Capabilities

Statement for
adults with
learning
disability
Implementation
resources:
toolkits for social workers,
organisations, people with
lived experience and
educators
2
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Information sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The role of the social worker with people with
learning disabilities

Top Tips for social workers from

adults with learning disabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Induction tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Using the Capabilities Statement to build and sustain
positive relationships with adults with a learning disability

Reflective tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Using the Capabilities Statements for social with adults
with a learning disability in 1:1 and group/peer supervision
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

3
 Introduction

These implementation
resources support social
workers, organisations,
people with lived experience
and higher education
institutions to implement the
Capabilities Statement and
continuous professional
development (CPD) pathway
for social work with adults
with learning disability.
The resources have been developed with the
support of a cross-sector Advisory Group,
including people with lived experience, social
workers and educators.

The resources include:

l a practice toolkit for social workers:

including a video featuring Jill, Jackie and
Brendan from Synergy part of Camden
Disability Action, plus easy read material
l a toolkit for adults with learning
disabilities: including resources that
explain the role of the social worker, a
feedback resource as part of the Hair Tool,
plus easy read material. Resources for
critical friends: a video and visual Hair Tool
designed by people with lived experience,
questions for adults with learning
disabilities and social workers to gather
feedback and evaluate the impact of
practice
l a self-evaluation tool for organisations
l a post-graduate curriculum outline for
higher education institutions, including
how to develop a modular, blended
learning approach

4
Background
In September 2019, BASW published the
Capabilities Statement and continuous
professional development (CPD) pathway
for social work with adults with learning
disability, commissioned by the Department
of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Written for the England practice and policy
contexts, the Capabilities Statement was co-
produced with adults with learning
disabilities, families and carers.
The Capabilities Statement shows social
workers what they need to know and be able
to do, to make positive changes in the lives
of adults with learning disabilities. The DHSC
also commissioned and funded the
development of additional resources and
activities to support organisations and social
workers working with adults with learning
disabilities to embed the Capabilities
Statement into social work practice.
The aim of this work is to develop a
consistent pathway for professional
development for social workers, and their
employers, and help to ensure that people
who use their services are supported by
social workers with consistent levels of
professional skills.
Work to develop these additional resources
was led by BASW, in partnership with the
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
and Research in Practice for Adults (RIPfA). It
was supported by a cross-sector Advisory
Group including practitioners, experts-by-
experience and educators and informed by
wider consultation with the profession,
people with lived experience and
organisational leaders.
Special thanks to Jill, Jackie and Brendan
from Synergy part of Camden Disability
Action, members of the Embedding
Capabilities Advisory group and other key
partners, Bradford City Council Learning
Disability service, SORM studios and the City
of Stoke-on-Trent Council Learning
Disability service, people, families and carers
in the development of the toolkit resources.
Within these toolkits there are key messages
for supervisors, managers, organisational
leaders, and educators. Their role includes
ensuring that opportunities for social
workers to use the Capabilities Statement
and toolkit to inform practice are created
and supported.
How do the toolkits support social
work practice?
The toolkits:
l were developed with sector feedback and
involvement
l incorporate feedback from people and
families with lived experience
l promote the role and contribution of
social work with adults with learning
disabilities
l link to the capabilities statement for social
work with adults with learning disabilities
providing an evidence base for practice
l provide opportunities for learning, critical
reflection, and development
l are designed to support evidence of
continuous professional development to
meet standard 4 of the regulatory
professional standards set by Social Work
England.
How to use the toolkits
Each toolkit provides an introduction and
explanation about how and when to use it.
The toolkits can be used as a whole or at
different times to support best practice with
adults with learning disabilities, families, and
carers.
5
INFORMATION The role of the social worker with
SHEET people with learning disabilities
Introduction
The idea for this
information sheet came
from telephone interviews,
a survey and in consultation
with people with a learning
disability. They told us it
would be helpful to create
a simple information sheet
about the role of the social
worker that they could give
to adults with learning
disabilities and their
families.
The information sheet
comes in two parts, the first
is this page which
introduces the resource.
The second page contains
the information sheet
which has been developed
to share with people and
families.
6
When can this information sheet be
used?
It can be shared with a person and/or their
family before a visit, during a visit or after a
visit from a social worker. It can be used to
demonstrate the following areas of the
Capabilities Statement in practice:
l Developing relationships with people and
families
l Helping people to live the life they choose
l Recognising people’s abilities and
strengths
l Promoting rights-based practice
l Pursuing partnership and co-production
l Being accountable
In line with the Practice section of the
Capabilities Statement, sharing this type of
information with people can help to build
trust and positive relationships with adults
with learning disabilities and families.
All the information can be adapted to reflect
people’s individual circumstances or local
arrangements for the provision of social
work.
There is an accessible version of the
information sheet in Easy Read.
The points included are also reflected in the
critical friend Hair feedback tool that has
been developed to share with people and
families to obtain their views about the
service they receive Watch this video clip
that explains what the Hair tool is and how
to use it.
Feedback gathered from adults with learning
disabilities and their families can be used to
inform critical reflection and identify learning
and development needs and areas for
service improvement within organisations.
 The role of the social worker with adults with learning disabilities
– information sheet
What social
workers do:
4 Find out the best way to communicate
with you
4 Listen to you
4 Explain what your rights are
4 Support and include you in decisions
about your life
4 Find out what your interests and strengths
are as well as things you like to do
4 Support you to do the things you like and
enjoy doing
4 Believe that people with learning
disabilities are skilled at lots of things
4 Make it possible to use your life-skills and
choose things for themselves
What social
workers don’t do:
6 Make a clinical diagnosis of learning
disability
6 Focus on your diagnosis of learning
disability
6 Label you or make assumptions about
you
4 Help you to speak out and have your
voice heard
4 Find out how having a learning disability
and any other health conditions affect
you
4 Explain how to get the support you are
entitled to
4 Work with you to develop a plan of
support
4 Support you at different stages in your life
4 Offer support to families and carers of
people with a learning disability
4 If you are a parent, support you in your
role
4 Work with others to improve access to
services
4 Work to stop abuse.
6 Focus on what you cannot do
6 Apply rules about behaviour that are
different to other people
6 Ignore your past experiences of services
6 Ignore abuse
6 Make decisions for you
6 Listen to everybody else apart from you
6 Take away your freedom
6 Ignore the views of people important to
you
6 Tell you what to do.
7
 TOP TIPS Tops Tips for social workers from
adults with learning disabilities

6
What I want What I do not
my social want my social
worker to do worker to do

Knowledge Personal behaviours

As my social worker, I want you to:
4 Know how I communicate
4 Be friendly, kind and get to know me
4 Provide easy to read information about
money, housing, support and other things
that I may need to make decisions about
4 Understand that things can change
4 Think about how you give me difficult
information.
Skills and interventions
As my social worker, I want you to:
4 Use simple language
4 Prepare for visits
4 Think about using activities to help me
communicate
4 Take the time to visit me, listen to me and
understand how I express my feelings
4 Stick to what we’ve agreed and let me know
if anything needs to change
4 Help me to make my own decisions – bring
information that I can understand with you.
How you treat me
(Values, ethics and personal behaviours)
As my social worker, I want you to:
4 Ask me, do not tell me
4 Focus on what I can do
4 Treat me as an equal
4 Support me to make choices for myself
4 Respect my privacy – do not share inform-
ation about me without my permission
4 Keep in touch, tell me what is happening
next
4 Tell me why if my social worker is changing.
8
(How you treat me)
As my social worker, I don’t want you to:
6 Waste my time
6 Be late, not turn up or cancel
appointments with me
6 Be mean or rush me
6 Assume I am ok, ask me
6 Say one thing but do another
6 Make promises you cannot keep
6 Ignore me
6 Make decisions for me
6 Focus on my diagnosis only
6 Judge me
6 Ignore my behaviour or feelings.
Knowledge
As my social worker, I don’t want you to:
6 Forget to bring information or give me
the wrong information
6 Turn up knowing nothing about me
6 Patronise me or talk to others about me
first
6 Keep changing my social worker.
Skills and interventions
As my social worker, I don’t want you to:
6 Just get your laptop when you visit me,
have a conversation first
6 Rush your visit or make me feel like I am
wasting your time, or that I am not
important to you
6 Look at your watch all the time or keep
checking your mobile phone.
Induction tool
Using the Capabilities Statement to build and sustain positive relationships
with adults with a learning disability

Social work with adults with a learning l Knowledge

disability is about building and maintaining
relationships, supporting people to deal with a
range of issues that may be impacting upon
their life: “the small and the big stuff” -
recognising the impact of discrimination and
the importance of social and rights-based
approaches.
This tool can be used by social workers at the
start of their career or by more experienced
social workers who may be new to working
with people with learning disabilities.
The tool supports a rights and relationship
based approach to working with adults with a
learning disability and should be viewed
alongside the short video featuring Jill, Jackie
and Brendan from Synergy.
The capabilities that people with lived
experience said were the most important to
them were:
l Skills and interventions
l Values, ethics and personal
behaviours.
The graphic below provides an illustration of
where these capabilities sit within the over-
arching Professional Capabilities Framework.
This tool has been developed by people with
lived experience, social workers, and
advocacy organisations, to support social
workers to develop and demonstrate the
capabilities that are most important to
people with learning disabilities. This includes
building and sustaining positive working
relationships with people and their families.
The tool should be read and used in
conjunction with the Practice elements of
the Capabilities Statement, to plan and
prepare for home visits to an adult with a
learning disability and to reflect on practice,
to aid learning and development.

What was most important to people with lived experience?

ge

int
Sk r v en
led

e
ills tio
ow

an ns
Kn

Critical
reflection

Values, ethics and

personal behaviours

The diagram above illustrates the elements of social work capability that were emphasised throughout the
co-production and development of the Capabilities Statement with people with lived experience, their
families and professional stakeholders, particularly within the Steering Group.

9
 Before you visit/meet the person you should consider the following:
Knowledge
l How can you use the capabilities
statements to help you plan your
interaction/visit to the person/family? (also
see Top Tips information sheet)
l How will you ensure that the visit is
accessible for the person in terms of the
way they communicate?
l The environment where you will meet the
person – including any access
considerations of sensory needs e.g.
lighting, impact of noise (air conditioner)
etc
l What information do you need to take
with you to the visit that you can give to
the person?
l Who else do you need to speak to about
the visit?
l What information and joint decisions you
need to talk to the person about
l Have you got a way of contacting the
person that they are comfortable with if
you are going to be late?
10
Skills and interventions
l How will you make contact and arrange
the visit?
l How are you going to actively engage
with and involve the person with a
learning disability?
l What accessible information can you send
out in advance of the visit? (Hint –
consider the role of the social worker tool)
l Are there any communication aids that the
person uses that you need to familiarise
yourself with?
l Have you planned how you will get there
to ensure you are on time?
Values, ethics and personal behaviours
l Have you offered the person the
opportunity to have someone else they
trust present at the visit?
l Have you helped them choose an
accessible environment to meet that they
are comfortable with?
l How will you find out and record the
person’s wishes and feelings with their
involvement as much as possible?
l How you feel about visiting this person,
have you explored this with colleagues
and/or your manager?
 During the visit to the person consider the following:

Knowledge Values, ethics and personal behaviours

l Have you explained your role and the l Are you aware of how you are feeling and
reason for the visit? behaving towards the person?
l What barriers have you identified to the l Consider your values and ethics
person having control of their life? throughout the meeting and the impact
l Have you clarified what will be discussed that may have on how you engage with
and what will happen next? the person.
l Have you identified what the person likes
Skills and interventions to do and what they feel they are good at?
l Have you identified what is important to
l How do you demonstrate that you are the person?
listening to the person? l How are you capturing their wishes and
l What do you do to help the person feel feelings with their involvement?
comfortable?
l How do you provide information to the
person?
l What do you do to check their
understanding during the meeting and in
summarising at the end?
l How do you explore the person’s right to
make their own decisions and any support
they may need to assist them with this?

After the visit to the person and/or family – Use the following questions to critically
reflect upon the capabilities drawn upon in this situation:

Knowledge Values, ethics and personal behaviours

l Think of an example during the visit when
the Capabilities Statement informed your
approach/your response/your behaviour
Skills and interventions
l What went well/not so well AND how do
you know? (think about using the
feedback tool to provide evidence here)
l What would you do differently next time?
l How did the visit go? The positives and
strengths of the meeting and anything you
could do to improve future contact
l Reflect on your experience of using the
Capabilities Statement – was it
positive/negative?
l What feelings did you experience during
and after the visit?
l Explore the impact of your feelings on
your behaviour and decision making
l Consider your own values and the impact
on the situation

Engaging in the above will provide evidence in relation to Standard 4.6, 4.7, 4.8
Maintaining my Continuous Professional Development of the regulatory Professional
standards for social workers set by Social Work England.

11
 Reflective tool
Using the Capabilities Statements for social with adults with a learning disability
in 1:1 and group/peer supervision
Introduction
This tool has been designed to
help you use the Capabilities
Statement for adults with
learning disabilities in order to
critically reflect upon your
practice.
It can be used in one-to-one
supervision, with a peer or as
part of group supervision and in
a social care or multi-
professional team or setting.
12
Evidence of Continuous
Professional Development
Engaging with this tool and using the
questions to capture your reflections can be
used to provide evidence in relation to
Standards 4.1-4.8 Maintaining my
Continuous Professional Development of
the regulatory Professional standards for
social workers set by Social Work England.
How to use the tool
Choose one or more of the key
messages from the Capabilities
Statement for social work with
adults with learning disabilities.
These are set out below using
the three super-domains from
the Professional Capabilities
Framework as headings:
Purpose, Practice, Impact.
Consider the points and
questions below each key
message to explore and critically
reflect on your practice in the
context of the Capabilities
Statement.
The reflective tool
Purpose
Purpose: This section of the Professional
Capabilities Framework relates to why we
do what we do as social workers, our
values and ethics and how we approach
our work. It includes the domains: 2 –
Values and Ethics; 3 – Diversity and
Equality; 4 – Rights, Justice and Economic
Wellbeing.
A key message from the Capabilities
Statement for social work with adults with
learning disabilities describes purpose in
the following way:
Good social work practice occurs when
social workers skilfully combine personal
values, behaviour, knowledge, and skills to
help people achieve the outcomes that
mean the most to them.
Points and questions to aid critical reflection:
l Think of a situation from your practice
when you feel you have demonstrated
good social work practice as described in
the key message
l Describe the situation to your supervisor
or peers
l Reflect on what you did, your use of self
and the approach (s) you took, theories
and/or methods you used
l Explore your feelings in relation to the
situation
l Consider your own values and the impact
they had
l What went well from your perspective?
l What was the feedback from the person
and/or their family?
l What were the views of other
professionals/organisations?
l What were the challenges?
l What have you learnt, with particular
reference to structural inequality and
discrimination issues?
l How will this influence your practice in the
future?
Practice
Practice: The practice section describes
the knowledge, skills and critical reflection
capabilities specific to social work practice
with adults with learning disabilities. It
includes the PCF domains: 5 – Knowledge;
6 – Critical Reflection and Analysis; 7 –
Skills and Interventions. This section of the
Capabilities Statement explains the
theoretical, empirical practice knowledge
and the skills required to have a positive
impact in the lives of people with lived
experience. This part of the Capabilities
Statement particularly relates to the
Knowledge and Skills Statement for Social
Workers in Adult Services.
A key message from the Capabilities
Statement for social work with adults
with learning disabilities describes
practice in the following way:
‘(It’s about) relationship based social
work practice. Social work with people
with a learning disability differs from
generic adult social work… With people
with learning disabilities the social
worker gets much more involved in the
person’s life, dealing with the small stuff,
as well as the main issues/concerns/area
of need… mental capacity is considered
on a day by day (minute by minute)
basis… the social worker is the co-
ordinator, working in partnership with all
other professionals, families, providers
and most importantly the person
themselves.’ 
Points and questions to aid critical reflection:
l Think of a situation from your practice
working with a person with a learning
disability that reflects the social work role
as described above
l Describe the situation to your supervisor
or peers
l Reflect on what you did, your use of self
13
 and the approach (s) you took, theories
and/or methods you used
l Explore your feelings in relation to the
situation
l Consider your own values and the impact
they had
l What went well from your perspective?
l What was the feedback from the person
and/or their family?
l What were the views of other
professionals/organisations?
l What were the challenges?
l What have you learnt, with particular
reference to structural inequality and
discrimination issues?
l How will this influence your practice in the
future?
Impact
Impact: in the Professional Capabilities
Framework is about ‘How we make a
difference and how we know we make a
difference. Our ability to bring about
change through our practice, through our
leadership, through understanding our
context and through our overall
professionalism.’ It includes Domains 1 –
Professionalism; 8 – Contexts and
Organisations; 9 – Professional Leadership
Points and questions to aid critical reflection:
l Think of a situation (s) from your practice
working with a person with a learning
disability when you have demonstrated
the above
l Describe the situation to your supervisor
or peers
l Reflect on what you did, your use of self
and the approach (s) you took, theories
and/or methods you used
l Explore your feelings in relation to the
situation
l Consider your own values and the impact
they had
l What went well from your perspective?
l What was the feedback from the person
and/or their family?
l What were the views of other
professionals/organisations?
l What were the challenges?
l What have you learnt, with particular
reference to structural inequality and
discrimination issues?
l How will this influence your practice in the
future?

Key messages from the Capabilities

Statement for social work with adults with
learning disabilities describes impact in the
following way:

People with lived experience involved in co-

producing the Capabilities Statement said
social workers should demonstrate their
professionalism by being:

l Accountable: ‘[the] social worker shouldn’t

be scared to ask for guidance and support.
I think that is [an] important [value]’.
l Reflective: ‘Knowing when to say sorry
and learning from your mistakes’
l Motivated to care for them: ‘[to] navigate
difficult paths [in my life]’ and ‘make time
for me.’

14
References
Capabilities Statement social work with adults with learning disability
British Association of Social Workers, 2018,
Professional Capabilities Framework
Available: www.basw.co.uk/system/files/
resources/pcf-fan.pdf
British Association of Social Workers, 2019,
Capabilities Statement for Social Workers
Working with Adults with Learning
Disability. Available:
www.basw.co.uk/capabilities-social-work-
adults-who-have-learning-disability
British Association of Social Workers, 2019,
Continuing professional development
pathway for Social Workers Working with
Adults with Learning Disability. Available:
www.basw.co.uk/system/files/resources/CP
D%20Pathway%20Print%2013.06.19%20web
.pdf
Equality and Human Rights Commission,
2008, A Guide to the Human Rights Act, A
booklet for people with learning
disabilities. Available:
www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/defaul
t/files/human-rights-act-learning-
disabilities.pdf
Helen Sanderson Associates, Person
Centred Thinking Tools: What’s
working/not working:
http://helensandersonassociates.co.uk/pers
on-centred-practice/person-centred-
thinking-tools/whats-workingnot-working
Include me to, video to explain
communication and hospital passports:
https://includemetoo.org.uk/covid19
Justice for LB Toolkit, 2018,
Communication profile, Available:
www.advocacyfocus.org.uk/Handlers/Dow
nload.ashx?IDMF=75b96073-a869-40d2-
b23d-1119230070fb
360 Degree health care and rehabilitation
services Ltd, My Life. Available:
www.360degreeshealthcare.co.uk
National Institute for Health and Care
Excellence, 2018, People with Learning
Disabilities. Available:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/population-
groups/people-with-learning-disabilities
National Institute for Health and Care
Excellence, 2019, Person centred future
planning Quick Guide. Available:
www.nice.org.uk/Media/Default/About/NIC
E-Communities/Social-care/quick-
guides/person-centred-future-planning-
quick-guide.pdf
Oldham Council SEND Guidance: Person
Centred Planning Toolkit Available:
www.oldham.gov.uk/downloads/file/3779/s
end_guidance_person_centred_planning_t
oolkit
Reach Support for Living: A paradigm
product, 2019. Available:
https://paradigm-uk.org/wp-
content/uploads/2019/10/A-Practical-
Guide-to-The-Reach-Standards-2019-com
pressed-1.pdf
Skills for Health, Core Capabilities
Framework for Supporting People with
Learning Disabilities
www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/services/item/94
5
Social Care Institute for Excellence,
Learning Disabilities resources
www.scie.org.uk/atoz/?f_az_subject_thesa
urus_terms_s=learning+disabilities&st=atoz
The Power of Small Gestures: Emotions
and Relationships in Social Worker
Practice
www.sheffield.ac.uk/social-
sciences/study/crook-public-services-
fellowship/disability-disadvantage-cohort
15
Cite as: BASW (2020) Capabilities Statement for adults with
learning disability Implementation resources: toolkits for social
workers, organisations, people with lived experience and
educators. BASW: Birmingham.

Users are welcome to quote from this guide so long as the

source is correctly cited as above. Unattributed quotes are
forbidden under copyright protection. www.basw.co.uk