Andy helps carers put behaviour signs on their radar

Spotting early signs of escalating distress in care sector service users is key to the ethos of NAPPI uk's training.

So who better to lead the training team than a former Royal Naval radar operator who once scanned the horizon for a very different kind of threat.

Andy Skinner is director of education and training at NAPPI uk. His role is overseeing the quality of training and trainer skill development - as well as being a trainer himself, travelling across the UK and even as far afield as the USA.

He joined the company in 2001, having been on a NAPPI training course when deputy manager of a home for adults with learning disability in Devon.

"I was impressed with the hands-off approach to avoid physical intervention - upskilling staff to recognise the early signs of challenging behaviour and looking to de-escalate it," said Andy.

It seems a far cry from his previous armed forces career, but there are useful crossovers he says.

"The military instils teamwork and mutual support, plus working under pressure and organisational skills - which are also very relevant to NAPPI uk's care training," explained Andy.

He spent eight years in the Navy joining straight from school in his native Plymouth. "A lot of families had links with the dockyard and Navy - it was just the natural thing to do," he said.

His service included three tours to the Falklands starting in 1982, just after the war, supporting "clean up" operations - and watching for Argentinian planes encroaching into the Total Exclusion Zone.

Andy was also in the Gulf in 1988 when Iranian fast patrol boats were attacking tankers - just like they are again today - and, more peacefully, escorted the Royal Yacht Britannia on a trip to Sweden.

When he switched to "civvy street" in 1990 he was dating a girl - now his wife - who worked in health and social care which "opened my eyes to something I really wanted to do," he said.

He was a support worker caring for vulnerable children and adults - including some on the autism spectrum and with challenging behaviour - before joining the NAPPI team where he completed a Certificate in Education and was made a director in 2015.

"It is all about quality assurance and keeping trainers' skills up to date, including recertification, introducing new psychological models and regulations," added Andy, 55, who lives at Chudleigh in south Devon.

"We add to the positive culture by supporting trainers, who can ask for help if certain physical techniques are not suitable for a care user and need 'improved adjustment'."

"I love seeing people's skills develop. Watching someone who is initially nervous about delivering training gain knowledge and confidence has a big impact on me," he said.

Care runs through his family. Wife Michelle is a senior teaching assistant and tutor at a specialist college for adults with learning difficulties. Son George, 23, who graduated in Law at Reading and is taking his Masters, helps at a youth club for youngsters with learning disabilities. Daughter Fran, 20, works at a bushcraft forestry camp whose students include some with learning disabilities.

Away from work Andy is a keen hillwalker, whose conquests include Machu Picchu in Peru, and is qualified moorland leader, who helps youngsters learn map reading, wild camping, and cooking through the Ten Tors adventure challenge, and is a big supporter of Exeter Chiefs rugby team.

Picture - Andy Skinner at Machu Picchu in Peru.