Assessment and Treatment Units (ATUs)

Preventing Admission to Hospital

'Meeting the Challenge' Guide 1: Understanding challenging behaviour and getting advice and support

One of the 'Meeting the Challenge' guides produced by Mencap, alongside the Challenging Behaviour Foundation. This factsheet provides information and signposting to help you understand challenging behaviour and how to go about getting support for your family member.

'Meeting the Challenge' Guide 2: What does good support look like for adults with learning disabilities who display challenging behaviour?

One of the 'Meeting the Challenge' guides produced by Mencap, alongside the Challenging Behaviour Foundation. This factsheet describes what ‘good support’ should include for people with learning disabilities whose behaviour is described as challenging. Good support will help the person lead a full, active life and help avoid challenging behaviour escalating into a crisis.

'Meeting the Challenge' Guide 3: What if it is getting difficult to support my family member at home or in their current service?

One of the 'Meeting the Challenge' guides produced by the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, alongside Mencap and Respond. This factsheet will provide you with information about what can happen when it becomes difficult to support a family member at home, or in their current service and they require more specialist assessment and support.

After Admission to Hospital

'Meeting the Challenge' Guide 4: My family member has been sent to an inpatient unit - what do I need to know?

One of the 'Meeting the Challenge' guides produced by the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, alongside Mencap and Respond. This factsheet will provide you with information that you need to know if your family member is admitted to an inpatient unit for assessment or treatment.

'Meeting the Challenge' Guide 6: How do we plan for a successful discharge for my family member?

One of the 'Meeting the Challenge' guides produced by the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, alongside Mencap and Respond. This factsheet will provide you with information about planning for a family members discharge from an inpatient unit.

When things go wrong

This section contains resources that may help you if you are worried about the care, treatment and support your family member is receiving.

'After Winterbourne' Campaign

Since the Winterbourne View abuse scandal in 2011, too many people with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges are ending up in inpatient units, where they can remain for too long, often far from their families. The Challenging Behaviour Foundation has been campaigning to make sure the Government takes action to stop abuse happening and to enable people to get the right support for their needs and move out of institutions like Winterbourne View. This page will tell you about the issue and our campaign.