1. The basic training Kindertelefoon Nederland: 8
compulsory modules, 3 optional modules and a
development assessment
The basic training consists of 8 compulsory modules, 3 optional modules and a
development assessment. The compulsory modules cover the basic skills all
volunteers should have when they start working for the Kindertelefoon. The
optional modules are intended as additional modules. As a trainer you have to
decide when the optional modules are dealt with in the basic training.
A development assessment takes place after the sixth meeting. The assessment
aims to ascertain the participants‟ skills.
Module1: Mission and vision of the Kindertelefoon.
 Getting to know the trainers and each other.
 The mission, vision and starting points of the Kindertelefoon in practice.
 A warm welcome and actively making contact.
 Explanation about the contents and course of the training.
Module 2: Dealing with and limiting your own opinion
 About what do you have a strong opinion?
 When do you and when don‟t you give your own opinion?
 Recognising situations when your own opinion can play a role.
 Making contact in stimulating new circumstances.
 Limiting where necessary.
Module 3: 5-phase model
 The 5-phase model: from making contact, listening and laying the cards
on the table to determining the goal and defining.
 Doing it yourself.
 Giving feedback to each other and helping each other to learn.
Module 4: Clarifying the story and conversation techniques
 Connecting and directing in a conversation.
 In uncertain situations: asking open questions.
 Sum up, paraphrase and respond intuitively.
 Levels of asking questions: situation, emotions, behaviour and thoughts.
Module 5: Chat
 Chat language.
 The differences between the telephone and chatting.
 Keep up the tempo and „hold the line‟.
Module 6: Seks
 Talking about sex: how do you do it?
 What is difficult about talking about sex?
 The 5-phase model for questions about sex.

2. Development assessment
 Test: social map.
 Chat conversation.
 Telephone conversation.
Module 7: Baby-steps method
 Recognising the phases in phase 4.
 The baby-steps method.
 Working towards a truly actionable solution (add your own question!).
Module 8: Child abuse and active referral
 Signals of child abuse.
 How does active referral work in practice?
 Set standard, voice your concern, introducing Bureau Jeugdzorg, dealing
with resistance.
 Keeping the balance between directing and following.
Optional modules:
Module 9: Drama triangle
 Experiencing the three roles: saviour, prosecutor, victim. Which role fits
you best?
 How do you get in, how do you stay out?
Module 10: Bullying and setting a goal
 What is the cause of bullying and what can you do about it?
 Own experiences with bullying.
 A case in three phases: clarification – analysis – definition of a solution.
Module 11: Suicide/grieving and dealing with emotional problems
 A caller who wants to die: what does it do to you?
 The gap between want and can.
 How do you deal with extremely emotional conversations?
Educational background of the
training
Introduction
Your job as a trainer is to teach participants new behaviour. But how do you
achieve that? We think two components play a role. Participants have to want
and be able to adopt new behaviour, if they are to behave differently after the
training.
Working towards ‘want’
Your first task in every module is to work towards „want'. In general, participants
are motivated to participate in the basic training. Sometimes, they are not yet

3. able to recognise a problem or acknowledge the benefit of a module. For
example, at the start of the training many participants think that taking someone
seriously and listening is not hard at all. When they notice that this is not as
easy as they thought, their thirst for knowledge will grow. Cultivating this „thirst‟
is what we mean by „working towards want‟.
In the basic training we deal with that in two ways. At first, by making a
challenging start. A challenging start always consists of listing examples of
tricky situations regarding the subject familiar to the participants. If the example
concerns taking someone seriously you could perhaps start with the question
“how do you take a child seriously who is not being serious?” This question
immediately provokes the thought “yes, how do you do that?” and the
participants will at once want to hear your explanation. Every module lists
intriguing comments you could use under the heading „programme‟.
Another way of working towards „want‟ is the exploratory exercise. This always
has a confrontational element. Participants will soon discover that something is
difficult. Going back to the example of taking someone seriously: you can
present a case of a child who is not being serious and invite the participants to
respond to it spontaneously. An exploratory exercise is aimed at letting the
participants experience how difficult it is. We therefore give the participants a
difficult assignment, which reduces the chance of success. The idea behind this
is when participants experience something they are not yet able to do, this will
increase their „thirst‟ for learning.
Working towards ‘can’
Only if the participants want to learn the new behaviour will you be able to work
towards the „can‟ part. We think that participants learn new skills in three steps,
from knowing via understanding to can.
Diagram learning phases
Can
Core exercise
Understand
Intervening exercise
Know
Theory

4. Know
The first step is knowing. In order to teach participants how to take children
seriously, for example, they first have to know how to do that. During the
training we often work towards knowing by explaining things to the participants,
discussing the theory or by enabling them to give shape to the theory (in a
plenary session).
Understand
The second step is understanding. This step is incorporated because it is a huge
step for participants to directly apply the theory in practice. The „understanding
step‟ makes the gap between knowing and can smaller. The goal of
understanding is that the participants are able to link the theory to practical
examples. Working towards understanding is dealt with in the basic training by
practising sub-skills. We also work towards understanding by having the
participants analyse conversation from a theoretical angle. Sometimes we also
work towards understanding by showing how it is done.
Can
The last step is actually being able to do the skills. We practice this in the basic
training by making use of roleplays. Sometimes in large groups, usually in sub-
groups. We practice by using a checklist that clearly describes the skills expected
of the participants.
From ‘can’ back to ‘want’: experiencing success
Learning should first and foremost be fun! Learning is fun when the participants
notice that they can do the new skills and experience success. We therefore
always incorporate repeats in the core exercises, also known as the success
spiral. Participants try to execute the checklist in practice. We will stop the
exercise or roleplay, assess what went well according to the checklist and give
tips for improvement. The participant is allowed to practise the tip so he/she can
find out that he/she can do it! We will stop the exercise when the participant has
done well.