needs and deliver care in ways that are safer, more confident and more compassionate.

We invite you to join us for our free launch webinar on 17th July, 10-11am  being delivered by Dave Cashmore, “What is The Cost of Doing Nothing in De-escalation Training?” 


Dave has been a Global Professional Instructor with CPI since 2016, following over a decade as a Certified Instructor. He brings extensive frontline experience in supporting staff to build confidence and competence when working with behaviours that challenge, particularly in high pressure environments. 


With a professional background spanning over 25 years, Dave has worked closely with a wide range of vulnerable individuals including young people disengaged from services, those with additional needs and those living in residential or supported settings. He has collaborated with multidisciplinary teams across sectors to develop consistent, person-centred approaches that prioritise safety, dignity and positive outcomes.


Dave’s facilitation style is frequently praised as engaging, empathic and highly practical, shaped by his experience and a genuine passion for helping staff feel confident and supported in their work with some of the most vulnerable in our communities.

Let’s Connect


Reach out to Max or Charlotte to explore how CPI can support your services.


📧 moerton@crisisprevention.com | charrison@crisisprevention.com 


Let’s create safer care together, starting today!


www.crisisprevention.com


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