Find online training for individual employers and personal assistants. 

Please note some of these providers provide face-to-face training in their local areas - this will be listed in the relevant region area of this guide.

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation provide a range of training for both people who employ their own care and support and their personal assistants. The Challenging Behaviour Foundation are the only UK charity specifically focussed on the needs of people with severe learning disabilities whose behaviour may be described as challenging, and their families.

• Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) 2 Part Workshop - Tuesday 16 September 2025, 10:00 - 14:30 (part one), Tuesday 14th October, 10:00 - 14:30 (part two).

This is a two-part interactive workshop set about Positive Behaviour Support. The workshops facilitate partnership working, to enable staff and families to work together to identify appropriate individualised behaviour support strategies that can be used consistently in all settings.

Part 1: Understanding Challenging Behaviour (UCB)This introductory workshop enables participants to understand what is meant by “challenging behaviour”. It covers what challenging behaviour can look like, it’s impact and reasons, and where/how to access ongoing support.

Part 2: Supporting Behaviour Change (SBC)This workshop empowers participants with practical tools and strategies to address the reasons why challenging behaviour may happen and ways to prevent or reduce it and improve people’s quality of life. The SBC workshop includes proactive and reactive strategies and how to develop a positive behaviour support plan.

• Pica Awareness Workshop - Thursday 13th November 2025, 10:00 - 14:30.

The CBF’s Pica Awareness workshop is specifically designed for professionals, support staff and family carers who are supporting children, young people or adults who have severe learning disabilities and display Pica behaviour (eating inedible objects) and/or polydipsia (drinking fluids). The main aims of this practical, interactive workshop are:

• Understand reasons for and risks of pica behaviour and polydipsia.
• Recognise the importance of vigilance, reporting and recording.
• Identify strategies for supporting the person at risk of pica.
• Feel confident in your understanding of pica and to advocate for the person.

• Communication and Challenging Behaviour Workshop - Monday 1 December 2025, 10:00 - 14:30.

This practical workshop is an introduction to the links between communication and behaviour. This workshop is aimed at anyone who wants to understand how to improve communication with individuals with severe learning disabilities and in turn improve their quality of life, choice, and behaviour. This workshop includes what is communication and how to meet people’s communication needs, with practical resources and strategies to support communication.  It provides an understanding of communication and its relationship with behaviours that challenge. It also focuses on a Total Communication approach and explores examples such as: pictures, intensive interaction, digital communication aids and the use of communication passports, for people with severe learning disabilities.

There will be further dates for all of the above workshops also taking place in January/February 2026. These are currently to be confirmed.

Book your place

Bringing Us Together

Bringing Us Together provide a range of virtual training for both people who employ their own care and support and their personal assistants. 

• Welfare reform for individual employers – Wednesday 3 September 2025, 13:00 – 15:00
• Disability related expenses for individual employers - Wednesday 1 October 2025, 13:00 – 15:00
• Disability related expenses for individual employers – Wednesday 22 October 2025, 18:30 – 20:30
• Not another assessment – Wednesday 12 November 2025, 13:00 -15:00
• Housing options for individual employers – Wednesday 3 December 2025,13:00 – 15:00
• Transition to adult services for parent carers who are receiving direct payments – Wednesday 14 January 2025, 18:30 – 20:30
• Tricky situations and looking after yourself  - Wednesday 4 February 13:00 – 15:00
• Being genuine - person centred planning  for individual employers – Wednesday 4 March 13:00 – 15:00

To book any of the above contact karen@bringingustogether.org.uk

Support Sessions for Individual Employers  - 2nd Thursday of every month starting August. Contact anne.pridmore@outlook.com to book.

Darlington Association on Disability

Darlington Association on Disability provide a range of virtual training on specific topics as per individual training needs plans, delivered by Atlas.

To book call Alison Curwen on 01325 489999 Option 2 or email alison.curwen@darlingtondisability.org.

Great Minds Together

Great Minds Together provide a range of training for both people who employ their own care and support and their personal assistants.            

• Autism training for personal assistants | Tuesday  12 August 2025, 10.00 - 11.30 | Online | Book your place
• Sensory differences training for personal assistants | Friday 5 September 205,2 10.00 - 11.30 | Online | Book your place
• Low arousal and low demand approaches for personal assistants | Tuesday 9 September 2025, 10.00 - 11.30 | Online | Book your place
• Contextualise safeguarding | Wednesday 17 September 2025, 14.00 - 16.00 | Online | Book your place
• How to support a PA and your role as an employer | Friday 26 September 2025,13.00 - 14.30 | Online | Book your place 
• Autism training for personal assistants |10 October 2025, 13.00 - 14.30 | Online | Book your place
• Low arousal and low demand approaches for personal assistants | Tuesday 14 October 2025, 10.00 - 11.30 | Online | Book your place
• Contextualise safeguarding | Wednesday 22 October 2025, 14.00 - 16.00 | Online | Book your place
• How to support a PA and your role as an employer | Friday 7 November 2025, 13.00 - 14.30 | Online | Book your place
• Autism training for personal assistants | Tuesday 18 November 2025, 10.00 - 11.30 | Online | Book your place
• Sensory differences training for personal assistants | Friday 5 December 2025, 13.00 - 14.30 | Online | Book your place
• Sensory differences training for personal assistants | Friday 16 January 2026, 13.00 - 14.30 | Online | Book your place
• Low arousal and low demand approaches for personal assistants | Tuesday 27 January 2026, 10.00 - 11.30  | Online | Book your place
• How to Support a PA and your role as an employer | Tuesday 03 February 2026, 10.00 - 11.30 | Online | Book your place
• Autism Training for Personal Assistants | Tuesday 10 February 2026, 10.00 - 11.30 | Online | Book your place
• Contextualise Safeguarding | Wednesday 11 February 2026, 14.00 - 16.00 | Online | Book your place
• Sensory Differences Training for Personal Assistants | Friday 6 March 2026, 13.00 - 14.30 | Online | Book your place
• Low Arousal & Low Demand Approaches for Personal Assistants | Tuesday 17 March 2026, 10.00 - 11.30 | Online | Book your place

Disability Positive

Disability positive offer a range of courses including:

Email: Learning@disabilitypositive.org or Call Tel: 01606 331853 and ask to speak to the Learning Service

KDC

KDC provide a range of training for both people who employ their own care and support and their personal assistants. To book email andy.gilbert@kdc.org.uk.

• Buccal midazolam
• Autism awareness
• Dementia awareness
• Epilepsy awareness
• Motor neurone disease
• Moving and handling
• Safeguarding and protection of adults
• Nutrition and hygiene
• Medication practice
• Equality, diversity and inclusion
• Emergency first aid at home
• Safer handling of medication at home 

Reeves Training

Reeves Training provide a range of training for both people who employ their own care and support and their personal assistants. 

• Dignity and privacy course | Available until March 2026 | Online, self-paced | Access the training

• Learning disability awareness | Available until March 2026 | Online, self-paced | Access the training

• Mental health awareness  | Available until March 2026 | Online, self-paced | Access the training

Deaf-initely Women

Deaf-initely Women will be offering the following (exact dates tbc):

• Deafblind equality training
• How to employ care staff
• Understanding your rights as a Direct Payment user / employer
• Communicative Assistive equipment for the person you support
• Communication and acquired deafblindness

disAbility Cornwall

DisAbility Cornwall provide a range of training for both people who employ their own care and support and their personal assistants.  

• Manual handling: look after your back!
• Safeguarding adults at risk: making safeguarding personal and hoarding
• Person-centred approaches
• Effective interpersonal skills
• Personal care: consent & dignity
• Trauma-informed approaches
• Mental health support: the practicalities
• Mini masterclass - COPD: all you need to know
• Mini masterclass - diabetes: all you need to know
• Mini masterclass: heart disease - all you need to know
• Mini masterclasses: sight loss and hearing loss - everything you need to know
• Living well
• Food safety & allergies
• Safeguarding vulnerable adults level 1
• Fluids and nutrition
• Equality and diversity
• Information governance / data protection and GDPR
• Health and safety
• Food safety level 1
• Conflict management
• Training your team - for IEs
• Employing and managing a PA – for IEs

Visit Humans Cornwall on Facebook to find out more

Disability Action Haringey

Disability Action Haringey provide training for both people who employ their own care and support. 

• Being a better employer course | Tuesday March 24 2026, 13:00-15:00 | Winkfield Resource Centre | Book your place

Disability Direct

Disability Direct provides a range of virtual training for both people who employ their own care and support and their personal assistants. These courses are available at flexible dates and times to suit you and can be 1:1 or in  a small group.

The following training is available:

• Direct Payment Awareness
• Good Employer Training
• Good Employee Training
• Employment Law and GDPR
• Boundaries and Safeguarding
• Disability Awareness
• Mental Health & Wellbeing
• Food Hygiene
• Risk Assessment & Infection Control
• Fire Safety & Emergency Planning
• Administering Medication
• Dignity in Care & Person-Centred Practice
• Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
• Managing Challenging Behaviour

To book call 01332 404040 (option 3) or email info@blueskybrokers.org.

Disability North

Personal Assistant (PA) Training

• Thursday 21 August 2025 | 10.30 to 15:00 | Newcastle | Face-to-face or online
• Friday 21st November 2025 | 10.30 to 15:00 | Newcastle | Face-to-face or online
• Tuesday 9 December 2025 | 10.30 to 15:00 | Newcastle | Face-to-face or online
• Wednesday 7 January 2026 | 10.30 to 15:00 | Newcastle | Face-to-face or online
• Thursday 19 February 2026 | 10.30 – 15:00 | Newcastle | Face-to-face or online
• Thursday  5 March 2026 | 10.30 – 15:00 | Newcastle | Face-to-face or online

Led by Angie Stewart, who has employed Personal Assistants for 27 years, this course offers a unique perspective. Angie will share her lived experience and that of people she knows who employ PAs. You will be guided through every aspect of the role, including why disabled people fought for the right to use Direct Payments to employ their own PAs and the powerful impact this has on independence and quality of life.

From practical skills to essential knowledge, the day will be packed with insight and laughter. Whether you’re new to the role or already working as a PA, you’ll leave with the confidence and tools to take your next steps either into a new job or strengthening your existing skills and knowledge.  

Embrace Wigan and Leigh

PA the basics / IE the basics

This digital, one-to-one training is available in Wigan and Sheffield. Email info@embracewiganandleigh.org.uk to arrange.

Ideal For All

Being a good employer and PA rights and obligations

Provided with Independent Living Group

• Wednesday 15 September 2025 10:00 - 12:00
• Monday 6 October 2025 10:00 - 12:00
• Monday 17 November 2025 10:00 - 12:00
• Monday 8 December 2025 10:00 - 12:00
• Monday 12 January 2026 10:00 - 12:00
• Monday 2 February 2026 10:00 - 12:00
• Monday 23 February 2026 10:00 - 12:00

Guidance on being an individual employer and what to expect as an employed PA.

Book now

5 ways to wellbeing - Connect, Move, Notice, Learn, Give

• Tuesday 16 September 2025 16:00 -18:00
• Wednesday 12 November 2025 18:30 - 20:30
• Monday 19 January 2026 10:00 -14:00

A set of 5 evidence-based actions we can use to prioritise our wellbeing and make a positive difference about how we feel ‘in ourselves’ daily.

Book now

Ideal for All also offer bespoke learning packages covering:

• A Care Workers Role
• Appraisal
• Autism
• Care
• Care Planning
• Communication
• CYP Safeguarding Children & Young People
• Dementia Awareness
• Diabetes Awareness
• Dignity in Care
• End of Life Care
• Epilepsy Awareness
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Falls Awareness
• Fire Safety for Domiciliary Care
• First Aid
• Food Hygiene
• Health and Safety
• Infection Control
• Learning Disabilities
• LGBT Aware for Care
• Lone Working
• Medication Practice in Domiciliary
• Mental Health
• Motor Neurone Disease
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training
• Parkinson's Disease
• Person Centred Care
• Personal Carel
• Professional Boundaries
• Recording Information
• Risk Assessment
• Safeguarding and Protection of Adults
• Sepsis
• Stroke Awareness
• Wellbeing in the Workplace

Independent Lives

Independent Lives offer a series of courses occurring fortnightly.

• Moving and handling people
• Basic First Aid
• Medication level 1&2
• Empowering Choice- Mental capacity essentials
• Safeguarding
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Disability Awareness
• Autism awareness
• Mental health awareness

Book your place

Project Artworks

Visit their website to see the latest training available, including:

• Meltdowns and Shutdowns | Monday 13 October  – 10.00-13.00
• Makaton Level 1| Tuesday 4 and Tuesday 11 November – 9.30-13.00
• Loss and Bereavement | Thursday 20 November – 10.30-12.30
• Total Communication | Tuesday 9 December – 9.30-12.30
• Communication and Behaviour | Thursday 12 March - 10.00-13.00

More training to be announced soon.

Kaleidoscope Brokerage Ltd

Kaleidoscope Brokerage Ltd offer a Start Right Employer/Employee Course exclusively to their clients. Email admin@kaleidoscopebrokerage.org.uk to find out more. 

Pathfinders Neuromuscular Alliance

Pathfinders Neruomuscular Alliance offer the following ongoing classes:

• Employment in practice: PA employer class
  This themed fortnightly class will cover a wide range of challenges and scenarios employers may encounter when employing PAs, from recruitment and induction to supervision and appraisal, to going on holiday, managing PAs in hospital, emergency cover and managing PAs in protected groups. Employers will learn from others who have extensive experience of managing PAs. Email charley@pathfindersalliance.org.uk to book.
• Personal Assistant advanced training: supporting different needs and circumstances of employers with neuromuscular conditions
  This themed monthly class footage PAs how to support employers in different situations, including employers who are younger, older, parents, LGBT, who work, who travel, who require a ventilator or who require a special diet. PAs will be able to hear from real-life employers about how to meet a wide range of needs. Email info@pathfindersalliance.org.uk to book.
• Developing PA employer skills for consultancy/training
  This five session class will teach PA employers the basics of training and consultancy, to enable employers to use the skills and knowledge of a PA employer in a professional setting. Email info@pathfindersalliance.org.uk to book.

Pathways

Pathways provide a range of training for both people who employ their own care and support and their personal assistants. 

• Oliver McGowan Training- Tier 1 | Wednesday 10 September 2025, 10:30am-11:30 | Online | Book your place
• My right to be safe | Thursday 16 October 2025, 9:30-12:30 | Online | Book your place
• Oliver McGowan Training- Tier 1 | Wednesday 12 November, 10:30-11:30 | Online | Book your place
• My right to be heard   | Wednesday 19 November 2025, 9:30-12:30 | Online | Book your place
• My right to good mental health | Wednesday 28 January 2026, 10:00-15:00 | Online | Book your place
• PASS-IT-ON | 3 sessions 4, 11, 18 February 2026, 10:30am-12:30 | Online | Book your place
• Mental capacity act and supported decision making | Thursday 12 March 2026, 10:00-15:30 | Online | Book your place

Moving from OK to great- online peer support sessions:

• Monday 22 September, 12:30-15:00 | Book your place
• Monday 20 October, 12:30-15:00 | Book your place
• Monday 24 November, 12:30-15:00 | Book your place
• Monday 19 January, 12:30-15:00 | Book your place
• Monday 16 February, 12:30-15:00 | Book your place
• Monday 23 March, 12:30-15:00 | Book your place

Surrey Independent Living Charity

Surrey Independent Living Charity offers the following training for individual employers and personal assistants: 

• Mental health awareness – Tuesday 23 September 2025 10:00
• Safeguarding adults and children – Thursday 2 October 2025 10:00
• Autism awareness – Thursday 9 October 2025 10:00
• Mental capacity act – Monday 20 October 2025 13:00
• Health and safety awareness -  Friday 7 November 2025 13:00
• Person centred care – Thursday 13 November 2025
• Learning disability with dementia awareness – Tuesday 25 November 2025 10:00
• Dementia awareness – Thursday 4 December 2025 10:00
• Epilepsy awareness -  Friday 12 December 2025 11:30
• Diabetes awareness – Wednesday 12 December 2025 9:30
• Safeguarding adults and children – Tuesday 6 January 2026 10:00
• Autism awareness  -  Wednesday 14 January 2026 10:00
• Mental capacity act – Wednesday 21 January 2026 13:00
• Medication awareness – Thursday 29 January 2026 10:00
• Health and safety awareness – Saturday 7 February 10:00
• Learning disability with dementia awareness  - Friday 13 February 2026 13:00
• Person-centreded care – Wednesday 18 February 2026 13:00
• Mental health awareness  - Tuesday 24 February 2026 10:00
• Dementia awareness – Monday 2 March 2026 13:00
• Diabetes awareness – Wednesday 11 March 2026 10:00
• Epilepsy awareness – Tuesday 17 March 2026 13:00
• Medication awareness  -  Thursday 26 March 2026 10:00

Book now

TrustonTap

The following training will be available, with dates tbc:

• Senior PA care workforce pathway Knowledge and skills courses c.3
• Understanding people's disability and circumstances
• Understanding the importance of resilience and coping skills in your role as a PA
• Understanding mental capacity and how it can affect how you deliver support
• Assistive technology webinar
• Communication Training course for less experienced PAs
• Loneworking Training course for less experienced PAs
• Person-centred care Training course for less experienced PAs
• Care certificate c. 16 training courses
• Carer bitesize training
• IE training

Email James@trustontap.com to find out more.

Your Support Matters

Details to be confirmed soon.

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