The Challenging Behaviour Foundation

29/05/2026

31st May 2026 marks 15 years since Panorama exposed the abuse of people with learning disabilities at Winterbourne View Hospital and shone a light on the wider practice of detaining people with learning disabilities and autistic people. Our thoughts are with all those who were at Winterbourne View, their families, and the 2,105 people with learning disabilities and autistic people currently inappropriately detained in hospital, including 200 children.

In the 15 years since Panorama aired, too little has changed. Each missed target and broken promise has impacted every individual inappropriately detained; denying them their freedom, time with their loved ones, and their basic human rights. The Government must prioritise hearing from people with lived experience to develop the “roadmap for community support” promised by Minister Kinnock last year. Without skilled support in the community, dedicated to upholding human rights and ensuring good lives, nothing substantial will change.

Five years ago, family carers whose relatives experienced inappropriate detention wrote a report called Tea, Smiles and Empty Promises. Their urgent call to action then is even more vital now: “At the core of this are our loved ones – who have experienced a lifetime of stigma, and the worst side of ‘care’. For our family members, and all others whose lives have been affected, destroyed by or lost to the system – the time is now.”

You can read our full statement on our website:

Please be aware that some of the content of this statement may be upsetting. If you are a family carer and have been affected by any of the issues raised in this statement, please contact the CBF’s…

28/05/2026

“How can you not love an intervention that puts the parent and child at the centre?” clinician

Specialist mental health services are under strain. The Video Interaction Guidance- Learning Disability study wanted to find out if parents liked VIG and found it helpful and if remote therapy could help services offer support to more families.

Find out about the results of the study here:

28/05/2026

Have you caught the latest episode of our podcast Challenge Accepted - Bodies, Boundaries and Big Changes: Puberty and Sexual Expression?

Many parents tell us they just don’t know where to start when puberty begins.

At the CBF we believe everyone with a severe learning disability has a right to express their sexuality and those around them should have access to information that helps them to understand and safely support their sexual expression.

Our newest episode explores open, honest and practical conversation about puberty and sexual expression with Claire Lightly from Bodysense Education, and answers real questions from the CBF Family Carer Email Network on some of the issues you might feel least able to talk about.

Tune in here:
https://www.challengingbehaviour.org.uk/for-family-carers/challenge-accepted-podcast/

Content note: This episode discusses adult themes such as m a s t u r b a t i o n in an educational and supportive context.

27/05/2026

🏃Good luck Holly!

Holly Young is running the Macknade 10K this Sunday in support of the CBF.

If you would like to follow Holly’s journey and donate to the CBF, please click the link below to Holly’s just giving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/holly-young-2

27/05/2026

What does CB-NSG do?

The Challenging Behaviour – National Strategy Group (CB-NSG) is an action-focused group that works together, led by lived experience, to break down the barriers to enable children and adults to get the right support to have a good life.

We hold national meetings twice a year and these meetings bring people together to share good practice and identify actions that make a difference. We also have several CB-NSG subgroups, which each look at a particular issue or way of working.

Some of the things we’ve done recently:
- Campaigned for Homes not Hospitals
- Campaigned to faced at transition to adulthood
- Co-produced an action plan, setting out what needs to be done to get support right for children, young people and adults with learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges, and how to do it
- Produced resources about Housing and Transition to Adulthood
- Responded to national consultations to advocate for the rights of people with learning disabilities and their families

Want to find out more about the actions of CB-NSG?
Explore our webpage here: https://www.challengingbehaviour.org.uk/what-we-do/national-strategy-group/

26/05/2026

At the beginning of this year, The Protecting Rights; Eliminating Restraint Group (PR;ERG), led by the Challenging Behaviour Foundation (CBF), co-produced a statement highlighting the significant harm caused by the misuse of restrictive interventions on children and young people with a learning disability across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

To successfully move away from the over-reliance and misuse of restrictive practices on children and young people with learning disabilities, action is required by governments across the UK. Our joint statement sets out a range of policy recommendations, including:
- Investment in early intervention and prevention,
-Introduction of national training standards focussed on minimising the use of restraint
-Establishment of robust recording and reporting systems
-Ending the misuse of seclusion and solitary confinement through funded programmes

You can find out about the recommendations in more detail in our joint statement here:https://www.challengingbehaviour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Restrictive-Interventions-Statement-1.pdf

26/05/2026

We have two new paid internship opportunities at the Challenging Behaviour Foundation!

We are recruiting a Projects & Events Intern and a Policy & Research Intern to join our team this year.

Our internship programme has been running for over a decade, offering valuable experience to those passionate about making a difference. Interns play a crucial role in shaping positive change on behalf of people with severe learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges and their families at the CBF.

Join our friendly and dedicated team and use your talent, skills, and knowledge to contribute to meaningful change. This is a rewarding opportunity to grow professionally while improving the lives of people with severe learning disabilities and their families. Ideal candidates will have a passion for addressing inequalities and possess strong communication and organisational skills.

Deadline: Rolling application process, we recommend applying by 9am on Monday 8th June for interviews on Monday 15th (Policy & Research) and Friday 19th June (Projects & Events).

Find out more about each role and how to apply here:

https://www.challengingbehaviour.org.uk/about-us/vacancies/paid-internships/

25/05/2026

The CBF, along with the National Autistic Society and Learning Disability England, are supporting a study into the evaluation of care (education) and treatment reviews for people with learning disabilities and autistic people (CECiLiA), led by researchers at the University of Birmingham, University of East Anglia, the Tizard Centre at the University of Kent.

As part of the research, the research team are interested in the experience of those involved with, or have taken part in, C(E)TRs. If you would like to take part in the survey, please visit: https://bit.ly/42PuOdF

To find out more about the study, please visit the website: www.cecilia.org.uk
Alternatively, please email: [email protected]

22/05/2026

This week, the CBF submitted our response to the Government’s consultation on SEND reform in England.

We are grateful to the parents who completed our survey and spoke with us, providing detailed insight into their experiences and the barriers they faced in accessing support, which has helped to inform our response.

Families of individuals with severe learning disabilities whose behaviours challenge strongly opposed changes which weaken legal safeguards and accountability. Families are also concerned that Specialist Provision Packages risk failing children with severe learning disabilities whose support requirements do not fit neatly into predefined categories. Young people and their families are often failed during the transition to adult services, and urgent reform is needed to address the cliff edge in support that many encounter at this critical stage.

Key points from our consultation response are highlighted in our full statement which you can find here: https://www.challengingbehaviour.org.uk/news/the-cbfs-statement-on-send-reform/

We will continue to engage constructively with the Department for Education and Ministers on SEND reforms in the months and years ahead to advocate for children and young people with severe learning disabilities whose behaviours may challenge and their families.

If you have a relative with a severe learning disability whose behaviours may challenge and would like support, please get in touch with our Family Support Team. You can call the Family Support Service on 0300 666 0126 (We are open at the following times: Monday – Thursday: 9am – 5pm|Friday: 9am – 3pm ) or email us at [email protected].

This week, the CBF submitted our response to the Government’s consultation on SEND reform in England. We are grateful to the parents who completed our survey and spoke with us…

22/05/2026

Nominate the Challenging Behaviour Foundation to win £5,000.

Benefact Group are giving away £50,000 to charities supporting health and wellbeing.

Over 14 days, 10 charities will each receive £5,000, and with your help, the CBF could be one of them.

Please take a moment to nominate us and boost our chances!
How you can help:
✔️ Nominate the CBF (it only takes a minute)
✔️ Share this post to encourage others
The draw is open from now and closes on Sunday 24th May 2026.

Nominate us here: https://movementforgood.com/draws/special/health-wellbeing?cn=1060714&ct=health&i=1779375214-85704.jpg&utm_source=holiday+card&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=M4G2025card&utm_id=M4G2025card