Training Courses and Assessment Services 

Neurodiversity in Job Retention/IPS/Employment Services
Supporting Clients with Neurodiverse Conditions to Access and Retain Work

• 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th June 2025 (4 mornings online, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs) from 09:30-12:45.
  £200-00 (no VAT to pay) - Now Booking! 

• Please note that this training is also available as a bespoke 2 Day face to face training for any organisation wanting to run it for their own team - please contact us to discuss further.

“This has massively increased my understanding of the challenges people face - exploring reasonable adjustments was a real eye opener”.

It is estimated that about 20% of the workforce is neurodivergent, a number which is rising rapidly as more and more adults are being diagnosed later in life. Conversations within the different job retention networks suggest that an ever increasing number of our clients and also members of our network are seeking help with their neurodiversity.  Are you equipped to deal with those requests? Do you want to foster confidence, empathy and appreciation for our neurodivergent colleagues and clients?

This training is intended to help you to understand what being neurodivergent may mean for your client, both in terms of the associated barriers and challenges faced in the workplace, and the unique skillset they may also bring.  We will consider what reasonable adjustments may look like, and how to empower the employer to design their business to be neurodiverse friendly.

Course Content:

• What is neurodiversity? Which conditions are included? What are the different presentations of each diagnosis? What does co-occurrence mean for your client?
• What is your role as an employment advisor in regard to your neurodivergent clients? How far does this extend and how do you work with other members of the MDT to the best advantage of your client?
• How do you support the employer to make reasonable adjustments and your client to work out what these need to be?
• How do you empower the employer to consider their business environment and how they may redesign this with neurodiversity in mind?
• Job Retention Case studies

This training is for Employment Specialists and Employment Advisors working in IPS, Talking Therapies or any other context of delivery of Job Retention. 

When Work Relationships Break Down

This programme is for team leaders and managers

• Course Dates to be scheduled later this year.

• If you are interested in attending this course please contact Ruth Shakespeare directly (ruth.shakespeare@yahoo.com) to register interest and be placed on the delegate list. 

• £120 (no VAT to pay) 2 x half days

Conflict at work is damaging. Damaging to the health and wellbeing of those involved, and to productivity and finance. ACAS commissioned a study into the costs of conflict in the UK workplace and found that

“In total, the cost of conflict to UK organisations was £28.5 billion – the equivalent of more than £1,000 for each employee. Close to 10 million people experienced conflict at work. Of these, over half suffer stress, anxiety or depression as a result; just under 900,000 took time off work; nearly half a million resigned, and more than 300,000 employees were dismissed.”

 Estimating the costs of workplace conflict. Professor Richard Saundry of the University of Sheffield Management School and Professor Peter Urwin of the Centre for Employment Research, University of Westminster. Published in May 21

Preventing conflict from occurring within the workplace would of course be the ideal, but that’s unlikely to ever be entirely achieved. We know that early intervention in conflict is essential however, to prevent conflict escalating into litigation, and for the good of all those involved.

This one day programme (delivered online over 2 half days) aims:

·        To enable you to look at the causes of conflict within the workplace so that these can be avoided where possible.

·        To consider what constitutes ‘bullying’ in the workplace.

·        To look at the human consequences of conflict.

·        To know how to intervene early and what these interventions are.

·        To understand the principles of mediation and when this is appropriate.

·        To consider how we look after those involved in conflict, including those suspended pending investigation.

Empowering Your Team Through Organisational Change

This programme is for team leaders and managers.

• New course dates to be announced for later in the year. 

• If you are interested in attending this course please contact Ruth Shakespeare directly (ruth.shakespeare@yahoo.com) to register interest and be placed on the delegate list. 

•  £120 (no VAT to pay) 2 x half days

Being tasked with navigating our teams through organisational changes can be really challenging. We are simultaneously processing what the potential impact of these will be for our lives,  and what this will mean for our teams and our service users.  If we have not been part of the decision making around the changes proposed, or the way in which they are to be implemented, or we are not fully committed to them, making the upheaval of a change process appealing to our team is really tough! This programme is intended to give you the space to work out the best way of empowering both yourselves, and those who work in your teams, to be prepared for and get the best out of an organisational change process (whether you’ve chosen it or not!)

This one day programme (delivered online over 2 half days) aims:

·        To allow you to gain a greater understanding of the human impact of change and the range of responses you may witness in your team.

·        To facilitate an exploration of your own processes -: increasing your self awareness and understanding of your strengths, limitations and emotional triggers around change.

·        To give you the opportunity to plan effectively for the coming changes, being aware of the potential difficulties which may arise.

·        To provide an opportunity to consider different strategies to empower your team.

·        To help create a cohesive, participative and supportive team working climate through the programme, making links with other supportive peers from different organisations.

·        To help you to express your own needs, feelings and ideas openly and encourage others to do likewise.

Employment Accessibility Training