Case study
Platform Housing Group
Since partnering with Platform Housing Group in 2018 we have supported them with conflict management, de-escalation and lone worker training, along with Mental Health First Aid and bespoke mental health and wellbeing programmes.
What we did
Mental Health
Mental Health and Wellbeing training for managers and employees, including Men’s Health, Resilience and Suicide Awareness.
Mental Health First Aid
Training and upskilling their Mental Health First Aiders across the business, in person and live virtual delivery.
Personal Safety
Tailored conflict management, de-escalation and lone worker courses to build skills and confidence when dealing with aggression or violence.
Bespoke Programmes
Custom in-person and live virtual sessions tailored to Platform’s specific needs for their different teams.
We have been supporting University of Leicester since 2019.
Building confidence in high-pressure situations
Tailored conflict management, de-escalation and lone worker courses to build skills and confidence in frontline teams when dealing with violent or aggressive customers
Embedding mental health support across Halfords
Mental Health First Aid accredited training as well as bespoke programme’s tailored to Platform’s specific needs, including: Men’s Heath series (mental and physical health), Manager-level courses, Suicide Awareness and Building Personal and Team resilience.
Practical training for real-world situations
In-person training sessions have helped develop key skills in handling difficult situations, supporting teams after incidents, and preventing burnout. These were supported by additional online resources for continued learning.
Through our partnership, Platform teams are now better equipped to manage incidents, build resilience, and create a safer, more supportive work environment.
What the client said
"We’ve been incredibly pleased to work with the team at Oakwood Training since 2018 to support a wide range of our health, safety, and wellbeing initiatives.
From the start we were determined that this would not feel like a tick box exercise. We wanted a genuine approach, something real and relatable that would help our people talk openly about sensitive and personal topics. Oakwood understand that the messenger is just as important as the message, especially when conversations involve mental health, suicide awareness and wellbeing.
Oakwood’s expertise and trainer's lived experience have been invaluable in helping us build awareness, confidence and capability across our workforce. We look forward to continuing our partnership and further strengthening these vital areas together."
Haydn Hobbs
Health and Safety Manager
"Since 2018 we've partnered with Oakwood to deliver a variety of training solutions including: Men’s Health workshops, Wellbeing Advocate training, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Conflict Management and De-escalation training and Suicide awareness workshops.
These are tough subjects, but the sessions have helped people feel less alone, more informed and more confident. What’s made the biggest difference is the real conversations that took place during the workshops, not theory or statistics, but honest stories and practical tools that people can use in their everyday lives.
Their facilitators have been fantastic, getting to know our teams to build an environment built on trust, authenticity and psychological safety, encouraging honest conversations, challenging stigma, and empowering people to support one another. As a result, we are seeing more people attend the workshops and feel safe enough to share their own experiences."
Shelley Biggs
Employee Relations Specialist
Related Projects
What the client said
"We were looking for a partner, who had a positive approach to Mental Health & Wellbeing. Someone who could convey the message in an engaging way while still being laser sharp about the seriousness of taking care of your own wellbeing. It was important to select a Programme, which could embrace our Colgate Culture and at the same time tap straight into various local cultures and allow each individual to feel invited and listen to.
The Programme has been a great success with incredible high participation on both the virtual instructor-led sessions and the eLearning modules. What we particularly love is the bite-sized, fun and interactive way the eLearning is constructed with a great variety to keep the learner hooked.
The equal and unpretentious dialogue Oakwood masters creates psychological safety and opens up for dialogue, vulnerability - and the opportunity to proactively take responsibility"
Susanne Vang
Talent Acquisition & Learning Manager - Northern Europe, Colgate-Palmolive Company
"We were looking for a partner, who had a positive approach to Mental Health & Wellbeing. Someone who could convey the message in an engaging way while still being laser sharp about the seriousness of taking care of your own wellbeing. It was important to select a Programme, which could embrace our Colgate Culture and at the same time tap straight into various local cultures and allow each individual to feel invited and listen to.
The Programme has been a great success with incredible high participation on both the virtual instructor-led sessions and the eLearning modules. What we particularly love is the bite-sized, fun and interactive way the eLearning is constructed with a great variety to keep the learner hooked.
The equal and unpretentious dialogue Oakwood masters creates psychological safety and opens up for dialogue, vulnerability - and the opportunity to proactively take responsibility"
Susanne Vang
Talent Acquisition & Learning Manager - Northern Europe, Colgate-Palmolive Company
Oakwood's approach to Mental Health training was perfectly pitched for a senior team. The training was engaging, accessible, informative, important and mind-broadening. We came away with a much clearer picture of how mental health issues affect people at work.
Lord Simon Wolfson
CEO, Next
Oakwood's approach to Mental Health training was perfectly pitched for a senior team. The training was engaging, accessible, informative, important and mind-broadening. We came away with a much clearer picture of how mental health issues affect people at work.
Lord Simon Wolfson
CEO, Next
Oakwood's approach to Mental Health training was perfectly pitched for a senior team. The training was engaging, accessible, informative, important and mind-broadening. We came away with a much clearer picture of how mental health issues affect people at work.
Lord Simon Wolfson
CEO, Next
"We were looking for a partner, who had a positive approach to Mental Health & Wellbeing. Someone who could convey the message in an engaging way while still being laser sharp about the seriousness of taking care of your own wellbeing. It was important to select a Programme, which could embrace our Colgate Culture and at the same time tap straight into various local cultures and allow each individual to feel invited and listen to.
The Programme has been a great success with incredible high participation on both the virtual instructor-led sessions and the eLearning modules. What we particularly love is the bite-sized, fun and interactive way the eLearning is constructed with a great variety to keep the learner hooked.
The equal and unpretentious dialogue Oakwood masters creates psychological safety and opens up for dialogue, vulnerability - and the opportunity to proactively take responsibility"