KallosSim — Complete guide
Practise the conversations that matter
A thorough reference for practitioners and supervisors across six UK sectors — children's services, adult social care, health, youth justice, witness intermediary (MoJ), and HR. One subscription, one account. Everything from sector choice to team-level supervision — no real case data, no penalties, no risk.
6 sectors
19 practitioner roles
5 diversity dimensions
27 scored criteria
5 conversation phases
What is KallosSim?
Simulation-based learning for UK practitioners
Statutory Conversation Simulator is an AI-powered conversation simulator for professionals who need to have difficult, high-stakes conversations with families, service users, colleagues, or employees — safely, repeatedly, and without using real case data.
Not a test. There are no penalties, no pass/fail thresholds, and no data shared with employers or regulators. Every session exists to help you practise and reflect — nothing more.
Legal and framework basis
| Framework | Relevance |
|---|---|
| Working Together to Safeguard Children (2026) | Multi-agency safeguarding duties, thresholds, and partnership working |
| Children Act 1989 | Section 17 (need), Section 47 (significant harm), care proceedings |
| Equality Act 2010 | Protected characteristics, reasonable adjustments, non-discrimination duty |
| Care Act 2014 | Adult safeguarding, assessment, person-centred approach |
| ACAS Code of Practice | HR / disciplinary and grievance procedures |
| KCSIE 2025 | Keeping Children Safe in Education — safeguarding responsibilities for DSLs |
| Human Rights Act 1998 | Article 8 (family life), proportionality in intervention decisions |
| Mental Capacity Act 2005 | Two-stage capacity test, best interests, least restrictive principle — Adult Social Care and Health |
| Criminal Justice Act 2003 / LASPO 2012 | Youth sentencing, referral orders, and breach proceedings for Youth Justice workers |
| Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 (YJCEA) | Registered Intermediary duties — communication assessment, ABE support, Ground Rules Hearings, trial evidence. MoJ RI Guidance 2024. |
| Mental Health Act 1983 (amended 2007) | Detention, assessment, and treatment powers — Health and CAMHS practice |
Who it is for
Social Worker
Local Authority — Statutory
Primary decision-maker. Full S.17 / S.47 authority, care proceedings, court applications.
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
Education sector
Referral and coordination role. No enforcement power. KCSIE 2025 duties.
Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO)
Local Authority — Independent
Quality assurance for looked-after children. Can escalate to CAFCASS.
Health Visitor
Community health (NHS)
Early years (0–5) safeguarding role. Universal and targeted family support under Healthy Child Programme.
Registered Manager (Children's Home)
Private — Children's home
Ofsted-registered. Personal criminal liability for welfare standards.
SENCO
Education — Children's Services
SEND co-ordination, EHC plans, and education safeguarding. KCSIE-aligned.
Early Help / Family Support Worker
Local Authority — Children's Services
Pre-threshold and CIN/CP plan delivery. TAF, family group conferences, practical support.
Independent Social Worker (ISW)
Self-employed / courts
Advisory only — no S.47 authority. Expert witness in care proceedings.
Supervising Social Worker — Foster (SSW)
IFA / Local Authority
Supports foster carers — NOT the child's social worker.
Registered Intermediary
Witness Intermediary — MoJ
Court-appointed communication specialist. ABE planning, Ground Rules Hearings, trial evidence. Primary duty to the court — not safeguarding referrals.
Adult Social Worker
Local Authority — Adult Services
Care Act 2014 assessments, safeguarding enquiries under s.42, and mental capacity considerations under the MCA 2005.
Registered Manager (Adult Care)
CQC — Adult care home
CQC-registered manager in adult residential or supported living. Care Act and MCA framing.
Police Child Protection Officer
Youth Justice / Policing
MASH and strategy discussion partner. Child First, trauma-informed practice alongside justice duties.
Youth Justice Worker
Youth Offending Team (YOT)
Asset Plus assessments, referral order supervision, breach decisions, and SLCN-aware direct work with young people.
CAMHS Practitioner
NHS / CAMHS
First appointments, risk assessments, consent and capacity with young people, and trauma-informed mental health practice.
Line Manager / HR Business Partner
HR & Employment
Disciplinary hearings, grievances, return-to-work conversations, and PIPs — governed by the ACAS Code of Practice.
Quick start
Four steps to a complete practice session
Every session follows the same loop. Choose your sector, pick your role, configure the Card Deck, practise with the AI persona, then reflect on your debrief.
1
Choose sector
Open services and enter the sector closest to your work. One subscription covers all six.
→
2
Configure
Pick your role on first visit, then set case parameters on the Card Deck and click Generate.
→
3
Practise
Work through the conversation phases with the AI persona. Use voice or text input.
→
4
Reflect
Read your scored debrief. Track your development in the Progression view.
First time? Click the How to use button at the top of the Card Deck. The interactive guide walks you through each parameter in under two minutes.
Account
Plans & usage
KallosSim is free to start. Paid plans remove the scenario cap and add team features. See pricing for current rates.
| Plan | Practice allowance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 10 practice scenarios in total per account | No credit card. Each scenario = one generated case plus one conversation. The count does not reset monthly. |
| Individual | Unlimited scenarios | All sectors, full debrief, CPD export. Billed monthly or quarterly. |
| Company | Unlimited scenarios (per seat) | Five seats, org admin, team analytics. |
Open your profile (top-right) to see Free scenarios with a progress bar when you are on the Free plan. When you reach 10, case generation pauses until you upgrade. Past sessions and debriefs remain available to review.
Sectors
Six sector entry points — one platform
KallosSim is a single platform with one account and one subscription. Each sector loads the statutory framework, role list, and process stages appropriate to that work. Switch sectors anytime from services — your progression history follows you.
Not separate products. Children's Services, Adult Social Care, Health, Youth Justice, Witness Intermediary, and HR share the same database, auth, and org admin. Only HR uses a dedicated app shell (
hr-app.html); the other five run through app.html with a sector banner at the top.
| Sector | Entry URL | Roles in picker | Statutory framework |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Services | /children/app |
Social Worker, DSL, IRO, Early Help, Family Support, RM (Children's Home), SSW, ISW, SENCO | Working Together 2026, Children Act 1989, KCSIE |
| Adult Social Care | /adult-care/app |
Adult Social Worker, Registered Manager (CQC adult) | Care Act 2014, MCA 2005, Making Safeguarding Personal |
| Health / NHS | /health/app |
Health Visitor, CAMHS Practitioner | NHS safeguarding, Healthy Child Programme, MHA |
| Youth Justice | /youth-justice/app |
YOT Worker, Police CPO | YJMF, AssetPlus, Child First, trauma-informed practice |
| Witness Intermediary | /witness-intermediary/app |
Registered Intermediary only | YJCEA 1999, MoJ RI Guidance 2024, ABE guidance, Ground Rules Hearings |
| HR & Employment | /hr/app |
Line Manager, HR Business Partner, ER Specialist | ACAS Code, Employment Rights Act 1996, Equality Act 2010 |
Witness Intermediary — not children's safeguarding
Registered Intermediaries have a primary duty to the court, not to a local authority safeguarding process.
Card B process stages are criminal justice steps — intermediary request, communication assessment, ABE planning, ABE interview support, Ground Rules Hearing, and criminal trial evidence.
The AI knowledge pack is criminal_justice, not Working Together. RI practitioners should enter via /witness-intermediary/app, not Children's Services.
Two Registered Manager roles
Registered Manager (Children's Home) — Ofsted children's residential; appears in Children's Services. Registered Manager (Adult Care) — CQC adult care home; appears only in Adult Social Care. They share a label in conversation but have different statutory frameworks, process stages, and evaluation emphasis.
Smart card filtering (cascade)
Your role (Card A) filters Cards B (process stage), D (target group), E (dimension), F (conversation type), and I (training focus). Card F adapts when you change Card B. Card J (Maturity) appears only for young-person target groups. Shuffle respects these constraints — you will not land on an incoherent combination.
01
The Card Deck
Ten parameters that together define your practice scenario. Start with Card A — your professional role — then configure or shuffle the remaining nine to match your learning goals.
Card A — Your role
Card A is the most important selection you make. Your professional role is chosen on the role picker before you enter the deck, then shown on the role banner at the top. Your role determines which process stages, target groups, and training focuses appear on the remaining cards, and how the AI persona perceives your authority. A parent wary of a statutory Social Worker will respond very differently to a DSL from their child's school — or to a Registered Intermediary in a court setting.
Card A is the only card you must pick deliberately.
The rest can be shuffled. Lock Card A whenever you want to explore different case types within your own professional context.
Card A — example: two role options
A
Your role
Social Worker
13 scenarios available
A
Flipped — pick a role
A
Your role
DSL
8 scenarios available
🔒
| Role | Sector | Decision authority | Scenarios |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Worker | Children's Services | Full: S.17, S.47, EPO, care proceedings | Full Working Together pathway |
| DSL | Children's Services | Referral and consultation only | School, conference, early help |
| IRO | Children's Services | QA and escalation — no direct enforcement | Looked-after, review |
| SENCO | Children's Services | Education SEND — no S.47 authority | Referral, assessment, CIN plan |
| Health Visitor | Health | Healthy Child Programme; safeguarding referral | Early help, home visit, pre-birth |
| Registered Manager (Children's Home) | Children's Services | Ofsted; personal liability for welfare | Residential, disrupted placement |
| Registered Manager (Adult Care) | Adult Social Care | CQC; adult safeguarding | Assessment, S42 enquiry |
| ISW | Children's Services | Advisory; expert witness — no S.47 | Complex assessment, court |
| SSW — Foster | Children's Services | Carer support — NOT child's SW | Fostering, placement support |
| Registered Intermediary | Witness Intermediary | Court communication — duty to court | ABE, GRH, trial evidence |
| Adult Social Worker | Adult Social Care | Care Act assessment, S42 enquiry | Adult safeguarding |
| YOT Worker / Police CPO | Youth Justice | Justice + welfare; MASH partner | Referral, assessment, breach |
| CAMHS Practitioner | Health | Clinical + safeguarding | Referral, assessment, risk |
| Line Manager / HRBP / ER | HR | ACAS-governed workplace process | Disciplinary, grievance, RTW |
Registered Manager (Children's Home) is Ofsted children's residential. CQC adult Registered Manager is only in Adult Social Care.
Cards B–J — the remaining nine parameters
Each of the remaining nine cards controls one dimension of the generated scenario. Click any card to flip it and choose from all available options, or shuffle freely.
Example card deck — three cards shown
B
Process stage
Initial assessment
C
Complexity
Intermediate
D
Target group
Parent / carer
| Card | Label | What it controls | Example options |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | Process stage | Where you are in the statutory or organisational timeline | Children's: Referral · Assessment · S.47 · CP Conference · LAC · PLO · Step-down · Closure. Adult: Needs assessment · S.42 enquiry. Witness: Communication assessment · ABE planning · Ground Rules · Trial. HR: Informal discussion · Investigation · Disciplinary · Grievance · RTW |
| C | Complexity | Depth and challenge of the scenario and persona | Foundation · Intermediate · Advanced |
| D ⚙ | Target group | Who you are speaking with. Options are filtered automatically to match your role (Card A) — a Supervising Social Worker will only see foster carer and young person, not birth family. | Young person · Parent / carer · Foster carer · Service user · Family group · Care leaver · UASC |
| E | Diversity dimension | The analytical lens foregrounded in this scenario — shapes the persona's profile and the criteria emphasised in your debrief | Protected characteristics · Cultural background · Mental health & trauma · Power dynamics · Neurodiversity · Domestic abuse |
| F ⚙ | Conversation type | The setting and format of the interaction. Options are filtered to match your process stage (Card B) — a CP Conference only ever involves a Multi-agency meeting, for example. | Home visit · Office appointment · Assessment interview · Multi-agency meeting · Court setting · Phone call |
| G | Emotional state | The persona's emotional starting point | Calm · Anxious · Angry · Withdrawn · Resigned · In crisis |
| H | Relationship history | The persona's prior contact with services | New contact · Known — positive · Known — neutral · Known — conflicted · Previous proceedings |
| I | Training focus | The specific skill area prioritised in scoring | Motivational Interviewing · Safeguarding practice · Cultural competence · Power awareness · Statutory authority |
| J ⚙ | Maturity | For young person personas only: language complexity, abstraction level, and how they challenge you. This card is hidden automatically when your target group (Card D) is not a young person or care leaver. | Early adolescent · Mid adolescent · Late adolescent · Persona default |
Lock, Shuffle, and Generate
⚙ Smart deck — Cards marked with ⚙ in the table above adapt automatically to your earlier selections.
Card D (target group) shows only the people you would realistically work with in your role.
Card F (conversation type) shows only the settings that make sense for your process stage.
Card J (maturity) appears only when your target group is a young person or care leaver.
The Shuffle button respects these constraints — you will never land on an incoherent combination.
🔒
Lock — Click the lock icon on any card to keep your selection fixed.
Locked cards are skipped when you shuffle. Use this when you want to isolate one variable —
for example, keep Card A (role) and Card C (complexity) fixed while exploring different target groups within your own professional context.
⇄
Shuffle — Randomises all unlocked cards simultaneously,
picking only from options that are valid for your current role and process stage.
The fastest way to explore realistic scenario variety. Run several shuffles before choosing which combination to generate.
▶
Generate — Sends your ten selections to GPT-4o, which builds a unique case with a named persona, enriched background, statutory context, and opening situation tailored to your exact combination. Each generation is unique — even identical card settings produce a different case every time.
Live preview — As you select cards, the right-hand panel shows a running summary of your choices: an italic narrative sentence describing your scenario, plus a compact grid showing all 10 selections. This updates instantly with every card change — so you know exactly what you're generating before you click Generate.
No library match? That's expected in production. The live app does not serve a fixed scenario catalogue — the AI always constructs a fresh case from your card-deck parameters. A zero match count means AI generation, not an error.
Scenario feedback — was this realistic?
After a case is generated, you may see an optional control: Was this scenario realistic? with 👍 and 👎 buttons. This is separate from your debrief score — it does not affect assessment.
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| 👍 Yes | One click — thanks message. Helps the team track which generated cases feel true to practice. |
| 👎 No | Optional text field — e.g. stereotyped character, wrong tone, unrealistic detail. Then Send. |
| Skip | Valid. Feedback is always voluntary. |
Who sees your feedback? Team leads and DPOs see anonymised responses in Org Admin → Quality
(case title, vote, comment — never your name). Aggregated realism rates appear only when at least five
responses exist in a domain.
Privacy & service improvement
On first login you see two notices: how learning data is stored, and how anonymised improvement data may be used. You can review or change preferences anytime from your profile (top-right menu).
| Setting | Where | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| My data usage | Profile menu → My data usage | See stored data, research consent, download export, delete account, contact DPO |
| Free scenarios counter | Profile menu → subscription card | On the Free plan, shows how many of your 10 lifetime scenarios you have used |
| How we improve the training | Profile → link under Improvement analytics | Reopens the full transparency notice |
| Contribute anonymised usage | Profile → checkbox (on by default) | When off, usage events (e.g. generate clicked) are not sent. Training works normally. |
| Research consent | My data usage modal | Separate opt-in for anonymised research use — voluntary |
Full legal detail: Privacy notice · Technical design: feedback pipeline (for DPOs).
02
The Conversation
Once a case is generated, click Start conversation to enter the live simulation. The AI plays a realistic persona based on the scenario. You work through five structured phases at your own pace.
Your generated case
Before the conversation begins, review the case panel. It contains everything you need to orient yourself:
| Element | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Role badge | "Practising as: Social Worker — Local Authority — Statutory" — reminds you of your professional context and legal footing |
| Scenario title | A one-line description of the case, e.g. "Initial home visit following referral from school re: suspected neglect" |
| Background | A rich paragraph (5–7 sentences) establishing the trigger event, timeline, daily-life context, service history, and what's at stake — enough to place yourself in the situation before the conversation begins |
| Persona | Name, role in the case, emotional state, and relationship to services — who you are about to speak with |
| Setting | Where and how the conversation is taking place (home, office, phone, etc.) |
| Training focus | The specific skill area that the debrief will emphasise |
| Process stage | Your position in the statutory or organisational timeline |
| AI badge | A small "✦ AI enriched" pill appears when the AI has generated bespoke persona details, dialogue nuances, and contextual notes beyond the base scenario — this is the default for every generated case |
AI enrichment is always on. Every generated case is enriched by the AI — it extends the persona's emotional landscape, adds contextual nuance, and tailors the opening line to your card selections. You do not need to do anything to activate it.
The five conversation phases
The conversation is structured into five phases. Each phase has a distinct purpose and a coaching prompt visible in the phase header. You do not have to complete all five — End & evaluate is always available.
Conversation UI — phases, RC bar, and message bubbles
"I wasn't expecting a visit today. I'm a bit rushed — what's this about, exactly?"
"Thank you for opening the door. I'm from the council — could we have a few minutes? It shouldn't take long and I just wanted to check in."
"Check in? You people always say that. What has the school said now?"
RC
62 / 100
Phase 1 · Opening
→ Role & Framing
→ Exploration
→ Turning Point
→ Next Steps
1
Opening
Establish the conditions for the conversation — introduce yourself, state the purpose, and begin to build rapport. Focus on clarity and warmth before going anywhere near the substance of the case.
2
Role & Framing
Be transparent about your role, your authority, and why you are here. Clarify what this conversation can and cannot achieve. Families have a right to know who they are speaking with and what power you hold.
3
Exploration
Listen, reflect, probe gently. Use open questions to gather the family's perspective before forming any judgement. This is where Motivational Interviewing skills are most active — OARS (see Step 03).
4
Turning Point
Move from information-gathering to direction. Introduce the next step — a plan, a referral, a decision. Be honest, non-punitive, and specific. This is often the most emotionally charged phase.
5
Next Steps
Summarise what has been agreed, confirm the immediate actions, and close the conversation safely. Check for understanding. Leave the person knowing what happens next and who to contact.
The RC bar — Relational Capital
The RC (Relational Capital) bar is a real-time trust score. It reflects how the persona's trust in you is moving during the conversation, derived from their minority stress profile and your communication choices.
| RC goes up when you… | RC goes down when you… |
|---|---|
| Use warmth and genuine curiosity | Assert authority prematurely |
| Validate the person's perspective | Use jargon or bureaucratic language |
| Reflect what they have said back accurately | Interrupt or dismiss concerns |
| Show cultural sensitivity | Make assumptions about motivation |
| Acknowledge power imbalance openly | Ignore emotional cues |
A falling RC bar is a signal to change approach — not a penalty. The score is not saved or reported. It exists only to help you notice the persona's response to your communication in real time.
The statutory clock
When a scenario has statutory time pressure — for example, a Section 47 enquiry or an Emergency Protection Order — a clock indicator appears at the top of the conversation view. It shows:
⏱
Deadline label — e.g. "S.47 enquiry — initial strategy discussion within 24 hours." Tells you what the legal or policy deadline refers to.
📅
Elapsed simulation days — not a real-time countdown. The count advances when the AI persona indicates time has passed in the narrative.
Purpose: to practise the discipline of keeping legal deadlines in mind during emotionally pressured conversations — a core competency for statutory practitioners.
03
The Debrief
After clicking End & evaluate, the AI evaluator reads your full conversation transcript and scores your communication against up to 29 professional criteria (sector-specific). You receive a written report with strengths, development areas, and direct quotes from the conversation.
How scoring works
the AI evaluator reads your full conversation transcript and scores your communication against up to 29 professional criteria — the exact set varies by sector and role. The evaluator is a separate AI system. It receives your full transcript, the scenario context, your professional role, and the training focus for this session — then scores each criterion on a 0–3 scale. For each criterion it produces: a numeric score, a written explanation of your strengths, and specific development suggestions with quotes from the conversation.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | Not observed — the behaviour was absent from the conversation |
| 1 | Needs development — attempted but inconsistent or ineffective |
| 2 | Meets standard — competent and consistent practice demonstrated |
| 3 | Strong practice — skilled, nuanced, and notably effective |
HOW you communicated matters more than WHAT information you covered.
A factually correct but cold, jargon-heavy response will score lower than a warm, transparent exchange that covers the same ground less formally.
Debrief — score breakdown example
Active listening
3/3
Open questions
2/3
Cultural sensitivity
3/3
Jargon avoidance
1/3
Power awareness
3/3
Reflective summaries
2/3
"You showed strong active listening when you reflected the parent's concern back to them — 'It sounds like you weren't expecting to be contacted by the school about this.' This created space for them to expand. However, when you introduced the next steps, the phrase 'statutory framework' created distance. Try replacing it with plain language: 'I have a responsibility to…'"
Source-grounded feedback. Each criterion score is backed by retrieved statutory guidance — the relevant Act, framework, or professional standard is cited alongside the rationale so you can verify the basis of every score.
Scores are indicative — not a formal record of competence.
AI evaluation identifies patterns in your communication against evidence-based criteria.
It does not replace supervisor feedback, line manager review, or any formal appraisal process.
If you believe a score does not accurately reflect your practice, raise it with your
team lead or supervisor. Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, you can also contact
your organisation's Data Protection Officer directly from your profile
(About → Your data rights → Contact my organisation's DPO).
The DPO must acknowledge your request within 30 days.
The up to 29 scored criteria (sector-specific)
| Category | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Participation & voice (2) | Person is given adequate speaking space · Practitioner avoids dominating the exchange |
| Transparency & honesty (2) | Role and authority explained clearly · Purpose of the conversation stated openly |
| Non-judgement & empathy (3) | Avoids labelling or moralising · Demonstrates genuine empathy · Validates emotional experience |
| Communication skills (4) | Active listening · De-escalation technique · Cultural sensitivity · Jargon avoidance |
| Safeguarding practice (3) | Information-sharing proportionality · Risk recognition · Multi-agency thinking |
| Motivational Interviewing (5) | Open questions (O) · Affirmations (A) · Reflections (R) · Summaries (S) · Change talk elicitation (E) |
| Role-specific competencies (4) | Statutory authority use · Professional limits observed · Documentation awareness · Person-centred approach |
| Equality & inclusion (4) | Intersectional lens applied · Reasonable adjustments considered · Interpreter / communication need addressed · Power imbalance acknowledged |
BARS — four-axis behavioural summary
In addition to criterion scores, the debrief includes a BARS (Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scale) summary across four axes. These give a sector-level view of your practice independent of individual criterion scores.
| Axis | What it measures |
|---|---|
| LC — Legal Compliance | Statutory accuracy: correct application of thresholds, duties, and timescales |
| RE — Relational Engagement | Quality of the working relationship: trust, empathy, responsiveness |
| AS — Autonomy Support | Person-centred practice: supporting the person's right to self-determination |
| PC — Professional Curiosity | Depth of inquiry: probing beyond surface presentations, not accepting reassurances at face value |
Motivational Interviewing — OARS framework
MI (Motivational Interviewing) is a collaborative, person-centred communication style designed to strengthen a person's own motivation for change. It is evidence-based and widely used across social work, healthcare, addiction, and HR. KallosSim scores five MI skills using the OARS+E framework:
| Skill | What it means in practice | Example |
|---|---|---|
| O — Open questions | Questions that cannot be answered with yes/no — they invite the person to elaborate in their own words | "What's been going on for you lately?" not "Is everything okay?" |
| A — Affirmations | Genuine statements recognising the person's strengths, efforts, or values — not flattery | "It took courage to open the door today." |
| R — Reflections | Mirroring back what you heard — simple (restatement) or complex (capturing underlying meaning) | "It sounds like the biggest worry right now is what happens to your daughter." |
| S — Summaries | Collecting and linking what has been said — shows you listened, creates shared understanding | "Let me check I've got this right — you've been managing things on your own since the summer, and the school contact surprised you. Is that right?" |
| E — Change talk | Eliciting statements from the person about their own desire, ability, or reason to change — not telling them they need to | "What would things look like if things were a bit easier at home?" |
MI is not manipulation. It is not about steering someone toward a predetermined outcome. It is about creating the conditions for honest, non-defensive conversation. A practitioner with high MI scores is one who mostly listens, rarely lectures, and leaves people feeling heard rather than judged.
04
Your Progress
The Progression view is your personal development dashboard. It shows completed scenarios, score trajectories, dimension coverage, and MI skill development over time.
Two panels
| Panel | What it shows | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| My learning path | A log of every completed scenario: role, scenario title, date, total score, training focus | Click any entry to reopen the full debrief. Track which roles and process stages you have covered. |
| My development | Score over time (line chart) · Dimension coverage (radar chart) · MI skill breakdown | Look for gaps in the radar — dimensions you haven't practised. Use the MI chart to target specific skills. |
Using progression effectively
↔
Aim for breadth — practise across multiple roles, process stages, and diversity dimensions. A radar chart that only covers two dimensions means you have significant blind spots.
↑
Track MI improvement — if your Reflections or Open questions scores are consistently low, focus your next few sessions on those specific skills. The coaching prompts in phase headers give real-time guidance.
J
Card J — Persona maturity level (young person scenarios only) — controls how developmentally mature the young person's communication style is: 1 = developing (short sentences, concrete thinking), 2 = age-appropriate, 3 = mature beyond their years. Use Persona default to let the scenario's built-in setting apply.
05
Editorial — for supervisors and team leads
The Editorial view is the supervisor's workspace. Review sessions, generate team training programmes, and monitor aggregate development data across your group.
Supervisors only. Access to Editorial requires a supervisor account. Practitioners do not see other practitioners' sessions. If you are a practitioner who wants to understand what your supervisor sees, this section explains it.
Three tabs
| Tab | What it contains | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions | All completed sessions for your group — role, scenario, score, date. Click any entry to open the full debrief transcript and conversation. | Use for 1-to-1 supervision — review a practitioner's session before a reflective conversation. Look at both the score and the specific quotes the evaluator cited. |
| Learning Circle | Generate a structured 6-session team training programme based on practice data, team size, and focus areas. | Input team size, current gaps (from Team Overview), experience levels, and priority focus areas. The AI produces a session-by-session plan with objectives, suggested scenarios, and reflection prompts. |
| Team Overview | Aggregate scores, role distribution, dimension coverage gaps, and MI skill averages across all practitioners in your group. | Identify team-level development needs. If the radar shows the whole team is underperforming on Power dynamics, design the next Learning Circle around that dimension. |
Learning Circle — how it works
The Learning Circle generator takes your team's practice data and creates a 6-session structured programme. Each session plan includes:
1
Session objective — the specific competency or skill area the session addresses
2
Suggested scenarios — which card configurations to assign to practitioners for pre-session practice
3
Reflection prompts — structured questions to guide group discussion based on debrief data
4
Progression checkpoint — what improvement to look for in the following session's data
Privacy
Supervisors can see debrief scores, criterion-level breakdowns, and quoted transcript excerpts selected by the evaluator. All scenario content is AI-generated — no real case data is ever stored. Practitioners are identified in the Editorial view only by the name they registered with.
Org Admin — Quality tab (team leads & DPO)
Organisation administrators (team lead, senior manager, DPO) also have an Org Admin workspace separate from Editorial. Open it from the profile menu. The Quality tab shows:
| Panel | What it shows |
|---|---|
| KPI chips & criterion distribution | Aggregate debrief scores and trends — never individual practitioner names in export views |
| Scenario realism feedback | Optional 👍/👎 responses on AI-generated cases (case title, vote, comment — no user identity) |
| Practice signals | Started / completed / abandoned rates by role, dimension, and conversation type — only when ≥5 sessions exist in a cell |
Settings tab includes a DPO note on how improvement data is scoped to your organisation. Full DPIA status and org sign-off: Org Admin → Governance. See also Privacy & improvement for practitioner controls.
Reference
The five diversity dimensions
Card E selects the analytical lens foregrounded in your scenario. Each dimension shapes the persona's profile, the case background, and the criteria most emphasised in your debrief. Dimensions are applied intersectionally — a scenario rarely involves just one lens in isolation.
"Intersectional lens" means the evaluator recognises that a young person may simultaneously be a care-leaver, from a minority ethnic background, and neurodivergent — and that each identity shapes their experience of services in compounding ways. Treating these as separate checkboxes misses the point.
Dimension 1
Protected Characteristics
Scenarios where one or more of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 is directly relevant — race, disability, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage, or pregnancy.
Equality Act 2010 · s.149 Public Sector Equality Duty
Dimension 2
Cultural Background
Heritage, language barriers, interpreter needs, UASC (Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children), diaspora family structures, community norms around authority and disclosure.
Working Together 2026 · Cultural competence standards
Dimension 3
Mental Health & Trauma
ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), PTSD, perinatal mental health, anxiety and depression, safe disclosure, trauma-informed communication approaches.
Care Act 2014 · NHS mental health standards
Dimension 4
Power Dynamics
Institutional authority, hierarchy, age dynamics, gender power imbalance, professional power over families. How acknowledging power can build rather than undermine trust.
Human Rights Act 1998 · Art.8 proportionality
Dimension 5
Neurodiversity
ADHD, autism, dyslexia, processing differences in interview contexts. Adjusting communication style, pacing, and format to meet different cognitive and sensory needs.
Equality Act 2010 · Disability provisions
Reference
Concepts & glossary
Key terms used in KallosSim — click Concepts in the app nav for a fuller, searchable version.
MI — Motivational Interviewing
A collaborative, person-centred communication style. Evidence-based. Scores five skills: Open questions, Affirmations, Reflections, Summaries, and Change talk.
RC — Relational Capital
The real-time trust score displayed during conversations. Derived from the persona's minority stress profile and your communication choices. Not saved or reported.
S.17
Section 17, Children Act 1989. Duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need. Assessment and support — not investigation.
S.47
Section 47, Children Act 1989. Duty to investigate where a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Triggers a formal child protection enquiry.
EPO — Emergency Protection Order
A court order allowing a child to be removed from immediate danger. Granted by a magistrate; Police can use a Police Protection Order (PPO) for 72h without a court order.
PLO — Pre-proceedings
The Public Law Outline process — a letter before proceedings sent to parents when a local authority is considering applying for a care order.
IRO — Independent Reviewing Officer
An independent LA officer who chairs reviews of care plans for looked-after children and monitors the local authority's compliance with its obligations.
CAFCASS
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. Represents children's interests in family court proceedings. Produces welfare reports for judges.
Intersectionality
The compounding effect of multiple identity factors on a person's experience of services. A care-leaver who is also from an ethnic minority faces qualitatively different barriers than someone with only one of those characteristics.
OARS
Open questions, Affirmations, Reflections, Summaries. The four core MI skills. E (Eliciting change talk) is sometimes added as a fifth: OARS+E.
ACEs — Adverse Childhood Experiences
Stressful or traumatic experiences in childhood (abuse, neglect, household dysfunction) that have lasting effects on health and wellbeing.
UASC
Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Child. A child who has arrived in the UK without a parent or carer and applied for asylum. Typically subject to age assessment and a Pathway Plan.
Minority stress
The additional chronic stress experienced by members of stigmatised minority groups. In KallosSim, each persona has a minority_stress profile that shapes their response to practitioner behaviour.
DSL
Designated Safeguarding Lead. The named person in an educational setting with lead responsibility for safeguarding. Duties defined in KCSIE 2025.
ACAS Code
The ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. Sets the minimum standards for fair process in employment disputes in the UK.
CP conference
Child Protection Conference. A multi-agency meeting to review information gathered during a S.47 enquiry and decide whether a child should be subject to a Child Protection Plan.
Registered Intermediary (RI)
MoJ-approved communication specialist for vulnerable witnesses in criminal proceedings. Primary duty to the court — facilitates communication, does not investigate or coach testimony.
ABE interview
Achieving Best Evidence — the standard for video-recorded interviews with vulnerable witnesses. RI involvement includes planning, ground rules, and in-interview monitoring.
Ground Rules Hearing (GRH)
Pre-trial hearing where the judge sets rules for how a vulnerable witness will be questioned — often informed by the RI's communication assessment.
SENCO
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. Leads SEND provision and EHC processes in schools. In KallosSim, practised under Children's Services.
Reference
Frequently asked questions
No. Every scenario, persona, and conversation is AI-generated. No real children, families, or service users are represented. The simulator produces entirely synthetic content each time. You should never enter real personal information about real people into the conversation.
Only supervisors who have been explicitly granted access to your Editorial group can view your sessions. They can see your debrief scores, criterion breakdowns, and the evaluator's selected quotes from your conversation. Your employer cannot access your sessions unless you are part of a supervised Editorial group that they administer.
End the conversation using the "End & evaluate" button and note the issue in your reflections. The AI plays a persona with a defined emotional state and history — it may push back, deflect, or say things that feel unfair. This is by design: realistic resistance is part of the training. However, if the AI produces genuinely harmful content or factual errors that could mislead practice, please use the feedback link to report it.
Yes. Return to services and open any of the six sector entry points. You use the same login and subscription. Your progression history is shared. Each sector loads its own role picker and statutory framework — for example, Witness Intermediary shows only the Registered Intermediary role with MoJ criminal justice process stages.
SENCO practice is rooted in SEND co-ordination, EHC plans, and education safeguarding (KCSIE) — the same statutory world as DSL and local authority children's services. Adult Social Care focuses on Care Act assessments and CQC adult registered management.
Yes — every generation is unique even with identical card selections. The AI constructs a new scenario and persona each time. This is intentional: it allows you to practise the same skill area repeatedly without memorising a fixed script.
Because the persona has a defined profile: an emotional state, a relationship history with services, and a minority stress level. Realistic resistance, scepticism, or distress is intentional — it reflects how real conversations go when families are frightened, distrustful, or overwhelmed. If the RC bar is falling, that is a signal to change approach, not a technical error.
Yes. The Card Deck, conversation, debrief, and Progression view work without a supervisor. On the Free plan you can complete 10 practice scenarios in total on your account; Individual and Company plans include unlimited practice. The Editorial view (Sessions, Learning Circle, Team Overview) requires a supervisor account — it is designed for group-level oversight.
No. Realism feedback is optional and separate from your debrief assessment. It helps the team improve AI-generated scenarios. Team leads see anonymised responses in Org Admin → Quality — never linked to your name.
Case generation is paused until you upgrade to Individual or Company. You can still review past sessions and debriefs. The Free allowance is 10 scenarios in total per account — it does not reset each month. Your profile shows a Free scenarios counter so you can track usage.
Open your profile (top-right) and uncheck Contribute anonymised usage to service improvement. This stops anonymised usage events from being sent. Your training experience and debrief scores are unchanged. You can re-read the full transparency notice via How we improve the training in the same menu.
Yes. Look for the microphone icon in the conversation input. Click to start recording; the transcript is produced automatically. Voice input works best in a quiet environment using a desktop browser. Mobile voice input is supported but may be less accurate.
A complete session — Card Deck configuration, conversation, and debrief — typically takes 20–35 minutes. You can end the conversation at any phase. A quick Foundation scenario with three exchanges and an early evaluation can be done in under 15 minutes. Advanced scenarios with a full five-phase conversation may take 45 minutes or more.
Start with Reflections — they are the hardest MI skill for most practitioners and the one that makes the biggest difference to how heard a person feels. Practise pausing after the person speaks and reflecting back what you heard before asking a question. Open questions are second — notice how many of your current questions can be answered with yes or no, and rephrase them.
It changes the weighting and emphasis, not the criteria themselves. All 27 criteria are assessed in every debrief, but the evaluator flags the dimension-relevant ones more prominently in its written feedback. For example, in a Cultural Background scenario, cultural sensitivity and interpreter use receive more detailed commentary than usual.