9th April 2026
Posted in Uncategorized
Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement training run by our member Stephanie Austin, at Prima Cura Training, is a safeguarding programme built specifically for staff working in licensed premises and the night-time economy. It covers how to recognise when a customer may be vulnerable, how to respond without making things worse, and how to support people in a way that protects both them and the venue.
Worth being clear about what WAVE isn’t. It’s not conflict management. It’s not physical intervention training. Those programmes deal with threatening or disruptive behaviour. WAVE works on something earlier and, frankly, harder: spotting vulnerability before anything goes wrong, and stepping in calmly and proportionately.
The training sits within the legal framework of the Licensing Act 2003, which sets four licensing objectives for all licensed premises in England and Wales. Two of those objectives, crime prevention and public safety, directly require venue staff to engage with vulnerability as part of running a responsible operation. WAVE training gives them the practical skills to actually do that.
Nationally, the Home Office has promoted safeguarding initiatives across the night-time economy, including the Ask for Angela scheme, and licensing authorities across England and Wales are increasingly expecting venues to demonstrate proactive welfare measures as part of their licensing responsibilities. This is no longer above-and-beyond territory. It’s a baseline expectation.
Find out more about what the training involves via Stephanie’s website.