Line managers
Managing Abusive and Challenging Calls: Training for Supervisors and Managers
A half-day course for housing line managers on taking over abusive calls, enforcing behaviour policy, recording evidence and reporting the risk.
Discuss this course
At a glance
- Audience
- Housing association line managers, team leaders and service supervisors.
- Typical duration
- Half day
- Group size
- Training is delivered to groups of up to 15 delegates, allowing everyone to participate in discussions and practical exercises. For larger teams, we can arrange additional sessions to suit your staffing requirements.
Why the course matters
For managers who step in when a call becomes abusive
This course is for line managers, team leaders and service supervisors in housing associations whose teams handle hostile calls about repairs, rent, anti-social behaviour and safeguarding. It complements Dealing with Challenging Phone Calls, which is for the staff who take those calls. The Safety Hub page on managing challenging calls sets out the staff-side structure.
Who it is for
Built for the staff who face the risk
Housing association line managers, team leaders and service supervisors who manage staff taking calls on repairs, rent arrears, anti-social behaviour and safeguarding.
It is for teams based in the office, at home, or working in an agile way. It is a strong fit where those teams have attended, or will attend, Dealing with Challenging Phone Calls.
Practical outcomes
Practical outcomes for safer decisions
Managers leave able to tell a difficult complaint from unacceptable abuse, step in on the call, and record what happened so the organisation can act.
Course content
What delegates will work through
- Tell standard dissatisfaction from unacceptable abuse and from an emergency or safeguarding call
- Take over a call, deal with a demand for a manager, and arrange a safe call-back
- Use clear thresholds so staff know when to escalate, in the office and at home
- Write the note within 30 minutes of the call and keep a clear chain of evidence
- Follow up with a written warning, a limit on contact channels, or a route into anti-social behaviour or legal action
- Support the member of staff after the call, and report the risk to senior leaders
Scenarios and practical application
Practical application
The session uses housing scenarios and group activities. Managers practise takeover, a safe call-back, ending a call, crisis calls, and the follow-up with the tenant.
Home-based and agile staff are included. Managers look at how to support someone who has no colleague beside them, including a simple digital alert that brings a manager in.
Training Arrangements
In-house or live online
We deliver training at your premises or live through Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Sessions are led by experienced trainers and include discussion and practical exercises.
Planning your training
We agree dates with you and review your staff's roles, relevant policies and training requirements before delivery. Larger programmes can be arranged across several sessions.
Where we deliver
We provide in-house training throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland, alongside live online courses for organisations in different locations.
Course fees
We provide a quotation based on the training required, number of delegates, location and delivery arrangements.
Common questions about this course
Who is this course for?
It is for housing association line managers, team leaders and service supervisors. Their teams may take calls on responsive repairs, rent arrears, anti-social behaviour or safeguarding, in the office, at home, or while working in an agile way.
How is this different from Dealing with Challenging Phone Calls?
Dealing with Challenging Phone Calls is for the staff who take the calls. This course is for the managers they turn to. It covers stepping in, enforcing the behaviour policy, capturing evidence, supporting the team afterwards and reporting the risk to senior leaders.
What will managers practise?
Managers work through housing scenarios in groups. They practise sorting a call, using an amber-zone approach (acknowledge, state the limit, redirect and warn), taking over, arranging a safe call-back, ending a call, and responding when a caller talks about suicide. Vulnerability can explain distress. It does not excuse abuse.
Which legal duties does the session cover?
It covers the employer duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and risk assessment under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. It covers the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, which is a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. That Act is not a general duty to prevent all harassment by callers. The session also explains Employment Rights Act 2025 harassment changes, and keeps them distinct from duties that are already in force.
Can the scenarios reflect our behaviour policy?
Yes. The session can use your behaviour policy, your escalation routes, your call recording rules and the way you mark risk on a customer record. The aim is that managers leave with thresholds and protocols they can use on the next shift.
What do delegates receive?
Every delegate receives a certificate of attendance, a PDF copy of the certificate and PDF course handouts. Managers also take away a pocket card and a personal action plan.
Course guidance
Free, maintained guidance from our Safety Hub on the subjects this course covers.
- Managing Challenging CallsStructured guidance for staff handling abuse, distress, repeat contact and boundary pressure by phone.
- Digital Safety and Online HarassmentGuidance for employers whose staff are recorded, livestreamed, named online or targeted after an incident.
- Being Recorded and LivestreamedWhat to do when members of the public film your staff, and how to prepare staff before it happens.
- Incident Evidence and ReportingCapturing, recording and acting on incidents so patterns change controls rather than going unreported.
- Post-Incident SupportImmediate welfare, supportive conversations, debriefing, referral routes and organisational learning after an incident.
Discuss this course
Tell us what you need and we will quote for it.
Discuss this coursePlan training around your staff and risks
Tell us about your staff roles, working environment and the situations your staff face. We will recommend the right training approach for your organisation.
Trusted by organisations across the UK for practical, scenario-led staff safety training.