Hoarding is a complex and often misunderstood condition that can significantly affect health, safety, wellbeing, and quality of life. In health, social care, housing, and community services, professionals are frequently involved where hoarding behaviour creates risks for individuals, families, or the wider community.
This free hoarding online course provides a comprehensive, evidence-based introduction to hoarding awareness for health and social care workers other roles including housing officers and homecare workers. It focuses on understanding hoarding behaviour, recognising risks, communicating compassionately, working within legal frameworks, and supporting safe, person-centred outcomes over time.
Why Take This eLearning Course?
Hoarding situations can be challenging, emotionally demanding, and slow to change. Effective responses require understanding, patience, and coordinated working rather than judgement or forced action.
This free course will help you to:
- Understand hoarding clearly: Learn how hoarding differs from clutter, collecting, and squalor.
- Recognise early signs: Identify indicators and challenge common misconceptions.
- Assess impact and risk: Understand physical, mental, social, financial, and safeguarding risks.
- Communicate compassionately: Use respectful, non-judgemental, and trauma-informed approaches.
- Work lawfully and ethically: Apply UK legislation, safeguarding duties, and confidentiality principles.
- Support long-term change: Use gradual, person-centred strategies that prioritise wellbeing and safety.
- Protect professional wellbeing: Understand supervision, reflection, and inter-agency working.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Define hoarding and differentiate it from clutter, collecting, and squalor.
- Recognise symptoms of hoarding disorder as described in DSM-5 and ICD-11.
- Identify psychological, social, environmental, and life-experience factors linked to hoarding behaviour.
- Understand the physical, emotional, social, and financial impacts of hoarding.
- Recognise safety and safeguarding risks linked to hoarding situations.
- Communicate using compassionate, non-judgemental, person-centred approaches.
- Apply trauma-informed and motivational engagement strategies.
- Understand relevant UK legislation, safeguarding responsibilities, and information-sharing requirements.
- Identify appropriate therapeutic, practical, and community-based support options.
- Recognise professional challenges and use supervision and reflection effectively.
Hoarding Awareness Training Course Outline
Module 1: What Hoarding Is
Learners will gain a clear understanding of what hoarding is and how it differs from clutter, collecting, and squalor. This module explains recognised symptoms of hoarding disorder as described in diagnostic frameworks and explores early warning signs and common myths, helping learners develop accurate and informed understanding.
Module 2: Causes and Contributing Factors
This module explores the complex psychological, social, and environmental factors that can contribute to hoarding behaviour. Learners will examine the role of anxiety, low mood, trauma, loss, isolation, and cognitive patterns, as well as how emotional attachments to possessions develop. Links with adverse life experiences and neurodiversity are also considered.
Module 3: The Impact of Hoarding
Learners will explore the wide-ranging effects of hoarding on physical health, mental wellbeing, social relationships, and finances. This module highlights key safety and safeguarding risks, including fire hazards, falls, and infestations, and examines the emotional impact on families, neighbours, and professionals working in this area.
Module 4: Supporting People Who Hoard
This module focuses on compassionate, non-judgemental approaches to supporting people who hoard. Learners will explore person-centred and trauma-informed ways of working, alongside practical strategies for gradual decluttering and wellbeing support. The importance of trust-building and maintaining motivation throughout the support process is emphasised.
Module 5: Law, Policy, and Professional Duties
Learners will gain an overview of relevant UK legislation linked to hoarding, including adult safeguarding, housing, and environmental health responsibilities. This module explains safeguarding duties, referral routes within local multi-agency protocols, and the principles of confidentiality, consent, and appropriate information sharing.
Module 6: Treatment and Recovery Options
This module explores evidence-based treatment and recovery approaches for hoarding disorder. Learners will understand the role of psychological therapies, occupational therapy, community mental health services, and peer support. The module also covers relapse prevention, long-term support, and the range of national and local services available.
Module 7: Professional Practice and Self-Care
In the final module, learners will reflect on the emotional and practical challenges faced by professionals supporting people who hoard. This module highlights the importance of supervision, reflective practice, and stress management, alongside effective inter-agency working and maintaining clear professional boundaries.
Target Audience
This course is suitable for:
- Health and social care professionals.
- Adult social care and safeguarding teams.
- Housing officers and tenancy sustainment staff.
- Community mental health and primary care staff.
- Environmental health practitioners and fire services.
- Voluntary sector workers and advocates.
- Managers overseeing complex risk cases.
- Learners preparing for frontline or coordination roles.
No prior specialist knowledge of hoarding is required. The course is designed for both new and experienced professionals.
FAQ
What does the course cover?
The course covers hoarding definitions, causes, impact, safeguarding, communication strategies, legal frameworks, treatment options, and professional practice.
Is this course relevant to UK practice?
Yes. The content is aligned with UK legislation, safeguarding guidance, and multi-agency protocols used in England.
Is the approach person-centred?
Absolutely. The course strongly emphasises compassionate, trauma-aware, and proportionate intervention.
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 provided on successful completion.
Is this course CPD accredited?
Courses are not currently CPD accredited, but accreditation is planned.
Hoarding is not a lifestyle choice—it is a complex condition requiring understanding, patience, and coordinated support. With the right knowledge and approach, professionals can reduce risk, build trust, and support safer, more sustainable outcomes.
Join this course today and strengthen your confidence in hoarding awareness and intervention within health and social care.
Hoarding Disorder Awareness Training Course CPD Accredited and Government Funding
We’re working on getting this Hoarding Disorder Awareness 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.
