Healthy Dialogues is working with Reading Children’s Services and local partners to upskill their workforces on Motivational Interviewing. The programme will support practitioners to feel confident using MI principles and techniques to help families they support identify their own motivations for positive change.

Delivering the training

In partnership with Reading Children’s Social Services, we are delivery a series of two-day training programmes for staff to build confidence and capability in Motivational Interviewing over the next three years.

The training will help practitioners:

• Learn and understand the core components of Motivational Interviewing
• Recognise when MI can be used most effectively within existing practice
• Support families to explore their own motivations for change
• Strengthen reflective listening during high‑emotion conversations
• Explore the challenges of practising MI in real‑world settings
• Understand how MI techniques complement the Family Safeguarding model

Alongside the training, we will develop practical tools and resources that help staff integrate MI into their day-to‑day work. In addition, a half‑day embedding session will support applying MI skills to real cases through reflection, discussion and scenario‑based practice.

Building a sustainable approach

To support long‑term impact and local ownership, the programme will also include a Train the Trainer programme, enabling selected staff to deliver MI training within their teams.