Learning disabilities and autism
Have a look at our Easy Read section too (link at the bottom of this page) - we are adding to this as we go along, with information about safeguarding and ways to keep yourself safe, including online.
This includes a poster created for us by Opening Doors along with a Healthwatch/Opening Doors/NSAB 2025 report titled What adults with learning disabilities say about safeguarding.
Over the last few years, NSAB have had a number of discussions with groups and organisations in Norfolk who support people with learning disabilities and autism, about how to raise awareness of issues like exploitation, county lines, cuckooing.
It is important that people with learning disabilities and autism, those who have cognitive difficulties, and also children and young adults, have positive opportunities to make and maintain friendships. We want to help them to to do this, to reduce the risk of harm and exploitation in groups who may be less able to recognise the intentions of others.
See and share our 3 minute 'Tricky Friends' animation
Friendly Information have resources around keeping safe online and grooming:
"Grooming is when someone builds up a friendship with a child or adult. The person being groomed might trust the person who is grooming them and appear to enjoy the friendship only for that to be used against them later.
Groomers may also build a relationship with the young person’s family to make you believe you can trust them.
You can watch the video to see how to stay safe and what you can do if you or someone you know might be a victim of grooming."
Watch this webinar video to learn more about domestic abuse in relation to people with learning disabilities and / or autism
It highlights a SAR in relation to domestic abuse and recognising this for people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism – a very interesting session, and you can share with your colleagues / teams or facilitate a reflective practice session with your team about it:
Guides to understand learning disability, autism or both in the context of domestic abuse
Have a look at the Us Too Project website - set up by a group of women with learning disabilities, autism or both who have experienced domestic abuse.
They have some really useful material, designed to raise awareness and support better prevention / action, including:
- A guide to domestic abuse for learning disability and autism services
- A guide to learning disability and autism for domestic abuse and sexual violence services.
Partners in Care and Health (PCH)
share a series of good practice guidance on working with autistic people and those with a learning disability, to provide professionals working in the social care sector to support autistic people and people with a learning disability. You can read up on a few of those publications below.
Diagnostic overshadowing and how it impacts on people with a learning disability and autistic people
This explainer for council staff produced by Partners in Care and Health aims to help council staff understand the concept of diagnostic overshadowing which can impact on people with a learning disability and autistic people and gives practitioners strategies to prevent diagnostic overshadowing if they come across this when working with people.
Commissioning self-advocacy as a basis for effective co-production
Self-advocacy plays a critical role in supporting and promoting people’s human rights. This resource from Partners in Care and Health provides information to support the commissioning of self-advocacy and peer-to-peer support for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
Best practice and insights report on improving housing choice for people with a learning disability
This report commissioned by Partners in Care and Health provides evidence of good practice and insights in relation to people with a learning disability having access to and living in ‘mainstream’ housing.
We also have a useful presentation about diabetes and MCA on our dedicated Mental Capacity Act page
LeDer 2022 overview
Adam White, et al. King's College London, published 2023
The LeDeR programme, funded by NHS England and NHS Improvement, was established in 2017 to improve healthcare for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
LeDeR aims to:
- Improve care for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
- Reduce health inequalities for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
- Prevent people with a learning disability and autistic people from early deaths.
This report summarises the lives and deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people who died in England.
Infographic overview LeDeR 2022
Keep safe resource pack
Norfolk County Council and Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board are pleased to introduce a keeping safe resource.
This is a pack to support you to have conversations with individuals or groups of people with additional needs to understand about safeguarding and how to keep themselves safe.
Have a look at the resource Keeping Safe Toolkit
Domestic abuse training session
If you are interested in a domestic abuse training session being run by Opening Doors, experts by experience, please email them
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Training for Norfolk and Waveney Learning Disability Providers
PBS is a widely used and person-centred approach to identifying and meeting a person’s support needs, in particular if someone is distressed and at risk of harming themselves or others.
It improves support and empowers people to use better and less harmful ways to get their needs met. This often involved using a range of different approaches that enhance a person's life.
PBS UK is offering spaces to support the care market to keep accessing affordable PBS courses. A space costs £30 and providers can negotiate bulk bookings. The Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme - GOV.UK allows providers to claim up to £55 per person for this course so providers could utilise the fund to claim back this expense.
Here is the link to the PBS UK courses: Positive Behaviour Support: CPD Accredited Intro | Eventbrite
Providers can source/ deliver PBS courses from other training companies, but they need to have been through the Skills for Care PBS Peer review. They can contact Marie Lovell [email protected].uk to find out more information.
Useful videos to support use and understanding of PBS can be found on the NCC website - they include videos on capable environments, restrictive practices and function based strategies.
Visit the Positive Behaviour Support page
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism
The government has introduced a requirement for Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered service providers to ensure their employees receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role. This is to ensure the health and social care workforce has the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability. This requirement is set out in the Health and Care Act 2022.
A code of practice is currently in development and should be published in 2023. Further recommendations made in this may change some elements of the way this training is delivered in the future.
The training is named after Oliver McGowan. Oliver was a young man whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better skills, knowledge and understanding of the needs for autistic people and people with a learning disability.
The training was developed as a result of Right to be Heard, the Government’s response to the consultation on mandatory training on learning disability and autism for health and social care staff.
Find out more here including how to access the elearning.
Who I am Matters
In late 2022 the Care Quality Commission published a report on the experiences of being in hospital for people with a learning disability and autistic people. The report is a stark reminder that people with a learning disability and autistic people are still not getting the care they need, when they need and shines a light on the impact these failings have on people and their families.
It shared some real-life examples and explored the themes further in a podcast. These concerns are reflected in Norfolk's Safeguarding Adults Review for Joanna, Jon and Ben SAR.
You can read this report here: Experiences of being in hospital for people with a learning disability and autistic people - Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)
Loving relationships
For information, including easy read, on supporting sexuality and positive relationships Choice Support - Supported Loving
Autism and homelessness Toolkit
Dr Georgia Lockwood Estrin, Autistica, 2024
This toolkit is designed for homelessness service providers who engage with and support autistic individuals experiencing homelessness. It is particularly valuable for those seeking to enhance their understanding and effectiveness in working with autistic individuals.
Autism and homelessness toolkit (pdf)
Signalong Safeguarding Signs poster
This poster may be useful for staff, volunteers and people who use services Safeguarding | Signalong
