Care Certificate Standard 9 Training Course

Mental health conditions, dementia and learning disabilities can affect how people experience daily life, communicate, make decisions and engage with care and support. In health and social care, it is important to understand these differences so that care is respectful, lawful and tailored to each person’s needs.

This free Care Certificate Standard 9 online course introduces the key principles of supporting people with mental health conditions, dementia and learning disabilities in health and social care settings in England. It explains how these conditions may affect feelings, needs and daily experiences, and how positive attitudes, reasonable adjustments and lawful practice can improve care, inclusion and wellbeing.

Why Take This eLearning Course?

A good understanding of mental health, dementia and learning disabilities helps workers provide safer, more person-centred care. It supports respectful communication, early identification of unmet needs, and better decision-making in practice. It also helps workers challenge stigma, promote rights and involve people more fully in their own care.

This free course will help you to:

• Understand how someone may feel if they have a mental health condition, dementia or a learning disability.
• Recognise how these conditions may affect a person’s care and support needs.
• Understand why the causes and support needs are different for each condition.
• Explore how positive attitudes improve care and support.
• Learn about the social model of disability and how it supports inclusion and involvement.
• Recognise what adjustments may need to be made to care delivery.
• Understand how to identify and report concerns about unmet needs.
• Learn why early detection of mental health needs, dementia or learning disability is important.
• Explore how and why care and support may need to be adjusted over time.
• Understand the main legal and policy frameworks that protect rights, inclusion and equal life chances.
• Recognise how law and policy affect the daily experiences of individuals and families.
• Understand what is meant by mental capacity.
• Learn why capacity must be presumed unless there is evidence otherwise.
• Understand consent and how it can change depending on the decision.
• Recognise situations where capacity assessments may be needed and understand the role of advance statements.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• List how someone may feel if they have mental health conditions, dementia or learning disabilities.
• Explain how these conditions may influence a person’s needs in relation to the care they may require.
• Explain why it is important to understand that the causes and support needs are different.
• Explain how positive attitudes towards those with mental health conditions, dementia or learning disabilities improve the care and support they receive.
• Describe the social model of disability and how it underpins positive attitudes towards disability and involving people in their own care.
• Describe what adjustments might need to be made to the way care is provided.
• Describe how to report concerns associated with any unmet needs through agreed ways of working.
• Explain why early detection of mental health needs, dementia or learning disability is important.
• Give examples of how and why adjustments to care and support might need to be made.
• List the main requirements of legislation and policies designed to promote rights, inclusion and equal life chances.
• Explain how legislation and policies may affect the day-to-day experiences of individuals and families.
• Explain what is meant by the term capacity.
• Explain why it is important to assume someone has capacity unless there is evidence they do not.
• Explain what is meant by consent and how it can change depending on decisions.
• Describe situations where capacity assessments may be needed and explain advance statements.

Care Certificate Standard 9 Course Outline

Module 1: Understanding Experiences and Support Needs
Learners will explore how people may feel if they have mental health conditions, dementia, or learning disabilities, and how these experiences can affect the care and support they need. This module explains that people may feel confused, anxious, frightened, isolated, frustrated, disoriented, or excluded depending on their condition, personal circumstances, and the support available. Learners will examine how mental health conditions, dementia, and learning disabilities can influence communication, daily living, decision-making, and engagement with services. The module also emphasises that care planning must reflect each person’s individual abilities, preferences, and changing needs rather than relying on assumptions.

Module 2: Understanding Different Causes and Appropriate Support
This module focuses on why it is important to understand that mental health conditions, dementia, and learning disabilities have different causes and different support needs. Learners will examine how mental health conditions may be linked to social, psychological, or biological factors and may be episodic, while dementia is caused by physical changes in the brain and is usually progressive. Learning disabilities begin before adulthood and affect learning and understanding over the long term. The module explains why these differences matter in practice and how support must be tailored appropriately, whether this involves recovery-focused mental health support, dementia care that promotes wellbeing and safety, or inclusive support that helps people with learning disabilities communicate, develop skills, and take part in daily life.

Module 3: Positive Attitudes, Inclusion, and the Social Model of Disability
Learners will explore how positive attitudes towards people with mental health conditions, dementia, or learning disabilities can improve the care and support they receive. This module explains how respectful, non-judgemental, and inclusive attitudes help build trust, reduce stigma, support dignity, improve communication, and encourage independence. Learners will also examine the social model of disability and how it underpins positive attitudes by focusing on the barriers created by society rather than seeing the person as the problem. The module highlights how removing environmental, organisational, and attitudinal barriers helps promote equality, inclusion, autonomy, and active involvement in care planning and decision-making.

Module 4: Adjustments in Care and Reporting Unmet Needs
This module focuses on the adjustments that may be needed in the way care is provided to meet individual needs safely and effectively. Learners will examine how care may need to be adapted for people with mental health conditions through reassurance, predictable routines, and emotional support, for people with dementia through consistency, simplified communication, and environmental support, and for people with learning disabilities through reasonable adjustments, accessible information, and additional time. The module also explains how to recognise and report concerns associated with unmet needs through agreed ways of working, including observing changes, recording concerns accurately, following internal procedures, informing senior staff, using safeguarding processes where needed, and reviewing care plans to ensure support remains appropriate.

Module 5: Early Detection and Responsive Care
Learners will explore why early detection of mental health needs, dementia, or learning disability is important and how early recognition supports timely, person-centred care. This module explains how identifying needs early can improve wellbeing, reduce distress, support planning, maintain independence, reduce risk, and improve access to specialist services. Learners will also examine examples of how and why adjustments to care and support may need to be made once needs are identified, such as introducing flexible routines, memory aids, consistent staffing, easy-read information, or support from advocates. The module emphasises the importance of reviewing care plans regularly so that support continues to reflect the person’s changing needs and preferences.

Module 6: Legislation, Policy, Rights, and Equal Life Chances
This module focuses on the main legal and policy frameworks designed to promote rights, inclusion, and equal life chances for people with mental health conditions, dementia, or learning disabilities. Learners will examine the role of the Equality Act 2010, Human Rights Act 1998, Care Act 2014, Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act 2005, and policy guidance such as Valuing People and Valuing People Now. The module explains how these laws and policies shape day-to-day experiences by requiring services to prevent discrimination, make reasonable adjustments, promote wellbeing, involve people in decisions, and protect individuals from unsafe or restrictive practice. Learners will also consider how these frameworks affect families and carers, including involvement in planning, access to support, and clearer routes to challenge poor practice.

Module 7: Mental Capacity, Consent, and Advance Statements
In the final module, learners will explore the meaning of mental capacity, consent, and the situations in which capacity assessments may be needed. This module explains that capacity is the ability to make a specific decision at a specific time and that the law requires professionals to assume a person has capacity unless there is evidence otherwise. Learners will examine why this principle protects autonomy, prevents discrimination, promotes equality, and supports lawful practice. The module also explains what consent means, how consent must be informed and voluntary, and how it can change depending on the decision or over time. Learners will consider situations where capacity assessments may be required, such as decisions about treatment, accommodation, finances, or care, and will explore the purpose of advance statements in guiding future care if a person later loses capacity.

Target Audience

This course is suitable for:

• Health and social care workers.
• Care assistants and support workers.
• Senior carers and team leaders.
• Social care practitioners and support staff.
• Managers and supervisors.
• Anyone involved in supporting people with mental health conditions, dementia or learning disabilities.

No previous specialist knowledge is required.

FAQ

Is this course relevant to health and social care in England?

Yes. The course reflects health and social care practice in England and refers to key legislation and guidance, including the Care Act 2014, Equality Act 2010, Human Rights Act 1998, Mental Capacity Act 2005, and Mental Health Act 1983 as amended.

Does the course explain the difference between mental health conditions, dementia and learning disabilities?

Yes. It explains that these have different causes, different patterns of support need, and different implications for care and support planning.

Will this course help with person-centred care?

Yes. The course supports person-centred practice by focusing on individual feelings, needs, rights, preferences, inclusion and lawful involvement in decisions.

Does it cover capacity and consent?

Yes. It explains what capacity means, why capacity must be presumed unless there is evidence otherwise, how consent works, and when capacity assessments may be needed.

Does the course include legislation and policy?

Yes. It covers the main legal and policy frameworks that promote rights, inclusion, equal life chances and lawful care practice.

How long does the course take?

The course is self-paced and typically takes 1 hour to complete.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. A certificate is issued after successful completion.

Is the course CPD accredited?

Courses are not currently CPD accredited, but accreditation is planned.

Understanding mental health, dementia and learning disabilities helps health and social care workers provide more respectful, responsive and inclusive support. By recognising individual needs, making appropriate adjustments, promoting positive attitudes and following the law, workers can help ensure that care is safe, fair and centred around the person.

Enrol now to build your understanding of mental health, dementia and learning disabilities in care.