Learning Disability and Autism PolicyA Learning Disability and Autism Policy written for your service
- Written for your organisation, not a template with your logo on it
- Read and approved by a person before it carries your name
- Verified against all 33 required elements of the legislation below
- Kept updated when the law changes, so it never quietly goes stale
No subscription needed. First year of updates included, £12 a year after that.
One-off, first year of updates included. Delivered within 2 working days of your details.
Trusted by UK care providers
Let's build your Learning Disability and Autism Policy
Answer 7 quick questions, about three minutes, and we'll write this policy for your service, in your name, with your people. You can skip anything and add it later.
Asked once, reused for every policy you buy
That's everything we need
0 of 7 answered. You can add the rest at any point before we write it.
- Registered company name
- Trading name (if different)
- Service address
- CQC provider ID
- CQC location ID
- Registered manager
- Nominated individual
Your answers are saved on this device and carried into your order.
Built from the law, checked against the law
The legislation, CQC standards and guidance we analyse to write it.
Your Learning Disability and Autism Policy is structured from these regulations, then verified against every required element of each one before a person signs it off. If the law changes, your policy is updated and you are told what changed and why.
Equality Act 2010
- Identifies all nine protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010: age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity
- States that reasonable adjustments for residents with disabilities are anticipatory and must be made before a resident who needs them arrives, not in response to individual requests
- Specifies the procedure for responding when a resident expresses discriminatory preferences about staff characteristics (race, religion, ethnicity) including that rosters will not be changed to accommodate prejudice, and that the response involves risk assessment, care plan documentation, supervision and manager intervention
- Distinguishes between discriminatory preferences and lawful requests based on dignity (such as requests for same-sex carers for intimate care under Schedule 9 occupational requirement exception) and require that the reasoning for accommodating or declining such requests is documented in writing
- Establishes the procedure for responding to harassment of staff by residents or third parties (including groping and racial abuse), including immediate management action, support for affected staff, and recognition of employer liability including anticipated direct liability for third-party harassment from October 2026
- Requires monitoring and analysis of discipline data, rota allocation data and promotion data by protected characteristics including ethnicity and sex to identify potentially discriminatory patterns or outcomes
NICE NG11 - Challenging Behaviour and Learning Disabilities
- States that behaviour that challenges is not a diagnosis but is functional for the person and results from interaction between personal and environmental factors, and that the service response is to understand what the behaviour communicates rather than to control or manage it.
- Requires that every person with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges has a support plan developed in partnership with them and their family/carers, written in formats matched to their communication needs (Easy Read, pictures, spoken formats, different colours and fonts) and built around a shared understanding of the behaviour's function.
- Mandates that families and carers are advised of their right to a carer's assessment and assessment for respite care, and are offered access to family support groups, information groups, skills training and emotional support.
- Requires assessment of environmental factors known to increase likelihood of behaviour that challenges, including: limited social interaction and meaningful occupation, lack of choice and sensory input, excessive noise, crowding, unpredictability, unresponsiveness, neglect and abuse, with documented action to address identified risks.
- Establishes that initial assessment and early identification of emerging behaviour that challenges is carried out, and must define clear documented referral pathways to specialist multidisciplinary assessment and intervention services (psychology, psychiatry, behavioural analysis, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, social care, pharmacy) when initial approaches have not been effective or the person has complex needs.
- States that antipsychotic medication is not a first-line or standalone response to challenging behaviour, and may only be considered when: psychological or other interventions have not produced change within an agreed documented timeframe, treatment for co-existing mental or physical health conditions has not reduced the behaviour, or risk to the person or others is very severe, and even then only in combination with psychological or other interventions.
Oliver McGowan mandatory training on learning disability and autism
- A documented role mapping assigning every post in the care home to either Tier 1 or Tier 2, dated and retained, with Tier 2 assigned to all care workers, seniors, team leaders, registered managers, nurses, and anyone conducting assessments or care planning
- A requirement that all staff complete Part 1 (the standardised e-learning module of approximately 90 minutes via e-Learning for Healthcare or equivalent)
- A requirement that all Tier 1 staff complete Part 2 Tier 1 (one-hour live interactive session co-delivered by at least one autistic person and at least one person with a learning disability)
- A requirement that all Tier 2 staff complete Part 2 Tier 2 (one-day face-to-face session co-delivered by at least one autistic person and at least one person with a learning disability)
- A requirement for training refresh at least every three years for all staff
- Explicit inclusion of agency, bank, night and ancillary staff (porters, receptionists, catering, cleaning) within the training requirement, with verification arrangements for agency staff documented in agency contracts
Written for your service
What we ask you, so none of it is assumed.
Most policy packs are one document sold to everyone with a find and replace on the home name. Your Learning Disability and Autism Policy is written from the legislation above and from your answers to the questions below. Where you have told us something, it says so. Where you have not, it sets out what must happen rather than claiming you already do it.
Your registered name, address, CQC numbers and who holds the key roles. About three minutes. Nothing else is asked before you buy.
Asked once in your own account and used across every policy you own, so a second policy never asks you the same thing twice.
Why it matters. A policy that claims you assess your premises annually, when you never have, is not a harmless overstatement. It is a signed statement handed to your inspector. We would rather write what you must do than guess what you already do.
How it is made
From your details to a policy you can stand behind.
The short questions above: who you are, your CQC registration, and the people this policy names.
One section per required element of the legislation, in your name, with your people.
Automated checks against every required element, then a person reads it before it ships.
When legislation changes, your policy is updated and you are told what changed and why.
Common questions
What you are actually buying.
What exactly do I receive?
A complete Learning Disability and Autism Policy written for your organisation, in your dashboard and as a print-ready PDF on your own letterhead. It names your service, your registration details and your leads, because you gave us them.
Is this a template?
No. Each policy is written for the organisation buying it, structured from the legislation itself, verified against 33 required regulatory elements, and read by a person before it carries your name.
How quickly will I get it?
Within 2 working days of you completing the short questions above. Most arrive sooner.
What happens when the law changes?
We monitor UK care legislation continuously. When something affecting this policy changes, your copy is updated and you are told what changed and why. The first year of updates is included, then £12 a year per policy.
Can I edit the policy myself?
No, and deliberately so: we stand behind every word we approve. If something needs changing, tell us and we amend and re-verify it, so it always remains a document we can both defend to an inspector.
What if I need more than one policy?
Most services do. The Statutory Starter Pack covers the twenty policies every CQC-registered service is expected to hold, and the Complete Policy Library covers all 66.
Why CareStream
Policies written the way an inspector expects to read them.
Before you buy
What the document actually looks like.
Every section it contains, and a page of the real thing. We show the structure and the personalisation rather than the wording, because the wording is what you are paying us to write for your service.
Contents of your Learning Disability and Autism Policy
- Purpose and scopewho it covers
- Legal and regulatory frameworkcited in full
- Definitions used in this policy
- Roles and responsibilitiesyour people, named
- Procedure, step by step
- Recording, reporting and escalation
- Training and competency
- Monitoring, audit and review
- Related policies and documents
- Version control and approvalsigned and dated
Section 4 · Roles and responsibilities
Who is accountable, by name
Overall accountability for this policy rests with your registered manager, supported by your nominated individual. Day to day responsibility sits with your named lead, who is the first point of contact for staff at your service address.
The remaining wording is written for the organisation buying it, so it is not shown here.
“The inspector asked for evidence and I had it on screen before she finished the sentence.”
Registered Manager · 48-bed nursing home, West SussexRelated policies
More policies your service may need.
More statutory and operational policies CareStream writes for your service, personalised, human-reviewed and kept updated, exactly like this one.
Medicines Management Policy
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Mental Capacity and DoLS Policy
Capacity assessment, best-interests decisions and deprivation of liberty safeguards under the MCA 2005.
Infection Prevention and Control Policy
IPC arrangements aligned to the Code of Practice, including audit and cleaning schedules.
Consent to Care and Treatment Policy
Seeking, recording and reviewing consent, including where capacity fluctuates.
Controlled Drugs Policy
Receipt, storage, administration, recording and destruction of controlled drugs.
Care Planning Policy
Person-centred assessment, planning, review and involvement under Regulations 9 and 12.
Compared
The four ways care services get a policy.
We have compared what each approach does rather than naming competitors, because products change and the comparison should still be true next year.
| CareStream | A policy pack | A consultant | A free template | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Questions asked at the point of purchase, so it is personalised rather than blank | ||||
| Written for your service, naming your manager and your leads | ||||
| Structured from the regulations, every required element checked before it is sent | ||||
| A branded companion document setting out the law it was written against | ||||
| Read and approved by a person before it carries your name | ||||
| Prints on your own letterhead with a sign-off and version block | ||||
| Named role holders update everywhere when the person changes | ||||
| Kept current when the law changes, and you are told what changed | ||||
| Turnaround stated before you buy | ||||
| Your staff can ask it questions in their own language | ||||
| What it costs | £39 to £79 per policy, one-off | £250 to £995 for the pack | A day rate, typically £400 upwards | Nothing |
Prices are the published rates of the common alternatives as at September 2026, for comparison only.
Training
Owning the policy is half of it
An inspector asks whether your staff understood it, not whether you hold it. Ninety eight modules written and kept current by us, to the same regulations, from £25.99 per staff member with no subscription.
