Meaningful activity is a vital part of high-quality care. It supports physical health, mental wellbeing, independence, identity, and quality of life for people using health and social care services. Activities are not an “extra” — they are a core part of person-centred care that helps individuals stay connected, purposeful, and valued.
This free Activities Provision Training Course is designed to support anyone involved in planning, delivering, or supporting activities in adult health and social care settings. It provides practical guidance on creating inclusive, meaningful, and safe activity programmes that reflect individual needs, preferences, abilities, and life experiences.
Why Take This Course?
People thrive when they are supported to take part in activities that matter to them. Well-planned activities can reduce isolation, improve mood, support physical movement, maintain cognitive skills, and promote dignity at every stage of life.
This free course helps learners to:
- Understand the value of meaningful activity across care settings
- Plan activities that are person-centred, inclusive, and purposeful
- Support participation for people with diverse needs and abilities
- Balance choice, safety, consent, and positive risk-taking
- Evidence the impact of activities on wellbeing and quality of life
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Explain the role and benefits of activities in health and social care
- Understand the legal, ethical, and regulatory context for activity provision
- Carry out person-centred activity assessments and planning
- Design balanced activity programmes offering choice and variety
- Adapt activities to enable inclusion and participation
- Apply health, safety, and infection prevention principles to activities
- Record, evaluate, and evidence activity outcomes
- Work effectively with families, professionals, volunteers, and community resources
Activities Provision in Health and Social Care Course Outline
Module 1: The Role and Value of Activity in Care
Learners will explore what activity provision means within adult health and social care settings. This module explains the wide-ranging benefits of meaningful activity for physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing. Learners will understand how activities support person-centred care, promote quality of life, and help individuals maintain identity, purpose, and enjoyment.
Module 2: The Legal, Regulatory and Ethical Context (UK)
This module focuses on the legal and ethical framework that underpins activity provision in regulated services. Learners will explore how activities align with person-centred care, dignity, and quality standards. The module covers consent, mental capacity, and best-interests decision-making, alongside safeguarding responsibilities, proportional risk-taking, and duty of care in activity planning.
Module 3: Person-Centred Activity Assessment and Planning
Learners will develop an understanding of how to assess individual needs and preferences to plan meaningful activities. This includes gathering life history, interests, abilities, communication needs, and cultural preferences. The module explains how to set clear, achievable activity goals, review progress, adapt plans over time, and evidence outcomes. A knowledge check is included to reinforce learning.
Module 4: Inclusive Communication to Engage People
This module explores communication approaches that support engagement and inclusion. Learners will examine different communication methods and how to adapt them for people living with dementia, learning disabilities, autism, or mental health needs. The importance of involving families, advocates, and wider support networks is also highlighted.
Module 5: Designing a Balanced Activity Programme
Learners will explore how to design varied and inclusive activity programmes. This module covers different types of activities, including physical, creative, cognitive, social, sensory, nature-based, and spiritual activities. Learners will examine how to balance group and one-to-one activities, use community-based options, and structure daily, weekly, and seasonal activity calendars that offer genuine choice and variety.
Module 6: Adapting and Enabling Participation
This module focuses on removing barriers to participation. Learners will explore environmental, sensory, and equipment adaptations, as well as grading and pacing activities to account for mobility issues, pain, fatigue, or cognitive changes. The module also covers reasonable adjustments, accessibility considerations, transport planning, and venue suitability. A knowledge check supports understanding.
Module 7: Health, Safety and Infection Prevention
Learners will examine how to manage health and safety within activity provision. This module covers dynamic risk assessment, safe practice for outings and visiting entertainers or volunteers, and infection prevention measures for group activities and shared materials. Learners will understand how to balance safety with positive risk-taking.
Module 8: Activities for Specific Populations
This module explores how activities can be tailored for different groups, including older adults, people living with dementia, individuals with learning disabilities or autism, and those with mental health needs. Learners will also examine inclusive approaches for sensory needs and end-of-life care, as well as supportive responses to distress, boredom, or behaviour that challenges.
Module 9: Recording, Evaluating and Evidencing Outcomes
Learners will explore how to record and evaluate activity provision effectively. This module covers documenting participation, mood, engagement, and feedback, as well as using simple outcome measures. Learners will understand how evaluation supports continuous improvement, demonstrates impact, and strengthens service quality.
Module 10: Working with Others and Community Resources
In the final module, learners will explore partnership working and the use of community resources. This includes collaborating with activity coordinators, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and social prescribers. Learners will also examine how to recruit, support, and thank volunteers appropriately, manage boundaries and checks, and make effective use of low-cost resources, budgets, and local assets.
Who This Course Is For
This course is suitable for:
- Activities coordinators and wellbeing leads
- Care and support workers
- Senior carers and team leaders
- Care home managers
- Health and social care staff involved in activity planning
- Volunteers supporting activities
No previous specialist training is required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this course suitable for care homes and community services?
Yes. The course applies to residential, nursing, supported living, and community-based services.
Does it focus only on group activities?
No. The course covers both group and one-to-one activities, as well as community-based and in-house options.
Is dementia-friendly activity planning included?
Yes. The course includes approaches tailored for dementia and other cognitive or sensory needs.
How long does the course take?
Most learners complete it in 1-2 hours, depending on experience and reflection time.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. A certificate is provided on completion.
When people are supported to engage in activities that reflect who they are — not just what they need — care becomes more meaningful, dignified, and effective. Good activity provision transforms everyday care into a richer, more human experience.
Enrol on the Activities Provision Training Course today
Develop the skills, confidence, and understanding to deliver meaningful activities that truly make a difference.
Activities Provision Training Course CPD Accredited and Government Funding
We’re working on getting this Activities Provision Training Course CPD accredited, and any course that’s approved will be clearly labelled as CPD accredited on the site. Not every health and social care course has to be accredited to help you meet CQC expectations – what matters is that staff are competent, confident and properly trained for their roles under Regulation 18. Our courses are built to support those requirements, and because they’re not government funded there are no eligibility checks or ID needed – you can enrol and start learning straight away.
