Courses & events for social care professionals

Further details are available below or, to quickly navigate to a specific training option, please use the following links:

Live courses

Our live courses are delivered either in-person or online via Zoom (we can also deliver training for organisations via Microsoft Teams if preferred), by our training facilitators who have valuable lived experience of PDA as professionals, PDAers themselves, parents, carers, partners and family members. 

Our CPD accredited courses are marked with the ‘CPD certified’ logo.

Each course we offer includes the following general content:

• what is PDA?
• demands and their effects
• how PDA can feel
• helpful approaches (including collaborative problem solving)
• signposting to resources & support

These themes are then developed with additional material included depending upon the course – detailed below.

Please note: any legislation/diagnostic approaches discussed are related to England unless stated otherwise. Social worker programmes are also available covering the Welsh education system, please ask for details.

If you aren’t sure which course is the right one for you, have any questions about any of our courses or would like to enquire about costings or making a booking on behalf of an organisation, please email* our training team at: training@pdasociety.org.uk

Courses we’re currently offering for social care professionals include:

Working with & supporting PDA children (social workers)

CPD accredited courses

5.5-6 hour programmes (delivered in-person on one day or online via 2 sessions)

Suitable for those working with children up to age 18 years.

Additional material: anxiety, rewards/praise/sanctions, siblings, diagnosis, transition to adulthood, and education.

Please email training@pdasociety.org.uk to make a booking enquiry.

Working with & supporting PDA children (social care and residential settings)

4-5 hour programmes

Suitable for those working within residential settings, social care or anyone employed directly by a family as a support worker/PA.

Additional material: good support, what helps, individual needs, self-help ideas.

Please email training@pdasociety.org.uk to make a booking enquiry.

Working with & supporting PDA adults (social care and residential settings)

CPD accredited courses

4-5 hour programmes

Suitable for those working within residential settings, social care or anyone employed directly by a family as a support worker/PA.

Additional material: good support, what helps, individual needs, self-help ideas.

Please email training@pdasociety.org.uk to make a booking enquiry.

Tickets for upcoming public course dates are available below.

You may also be interested in…

What is PDA?

2.5-3 hour programmes

Introductory session discussing PDA, including an opportunity to ask questions to a PDA Adult.

Please email training@pdasociety.org.uk to make a booking enquiry.

Tickets for upcoming public course dates are available below.

Working with & supporting PDA young people & adults

CPD accredited courses

3.5-4 hour programmes

Suitable for all professionals supporting PDA young people and adults.

Additional material: teenagers & adults; distressed behaviours; individual needs; inclusive support

Please email training@pdasociety.org.uk to make a booking enquiry.

Tickets for upcoming public course dates are available below.

Q&A Live events

Our online Q&A Live sessions invite guest speakers to answer questions about PDA and specific topics live via Zoom (a recording for ticket holders is also included – available for 30 days).

Questions can be submitted at the time of booking and/or via the Zoom chat function on the night.

It may not be possible to answer all questions depending on the numbers attending and the amount of questions asked. Also it won’t be possible to answer specific questions on personal situations within these Q&A sessions – if you require support please contact our enquiry line.

Full details and tickets for our upcoming Q&A Live events which may be of interest to social care professionals are detailed below. 

Q&A recordings

Replays of our past Q&A sessions, where guest speakers answer questions about PDA and specific topics, which may be of interest to social care professionals are available to purchase for 30 days by clicking or tapping on the images below.

Already purchased a Q&A recording? Please sign-in to the PDA Society training hub (using the same log-in method used to make the purchase) to access the recording via your dashboard. For further information about using the PDA Society training hub, please refer to our user guide.

FREE webinars

The following pre-recoded webinars, videos and podcasts which may be of interest to social care professionals are free to watch by clicking or tapping on the images below.