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Workforce update for

services that support people with a learning disability and/or autistic people

Welcome to this workforce development update for adult social care services that support people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. It shares the latest news, resources, events and opportunities from Skills for Care and partners.

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News from Skills for Care

New discussion paper about distressed or challenging behaviour

With the National Autistic Taskforce, we’ve developed a discussion paper that examines approaches to supporting people at risk of distressed or challenging behaviour. The paper focusses on the current social care response to what is often called ‘behaviour which challenges’ in autistic people and the persistent issue of the inappropriate detention of autistic people in institutional care settings.

⇨ Find the discussion paper

Supporting the workforce to #KeepLearning

Throughout January and February, Skills for Care is focusing on how you can #KeepLearning and why ongoing learning and development is important for everyone working in adult social care.

Investing in learning and development develops skills and knowledge, supports better staff retention and helps to develop effective managers. Our #KeepLearning campaign can help you with this by sharing information about current funding and learning opportunities.

⇨ Find information and resources to support the campaign

Race Equality Week 2024: #ListenActChange 

This week is Race Equality Week and this year’s theme is #ListenActChange. During the week we’re encouraging you and your teams to take part in our Race Equality Week learning challenge and drive positive change in your organisation. We’ve got resources to support team development, individual learning and longer-term opportunities in the arena of equality, diversity and inclusivity.

You can get involved in two ways: 

• Pick a learning challenge with your teams to complete during the week and share your activities with us on social media by tagging us and using the hashtag #ListenActChange. 
• Make a commitment to continuing equality, diversity and inclusivity learning and development beyond Race Equality Week. 

We’ve created some images you can use on social media to share what you’re doing in your organisation. Don’t forget to tag us and use the hashtag #ListenActChange 

⇨ Find out more on our Race Equality Week webpage

Free GOLD webinar: Menopause and learning disabilities 

Tuesday 12 March 2024 I 12:30 I Zoom
In this webinar, Dr Louise Newson will be talking about hormones, perimenopause and menopause. She will cover common symptoms and health risks of the menopause and treatments including HRT. Louise will also share information resources and where to find them, for people who have learning disabilities.

 ⇨ Book your place

CQC: Quality of life tool 

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have produced a ‘Quality of life tool for inspecting specialist services for people with a learning disability and autistic people’. Its purpose is to improve CQC's ability to consistently identify and take appropriate regulatory action in services that fail or are failing to meet the needs, aspirations and skills development of people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. The tool looks at how well people's care plans are delivered in practice.

Providers can use the tool to assess the quality of support they are providing to people with a learning disability and autistic people.

⇨ Find the tool

NHS resources to support use of CPAP equipment

The NHS have a collection of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) resources for health professionals. They are primarily for health professional working with and supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people. 

Download the NHS CPAP resources, or resources for carers, and an easy read guide to CPAP.

Challenging Behaviour Foundation workshops

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation was commissioned by Skills for Care in 2023 to review and report on the workforce development needs for people with a learning disability from the perspectives of families. It heard from families about what the workforce that supports them and their relatives should be like, particularly the skills and experiences support staff should have. 

The report found several areas that needed to be considered as part of workforce development, including around:  

• training and skills
• personal skills and values 
• compatibility and matching of support workers 
• recruitment and staffing 
• pay and conditions 
• supervision and support 
• trusting relationships with support staff and management teams.

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation is aware of the impact for families when these factors are not considered as part of workforce development. They offer a range of training workshops for professionals to promote awareness, understanding and partnership.

Find more information about the workshops offered by the Challenging Behaviour Foundation or contact workshops@thecbf.org.uk. 

News from the sector

Easy read from Accessibility Easy Limited 

Accessibility Easy Limited have a bank of documents on many different topics, all in easy read and in one place. This is great for people with a learning disability and for people whose English is not their first language and for people who support them.

⇨ Access the Easy Read Finder

VoiceAbility responds to revised guidance on advocacy services 

VoiceAbility has responded to the Department for Education consultation on the Revisions to the National Standards and Statutory Guidance for the Provision of Children and Young People’s Advocacy Services. The consultation begins a long overdue refresh of the current standards and guidance, which haven’t been updated since 2002 and 2004 respectively.

VoiceAbility has called for strengthened content on: safeguarding in institutional settings 
equality and inclusion for independent advocacy, including advocacy service’s ability to engage with Government, and the quality of children and young people’s advocacy services.

⇨ Read VoiceAbility’s full response to the consultation

Bild International PBS Conference 2024 

This year’s International Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Conference will focus on ‘Shifting the narrative: Improving lives through practice leadership in PBS’. It takes place at the Liverpool Hilton on 16 to 17 May and early bird discounts are available until the 23 February.

The conference will feature keynotes from speakers including experts by experience, PBS practitioners, professionals, and academics, exploring shifting this narrative from crisis to prevention. There will also be a range of practical workshops and opportunities to network and discuss current issues.

⇨ Book your place

Autism Central peer education programme 

Autism Central is a new programme commissioned by NHS England. It aims to help families, carers and personal assistants learn more about autism and the support available to them by signposting to useful learning resources. Parents and carers can also find help with a free one-to-one from their regional hub. 

⇨ Find out more

Solitary confinement and recommendations: Free webinar  

The Restraint Reduction Network (RRN) are hosting a webinar exploring solitary confinement on Wednesday 28 February. It will focus on Baroness Hollins' 2023 report, ‘My Heart Breaks - Solitary confinement in hospital has no therapeutic benefit for people with a learning disability and autistic people’. 

The webinar will be chaired by Gavin Harding, Senior Learning Disability and Autism advisor in the Improving Quality Team within the National Learning Disability and Autism Programme.

⇨ Find more information and book your place

New housing guide from Learning Disability England

Learning Disability England have produced a housing guide. The guide helps people think about their choices on where they live as well as providing lots of information about choices and what their rights are. Information from other organisations is also available within the guide. 

⇨ Read the guide

Get involved

Get paid to say how you choose your food

TIZARD at University of Kent is interested in hearing how people with learning disabilities choose what they eat. They are offering £15 as a thank you to people who take part.

For more information, please contact Kayleigh on k.mahoney@kent.ac.uk. 

Books Beyond Words: Book clubs and smoking support book

Books Beyond Words’ ‘Book Club in a Box’ project is now in full swing. Book clubs give people a safe space to make friends, have fun and talk about the issues that affect their lives. Thanks to generous National Lottery funding, they can give you everything you need to start one in England for free.

They also want people to help them with a brand-new picture book about giving up smoking. Are you a smoker or an ex-smoker? Could you help by reading the pictures and telling them what you think? They will send you a questionnaire asking you what you think is happening in each picture.

If you are interested, please contact admin@booksbeyondwords.co.uk   

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