About this course
Interpreters often work alone, whether attending community assignments, visiting someone’s home, travelling to unfamiliar locations, or working remotely without colleagues nearby. Most assignments pass without incident, but lone working can bring risks that are easy to overlook until something unexpected happens.
This full-day workshop, led by Sarah and Gail, looks at the practical realities of lone working and the decisions interpreters can make before, during, and after an assignment to help reduce risk. The session draws on real examples, case studies, and professional experience to explore situations that may involve aggression, threatening behaviour, unsafe environments, animals, family members, members of the public, or simply being somewhere unfamiliar without immediate support.
We’ll also consider the responsibilities of agencies, employers, and individual practitioners, and look at relevant policies and guidance around lone working. The aim is not to make people anxious about accepting work, but to think more carefully about preparation, judgement, boundaries, and what to do when something does not feel right.
Through practical examples, discussion, and group activities, participants will explore:
What lone working means within interpreting and where risks may arise
How to assess an assignment before accepting or attending it
Questions that may be useful to ask agencies or clients in advance
Factors to consider when attending home visits or unfamiliar locations
How to respond when a situation becomes uncomfortable, aggressive, or unsafe
The role of professional boundaries and judgement when deciding whether to remain in an assignment
Lone-working policies, procedures, and responsibilities
Safety considerations when working remotely or from home
What information someone else should have when you are working alone
Ways to plan for unexpected situations and think through what you would do if something went wrong
Case studies and discussion will give attendees opportunities to consider real situations, compare different responses, and think about how they would approach similar circumstances in their own work.
Who is this session for?
This course is designed for qualified and trainee sign language interpreters, and it may be particularly useful for practitioners who regularly attend home visits, work in unfamiliar environments, travel to assignments alone, work outside normal office hours, or simply want to think more carefully about their own lone-working arrangements.
Learning outcomes
- Develop a clearer understanding of the risks associated with lone working
- Know what information to gather before accepting or attending an assignment
- Consider practical ways of reducing risk when working in unfamiliar environments
- Explore how to respond if behaviour becomes aggressive or a situation feels unsafe
- Understand the role of policies, procedures, and professional boundaries in lone-working decisions
- Reflect on your own current arrangements for community and remote work
- Leave with practical steps you can apply to your own working practices
Live, interactive and supported
This is an active learning session with explanation, structured discussion and practical work. A useful course handbook or supporting materials are provided, together with a CPD certificate for each attendee.
Participation and cameras
Participation is encouraged. Cameras help people connect with those they are learning and working with, while recognising that there may be circumstances where having a camera on is not practical or appropriate.
Not recorded
This course is delivered live and is not recorded. Please book only if you can attend at the advertised time.
About the trainers
Gail Dixon
Gail Dixon is an experienced registered BSL/English interpreter with a Postgraduate Diploma in BSL/English Interpreting from the University of Central Lancashire. She has worked across a range of interpreting settings, with particular experience in medical, mental health, and social care. Alongside her interpreting work, Gail holds a Level 7 Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Supervision from the University of Derby. She is also a qualified assessor and an NRCPD supervisor of trainee interpreters. Gail has a particular interest in supervision and reflective practice, and in the role these can play in helping interpreters examine difficult or complex aspects of their work. Her training draws on her experience of interpreting, supervision, and assessment, with a strong practical focus on professional judgement, safety, and decision-making.
Sarah Glendenning
Sarah Glendenning is an experienced registered BSL/English interpreter with a Postgraduate Diploma in BSL/English Interpreting from the University of Central Lancashire. She has worked across a range of interpreting settings, including medical, mental health, media, and conference work, giving her experience of both community-based and more specialist environments. Alongside her interpreting work, Sarah is a qualified mentor and has particular experience supporting trainee and early-career interpreters as they develop their professional practice. Her mentoring work focuses on helping practitioners reflect on their decisions, recognise areas for development, and approach the early stages of their careers with a clearer understanding of professional expectations. Sarah also contributes to professional development training, drawing on her interpreting and mentoring experience to explore practical issues that arise in everyday work, including professional judgement, preparation, and practitioner safety.