Inclusive resources and signposting
The toolkit contains practical information and resources to help you address any areas you have identified for improvement.
You can browse these resources below.
Fairness informed practice
Includes a link to an easy read version.
Relationship-based approaches
Communication and relationships
Resources to help you develop your understanding of communication and relationship building skills.
These resources are hosted on NHS Education for Scotland’s learning platfrom called TURAS. If you don’t already have an account, you can register for one here: https://turasdashboard.nes.nhs.scot/
Trauma informed care
Trauma and people with learning disabilities
A collection of resources about trauma and people with learning disabilities from NHS Education for Scotland (NES).
Developing your trauma skilled practice: People with learning disabilities
An e-learning module from NES that aims to develop your understanding of what you can do in practice to support people with a learning disability who have experienced trauma.
These resources are hosted on NHS Education for Scotland’s learning platfrom called TURAS. If you don’t already have an account, you can register for one here: https://turasdashboard.nes.nhs.scot/
Essentials of Learning Disability: Trauma Informed Practice
Three e-learning modules from NES. They are called:
- Trauma informed practice: Introduction
- Trauma informed practice: Supporting people affected by trauma
- Trauma informed practice: Looking after yourself and looking after workers.
A Roadmap for Creating Trauma-Informed and Responsive Change
Guidance for organistions, systems and workforces in Scotland. The roadmap has been designed to help services and organisations identify and reflect on progress, strengths and opportunities for embedding a trauma-informed and responsive approach across policy and practice.
Anti-discriminatory Practice
A video about what reasonable adjustments are and how you can make adjustments to support people with learning disabilities more effectively.
Equality and Human Rights Commission: Video about the duty to make reasonable adjustments
An introduction to the duty to make reasonable adjustments, under the Equality Act 2010.
Equality and Human Rights Commission: Disability Discrimination
Information on the Equality Act (2010), disability discrimination, and reasonable adjustments.
Equality and Human Rights Commission: Disability Discrimination
A video about disability discrimination.
Person-centred approaches
National Disability Practitioners
What is a person-centred approach leaflet.
Helen Sanderson Associates: Person-Centered Thinking Tools
Person-centred thinking tools are a set of easy-to-use templates that are used to give structure to conversations. Using them is a practical way to capture information that feeds into person-centred planning, as well as to improve understanding, communication and relationships.
Decision-making
Supported decision-making tools
Overview of supported decision making.
A collection of practical and accessible resources to help you put supported decision-making into practice.
People First (Scotland)’s Supported Decision Making Framework
Information and advice on supported decision-making from People First (Scotland), a national advocacy service led by people with learning disabilities.
People First (Scotland) Key Message on Supported Decision-Making
This document contains key messages from members of People First (Scotland) about supported decision-making in Scotland.
The La Trobe Support for Decision Making Practice Framework Learning Resource
An online learning resources that will help you to enable the people you support to exercise choice and control in their own lives.
Helen Sanderson Associates: Person-Centered Thinking Tools
Person-centred thinking tools are a set of easy-to-use templates that are used to give structure to conversations. Using them is a practical way to capture information that feeds into person-centred planning, as well as to improve understanding, communication and relationships.
Risk enablement and safeguarding
Risk Enablement: Balancing Wellbeing and Risk - What Safeguarding Adults is all about
Practice Guidance to support professionals to achieve the balance between protection and autonomy that is right for the adult in each case.
Note that you should consider the guidance in the context of local policies, procedures and legislations such as Scots law.
Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland (DSDAS)
DSDAS allows individuals to request information about a persons history of abusive behaviour. This information can be used to prevent someone experiencing abuse in the future.
Domestic Abuse, Stalking and ‘Honour’ Based Abuse (DASH) Accessible Checklist
An accessible risk assessment to identify high risk domestic abuse, stalking and ‘honour’ based violence, decide whether to refer someone to MARAC and any other support that may be needed.
Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC)
MARAC’s are multi-agency meetings where information is shared about people who are at high risk of serious harm or murder because of domestic abuse with the aim of safeguarding them. You can find contact details for your local Marac here or access the Marac referral criteria and form here.
Legislation
Information about Power of Attorney, Guardianship and intervention orders.
Enable Communities provide information, advice and guidance about what to do when someone has a legal guardian, power of attorney or appointee.
Information Commissioners Office (ICO)
As well as operating an advice service to address general enquiries, the ICO promotes good practice in data protection by raising awareness of organisational responsibilities across all sectors.
Peer support
Scottish Recovery Network Peer Support Hub
Contains information and resources about facilitating peer support.
MIND - Developing peer support in the community: a toolkit
This toolkit:
- highlights several key decisions about how peer support might be organised
- suggests interactive activities to help you discuss issues as a group
- provides guidance on how to better understand and communicate your impact
- offers troubleshooting tips to help you overcome challenging situations.
Central Advocacy Partners (CAP) Survivors Project
This project supports learning disabled and autistic woman and girls who live in Forth Valley, who have or are experiencing domestic abuse, to have their voice heard. They offer 1-1 advocacy and group support.
Learning disability advocacy services and support
Central Advocacy Partners are an experienced organisation offering independent advocacy to learning disabled and autistic individuals including 1-1 advocacy and group support. They lead various project including the Survivors Project.
Justice services and support
Central Advocacy Partners also offer support through their Victim Support Project and 1-1 independent advocacy .
Members come together in their local area to support each other, gain skills and confidence and campaign on issues that affect them. Local People First groups meet throughout Scotland.
Values Into Action Scotland (VIAS)
VIAS offer a range of projects to empower women with learning disabilities.
Through their projects, VIAS supports women with learning disabilities sexual health, relationships, employment, finances, focused education and job coaching, as well as supporting political engagement.
Collaboration and co-production
A tool from the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD) that helps organisations do better working together (‘co-production’).
Scottish Co-production Network Co-production Guide
Information and resources about co-production.
Scottish Co-production Network
The network run events, share resources and bring together people for the annual Co-production Week Scotland.
Authentic Voice - Embedding Lived Experience in Scotland
Information and resources to help ensure that local authorities and other community planning organisations have the knowledge, confidence, and tools they need to embed survivor voice into local system and service design processes in a robust, trauma informed and meaningful way.
Co-production: what it is and how to do it
A guide about how to do co-production. The guide was co-produced with people who draw on care and support, carers, support providers and staff from the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).
What is a learning disability?
SCLD: What is a learning disability?
A video by people with learning disabilities who are challenging misconceptions about what living with a learning disability looks like.
A video by people with learning disabilities about how to create communities where people with a learning disability are included, valued, and empowered to achieve their full potential.
Treat me well - asking for reasonable adjustments
Video containing examples of reasonable adjustments you can make to ensure women with learning disabilities can get the support they need.
Evidence on gender-based violence and learning disability
Includes an easy read version.
Domestic abuse against women with learning disabilities
A video about domestic violence against women with learning disabilities, featuring Professor Michelle McCarthy, Honorary Professor in Learning Disabilities.
The Baseline Evaluation of the Implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. Easy read version
Scottish Human Rights Commission, 2023: Submission to the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) Parallel Report for the Baseline Report in Monitoring the United Kingdom December 2023. Easy read version
Includes access to an easy read version.
Zero Tolerance, 2024: It’s all about control. Men’s violence against disabled women.
Publications by Professor Michelle McCarthy, University of Kent
Publications by Dr Gillian MacIntyre, University of Strathclyde
Human rights, policy, and legislation
Human Rights
Essentials of Learning Disability and Human Rights
This short video from NHS Education for Scotland (NES) describes how the Essentials of Learning Disability resources help to promote and ensure the human rights of people with a learning disability.
Essentials of Learning Disabilities
A series of e-learning modules from NES aimed at improving quality of life for people with learning disabilities, reducing inequalities and promoting inclusion.
Essentials of Learning Disability is for health and social care professionals and everyone who has contact with people with learning disabilities.
Human Rights Town is an app that was developed by people with learning disabilites using real life scenarios to explore different rights.
The PANEL Principles - Taking a Human Rights Based Approach
This explainer video, from the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC), covers the PANEL (Participation, Accountability, Non-discrimination, Empowerment and Legality) Principles and how to use these guiding principles to take a human rights based approach.
Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Toolkit
This toolkit is a collection of practical materials aiming to help Scottish Government and the wider public sector put equality and human rights at the heart of their work.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
Includes easy read versions in a range of langauges, training guides and other resources.
Policy
Scottish Government, 2023: Equally Safe: Scotland’s Strategy for Preventing and Eradicating Violence Against Women and Girls. Easy read version
Scottish Government, 2024: Equally Safe Delivery Plan: Summer 2024 – Spring 2026. Easy read version
Scottish Government, 2023: The Independent Strategic Review of Funding and Commissioning of Violence Against Women and Girls Services. Easy read version
Legislation
The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone.
Find out more about:
- who is protected from discrimination
- the types of discrimination under the law
- what action you can take if you feel you’ve been unfairly discriminated against
Accessible Information Standard
This piece of legislation aims to ensure that people with a disability are given information they can understand, and the support they need to communicate.
Gender-based violence and learning disability resources
Don’t Put Up With It! - Domestic Violence And Women With Learning Disabilities
A video made with and for women with learning disabilities in the UK: it describes what domestic violence is and tells women how they can get help.
SCLD’s Gender-Based Violence and Learning Disability Resources Hub
Contains a range of prevention and support resources for anyone supporting women and girls with learning disabilities who have experienced, or may be at risk of, gender-based violence.
‘Own My Story’ has been co-produced with Central Advocacy Partners to support women with learning disabilities who have been affected by gender-based violence.
The resource contains a suite of interactive easy read workbooks designed to inform and empower women who have experienced gender-based violence to regain control of their lives.
Public Health Scotland: Gender-based violence and learning disability: Guidance for practitioners
The guide aims to help people working with adults with learning disabilities who have experienced, or are at risk of experiencing, gender-based violence.
It explains how to recognise gender-based violence, and how to respond in a sensitive and effective way.
A toolkit to support people with learning disabilities experiencing domestic abuse.
The toolkit features accessible information to help people with a learning disability identify and escape abusive relationships.
NHS Education for Scotland (NES): Essentials of Learning Disability
A series of e-learning modules aimed at enhancing the quality of life of people with learning disabilities by improving understanding of their needs and experiences. The modules focus on person-centred and strength-based approaches to supporting people with learning disabilities who are facing challenges.
NHS Education for Scotland (NES): Trauma
A range of resources and webinars to support trauma informed working with people with learning disabilities.
Healthy Respect: Supporting young people’s sexual health
This website contains a range of accessible resources about sexual health, relationships and abuse.
When you enter the site click ‘turn easier to understand on’ at the top of the page.
Easy read intimate Image Abuse factsheets.
Choice Support: Supported Loving
A range of guides, resources and organisations to help individuals, families and professionals support people with learning disabilities and/or autism to develop and maintain loving relationships.
Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (SARSAS) Learning Disabilities and Autism Toolkit
A free resource designed to help professionals provide trauma-informed, accessible support tailored to the needs of women with learning disabilities and/or autism.
A range of self-help guides for victim-survivors and friends and families, available in different languages and easy-read.
What is commercial sexual exploitation
Accessible resources that can be used by anyone looking to understand and/or share information about commercial sexual exploitation and where to get support.
Learning disability advocacy services and support
Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance
A national directory of independent advocacy services in Scotland.
National disabled people’s organisation of adults with a learning disability in Scotland.
Central Advocacy Partners Survivors Project
Independent advocacy for women and girls with learning disabilities and/ or autism who live in Forth Valley and have, or are, experiencing domestic abuse to have their voice heard.
A workers perspective with Central Advocacy Partners
Central Advocacy Partners (CAP): amplifying the voices of women with learning disabilities.
In this interview, CAP discuss what independent advocacy is and how it can give more control to women with learning disabilities when they are involved in selling or exchanging sex.
SCLD’s Active, Connected, Included
A set of resources to help people with learning disabilities, those who support them and people who run community activities and groups to work together an become more included in their local communities.
Specialist learning disability teams
Health and Social Care Scotland
Multi-disciplinary learning disability teams are located within health and social care partnerships in Scotland.
These teams are made up of a range of practitioners with specialist knowledge and skills in learning disability such as nurses, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and psychologists.
This website contains a directory of local health and social care partnerships in Scotland.
Accessibility training, consultancy and resources
Legislation
Accessible Information Standard
This piece of legislation aims to ensure that people with a disability are given information they can understand, and the support they need to communicate.
Free training
Disability Friendly Initiative
The Disability Friendly initiative is a free, practical programme designed to help businesses, public services, and community organisations improve accessibility and disability awareness. It includes:
- Staff training on disability equality, communication, and inclusive practice
- Tailored accessibility guidance
- Disability Friendly accreditation
- Ongoing support to help organisations continue improving
Online training programme and resources.
I am Me Scotland National Education Platform
A suite of online resources supporting the health and well-being experiences and outcomes for children and young people with disabilities.
Accessible information training and consultancy
Not Lost Anymore offers lived experience training and consultany on a wide range of topics including learning disability, gender-based violence, care experience and lifelong conditions.
Disability Equality Scotland (DES)
DES offers an easy read translation service, easy read training and inclusive communication workshops.
Values Into Action Scotland (VIAS)
VIAS supports organisations to make their services more accessible. They do this by offering consultancy work and an easy read transcription service.
People First (Scotland) are a national organisation of adults with a learning disability who offer lived experience training and consultancy.
Association for Real Change (ARC) Scotland
ARC Scotland provide a range of training including SVQs, lived experience, specialist and bespoke training.
Website accessibility
Passion 4 social supports organisations to make their website and apps more accessible. They do this by carrying out accessibility audits and offering free webinars on accessibility.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
A range of resources to help you make your website accessible to people with disabilities.
Disability Information Scotland
Disability Information Scotland provides a range of training to help ensure your online content is accessible to everyone.
Accessibility tools
Dyslexia-friendly typed content
A guide to making your typed content more accessible to dyslexic readers.
A free checker tool to ensure your colour choices meet accessibility standards.
A free tool to make any QR code accessible for people who are blind or vision impaired.
Justice services and support
Victim’s rights in Scotland: easy read leaflet
Publication for people with learning difficulties describes how victims of crime should be treated within the criminal justice system, and what information, help and support they should receive.
An appropriate adult can help victims to understand what is happening and to communicate with the Police. They cannot give legal advice.
The Police can contact an appropriate adult to help and be in the room during Police interviews.
Victim Support Scotland provides support and information to people affected by crime.
Scottish Women’s Rights Centre
SWRC provides free legal information, advice, representation and advocacy support to self-identifying women in Scotland affected by violence and abuse. Services include legal and advocacy helplines, legal advice surgeries, advocacy support and legal representation.
This leaflet provides information on how to self-refer to a Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARCS) in an easy read format. It provides information on accessing healthcare through NHS Scotland for anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted.
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS): Easy read publications
When you access the page filter publication type to ‘easy read’.
Gender-based violence support services
This leaflet provides information on how to self-refer to a Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARCS) in an easy read format. It provides information on accessing healthcare through NHS Scotland for anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted.
Communication
Communication with people with learning disabilties
This e-learning module from NHS Education for Scotland (NES):
- describes why communication plays a critical role in supporting people with learning disabilities
- identifies a range of communication tools and methods to support better communication with people with learning disabilities.
Foundation Communication Inclusion Toolkit
Includes step-by-step guides and practical tools to make communication between people and services more inclusive.
Communication and relationships
Resources to help you develop your understanding of communication and relationship building skills.
Helen Sanderson Associates: Person-Centered Thinking Tools
Person-centred thinking tools are a set of easy-to-use templates that are used to give structure to conversations. Using them is a practical way to capture information that feeds into person-centred planning, as well as to improve understanding, communication and relationships.
Accessible Information Standard
This piece of legislation aims to ensure that people with a disability are given information they can understand, and the support they need to communicate.
Communication: speaking to people with a learning disability
A video about communicating with people with learning disabilities.
Communicating with people with a learning disabilities
A guide about how to communicate with people with learning disabilities.
Scotland’s Inclusive Communication Hub
Tools and guidance on how to make your communications accessible to people with disabilities.
Talking Mats are a communication system that uses symbols and other images to communicate with people with learning disabilities.
Scotland’s national British Sign Language video interpreting service offering free unlimited calls for all BSL users living in Scotland.
Improvement planning
Service change and improvement
A toolkit to help you to make changes or improvements to a service. Includes a step by step guide, a starter pack, tools and resources, training and support.
An impact effort matrix is a simple yet powerful tool that can help teams prioritise tasks or ideas in relation to how much impact they will have once complete and how much effort they will take to complete.
In scenarios where time and resources are limited, an impact effort matrix can help teams prioritise tasks and find the most efficient path towards achieving overall goals.
Asset-based approaches
Asset-based approaches for integrated care
Includes guidance, practice examples, evaluation tools and research.
Evidence for strengths and asset-based outcomes
A quick guide for social workers.
Evaluation pathways, approaches, guides and stories.
How to evaluate asset-based approaches in an asset-based way
Sets out 10 principles to think about when evaluating asset-based approaches.
It is mostly written for people in third sector, or community groups, who want to use evaluation to improve their practice and report to others. It may also be of interest to funders and policy-makers.
Asset-based approaches in practice: the Scottish experience
Image banks
Information about sexual health and relationships for over 13’s.
*Note the ‘Turn Easier to Understand On’ tab at the top of the page. Clicking on this tab will give you access to a range of accessible images.
SWIRL - Sexual Wellbeing Image Resource Library Scotland
SWIRL is a tool for professionals to support the development of accessible sexual health and wellbeing information. The images are free to use for educational purposes.
Supported Loving - easy read leaflets, images and picture banks
A list of useful resources for people with learning disabilities and/or autism.
Zero Tolerance - stock images of violence against women and girls
A bank of free trauma informed stock images of violence against women and girls.
Just credit images with a small copyright notice acknowledging the original work’s authorship, as is typical for rights - managed stock photography - © Laura Dodsworth.
Symbols, photos and graphics with images both in box and also out of the box ready for you to download on demand.
High-contrast pictograms designed to support communication.
Relationships Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) education and training
Relationships Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) - Complex Additional Support Needs (ASN)
A national RSHP resource that supports work with learners with complex additional support needs.
The content in thematic units is intended for educators, parents and carers providing Relationship, Sexual Health and Parenthood education for learners with complex additional support needs.
NHS Forth Valley’s Sexual Health Service.
Useful resources and links for use by a range of professionals working with people with additional support needs and/or learning disabilities.
Love and Sex: Education with Empowerment
Love & Sex is a series of workshops and training courses on sexuality, consent, sex and relationships.
Delivered throughout Scotland by Dates-n-Mates and co-led by people with a learning disability.
Pillow Talk - Sex Ed for Grown Ups - Resources
A series of accessible resources on sex, relationships and sexual health, based on real questions from disabled adults who took part in Pillow Talk’s online Sex Ed for Grown Ups course.
Pillow Talk - Sex and relationships course for disabled adults in Scotland
An online, disabled-led programme of sex and relationships education for disabled adults across Scotland.
Talk Relationships: delivering sex and relationships education training
NSPCC online training to support secondary school teachers to deliver inclusive sex and relationships education.
Advice for parents and carers on how to talk to your child about relationships, sex and consent.
The NSPCC’s Speak out Stay safe is a safeguarding programme that aims to equip a children with the knowledge they need to stay safe from abuse and neglect.
It provides resources for primary schools, home educators and practitioners in alternative provisions to help children aged 5 to 11 years understand:
- abuse in all its forms and how to recognise the signs of abuse
- that abuse is never a child’s fault and they have the right to be safe
- where to get help and the sources of help available to them, including Childline.
Speak out Stay safe: SEND/ASN/ALN is for schools in the UK and Channel Islands working with children who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), additional support needs (ASN) and additional learning needs (ALN).
The materials are intended for children:
- who have moderate learning disabilities, autism spectrum conditions or other additional learning needs
- aged 9 to 11 but can be used with older pupils at teachers’ discretion.
A range of guides, videos and other resources for parents and carers, including Makaton resources, guides for people with a disability and guides for children with autism.
Harmful behaviour
A safe space for teenagers who are worried about sexual thoughts or behaviour.
Shore has anonymous advice and support to help you or someone you know manage worrying thoughts and learn more about living safely both online and offline. All our services are anonymous, which means you don’t have to say who you are.
With a focus on early detection, prevention, and systemic change, the Prevention Collective work across a range of sectors providing bespoke support and intervention programmes including:
- supporting individuals who are on the trajectory of instigating sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and require a robust and timely intervention to prevent their pathway into causing harm.
- supporting professional awareness and knowledge exchange alongside providing learning and upskilling programmes for parents, carers and guardians.
Respect focuses on perpetrators of domestic abuse. This includes work with young people who cause harm. Alongside this work, Respect deliver support to male victims of domestic abuse.
Interventions support perpetrators in the early stages of abuse, and those using high harm behaviours, recognising that a range of interventions are needed to meet the needs of perpetrators.
