Bond Solon Reviews

I am keen to provide some context to the scores I have given. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to engage with the style of delivery used during the session and, as a result, did not feel I gained significant value from the training. At the start of the course there was no clear agenda, learning outcomes, or overview of what would be covered. Whilst I appreciate the intention may have been to avoid an overly presentation-led approach, the session relied heavily on verbal delivery throughout. As a visual learner, I found it challenging to follow the content without a clearer structure or supporting materials. I believe there is a balance to be struck between avoiding "death by PowerPoint" and providing learners with a framework that helps them understand where they are in the learning journey. The session often felt as though topics flowed into one another without clear transitions, making it difficult to identify key messages or understand how different elements of the content connected. If there was a planned structure, this was not always apparent to participants. This was also reflected in the group discussions, which felt quite tightly facilitated and did not always allow for free-flowing exploration of ideas. Patrick is clearly very experienced and knowledgeable in the subject matter, and it was evident that he had a wealth of information and practical insight to share. The content itself appeared comprehensive and well informed. However, I struggled with the way the material was delivered. I feel that applying some of the principles discussed during the training—such as setting a clear agenda, providing structure and clear timings would have helped make the session more engaging and accessible for learners. On a positive note, the real-life examples Patrick shared, along with references to inquiry reports and practice experiences, were particularly effective. These helped bring the subject matter to life and provided useful context for applying the learning in practice. Overall, while I could see the depth of knowledge behind the course content, I felt that a more structured and learner-focused delivery style would have significantly enhanced the learning experience and value of the training. This was my first raining session with Bond Salon, I have heard excellent reviews from colleagues who have done other courses so was looking forward to this, however it sadly did not live up to expectations.

The training material was overly generic and did not feel tailored to my role. The trainer did not effectively link the content to practical application, and appeared reluctant to take questions or address concerns raised by delegates. The delivery was rushed, with little effort to check whether the audience was following. The first breakout exercise lacked purpose and felt superficial, giving the impression that the session was more about completing a set agenda than supporting meaningful learning. Overall, the session did not meet expectations, and I would not recommend it. Without prior knowledge, I expect participants would have found it difficult to gain any real understanding from the training.

It’s very useful and interesting. Also very informative.

I’m sorry to sound harsh but I have to say this course was disappointing to say the least. I have left with absolutely no new knowledge whatsoever. The course was not tailored to our field, the trainer did not understand our role, required documentation or the systems and having not even come from medical negligence. The activities were long winded, poorly explained and irrelevant.

trainer was very enaggaing and used a variety of his experience and context which made it relatable

Good trainer but I didn't feel it was related to DoLS and signatory body work.

Steven Tisseyre- he was really unprepared, didn't know the slides, didn't know the assessment questions until he was asked directly about it at which point he revealed that he had the wrong questions. His questions asked where ambiguous and poor. He seemed to have little awareness of the format of the assessment and kept insisting we didn't need to know things we had explicit questions about. And he was late to both days. Overall by far the most disappointing Bond Solon course I have done.

The course trainer was wrong in her in interpretation of when it is necessary to caution a D. Unfortunately she was rather rude in the way she dealt with this. This was addressed at the following days training at my instigation, however the fact that the initial training was wrong was never conceded. One trainer appeared to be under the impression TS enforcement powers originate from PACE. Whilst we need to have regard to PACE our enforcement powers originate from elsewhere. The last exercise on Day 2 - I was left bewildered by what this was intended to achieve. The trainer clearly stated that in some circumstances it was possible to admit an interview clearly in breach of pretty much every PACE interview requirement. Further, we were required to argue for it's inclusion regardless of the fact that it contained no evidence on which any prosecutor would seek to rely. Surely this is not best practice and not what we should be taking from the course. The trainer had a point to make, and that appeared to involve making the attendees uncomfortable - this was exacerbated by her making up facts on the spur of the moment that were not part of the original exercise brief. The attendees have a very varied level of experience. I have spoken to people who have only been with the Service for a matter of months or weeks. They are in a state of complete confusion. Personally, what I did know to be 100% correct was wrongly cast into doubt.

Olwen came across as an very nice, polite and clearly experienced in her area of law. That said, it was clear during the session that Olwen was not familiar with the content, and was overly reliant on the manual, with majority of the session spent with Olwen sharing her screen and reading from the manual. I didn't feel that i learnt anything which i couldn't have achieved by reading the manual in my own time, and it did not feel like a good use of time, and definitely not worth the cost of the session. In my other Bond Solon modules, the trainer has spent time going through the assessment ensuring learners are familiar with the criteria and what to consider. When asked about the assessment, Olwen told the cohort that it wasn't anything to do with her, and she couldn't help or advise. I found this bizarre given my other sessions, and again, contributed to the session feeling like a waste of time. I also think that the session could and should have been more tailored to it's audience. I appreciate that the sessions predominately look at criminal law, but my cohort was overwhelmingly HR based. Given this, i think effort should have been made to include more relevant material/discussions to ensure we got the most out of the module.

Not what I expected. This was a very beginner level session, I was hoping for a more senior masterclass. Not the trainers fault though. I assume little thought has been given to differing development needs.