Supporting People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People around Self-Neglect and Self-harm Workshops for Social Care Staff – 3 & 4 February 2026

 

New and Improved! Online workshops delivered by ARC England’s Lead Trainer Rod Landman.

1. Self-Harm Workshop – 3 February 2026 – 9.30am – 1pm

2. Self-Neglect Workshop – 4 February 2026 – 9.30am – 12.15pm

Reduced rate for booking both workshops – see Costs below. 

People with learning disabilities are more likely to self-harm and self-neglect than the general population. Since the Care Act 2014 awareness has grown of self-neglect as a central safeguarding issue for social care services. It is being reported to ARC as an increasing concern with members seeing rises in the number of people who self-harm, combined with staff lacking the confidence and skills to deal with the issue.

ARC’s half-day workshops contain a full summary of the law, tools for intervention and good practice principles. Delivered via the Zoom platform, they are designed to raise awareness of self-harm and self-neglect in those with a learning disability, and look at how to intervene and support those at risk.

Session one focusses on self-harm and session two on self-neglect. The workshop is delivered by an experienced trainer and fully interactive with case studies, small group activities, discussions and opportunities for Q&A. There is a combination of presentation, videoed interviews, personal reflection and skills development; it will include assignments before, during and after the webinar element.

The workshop is suitable for all front-line staff and managers who work with those who may be vulnerable to self-harm and self-neglect.

These half-day workshops can also be delivered in house for your organisation, which is a very cost effective way to access this important training to equip staff with the skills to support people at risk of self harm or self neglect.

Workshop One: Self-harm and People with Learning Disabilities

This session draws on the research project ‘Hidden Pain – Self-Harm and People with Learning Disabilities’ which was jointly conducted by Self injury Support (formerly Bristol Crisis Service for Women) and the Norah Fry Research Centre at the University of Bristol, and from interviews with people with learning disabilities who self-harm.

By the end of this session, learners will:

• Understand what self-harm is
• Understand the different types of self-harm/self injury
• Understand the reasons for self-harm
• Have developed appropriate responses to self-harm
• Be able to effectively communicate with people who self-harm
• Understand identification and prevention of self-harm
• Have developed methods of self-management
• Understand a range of top tips

Workshop Two: Self-Neglect and People with Learning Disabilities

Learn what do you do if people you support:

• Don’t look after themselves and their home
• Hoard belongings
• Self-neglect in a way that impacts on other people you support and their staff.

Do you know how to:

• Apply European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) obligations?
• Use the ‘wellbeing’ provisions of the Care Act?
• Avoid common misunderstandings of the Mental Capacity Act?
• Use relevant information to assess capacity?

This session offers a basic introduction to self-neglect for people who support those with learning disabilities.

Learners will study current research evidence and good practice issues. This workshop will cover mental capacity, ‘challenging’ behaviour, risk assessment and safeguarding. Skills development will focus on relationship building with clients who self neglect.

By the end of the workshop learners will:

• Understand what self-neglect is and its causes.
• Be able to reflect on the issues for people with learning disabilities
• Have increased awareness of their own role and responsibilities
• Have an overview of tools available for addressing self neglect
• Have increased knowledge of successful interventions
• Have practiced successful intervention techniques

On completion of our ARC evaluation form we will be happy to issue learners with an ARC Certificate of Attendance