Positive Risk Taking in the Care Sector
Course Overview
Our Positive Risk Taking in the Care Sector course explores how to support individuals to live as independently as possible while managing risk safely and responsibly.
Think about what it means to remove every risk from someone’s life. No cooking. No walking to the corner shop. No choosing what to eat, where to go, or how to spend their day. That’s not safety. That’s a different kind of harm.
Positive risk-taking is one of the most misunderstood areas in care. Faced with pressure from families, management and the fear of making a mistake, staff often default to restriction. It feels responsible. But when “keeping people safe” becomes “removing their choices”, care stops being person-centred and starts being something else entirely.
This course cuts through that. It gives care staff a clear, practical framework for supporting individuals to live as independently as possible, making real decisions about their own lives, while managing risk responsibly and within the law.
It draws on the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Care Act 2014 and the expectations of the Care Quality Commission, and it’s built around the kinds of decisions your team actually faces day to day.
This approach is supported by the Skills for Care guidance on working with risk, which outlines how to balance safety, independence and person-centred care in practice.
Course Details
Duration: Half day (introductory) or full day (recommended for teams supporting complex needs)
Delivery: Face-to-face, in-house or remote via Zoom/Teams
Certificate: CPD-accredited Positive Risk Taking certificate
Group size: Flexible
Who This Course Is For
This course is suitable for:
- Care assistants and support workers
- Senior carers and team leaders
- Domiciliary care staff
- Residential and nursing home staff
- Supported living staff
- Personal assistants
It’s particularly relevant for teams who:
- Support individuals to maintain independence
- Are unsure how to balance safety with choice
- Are risk-averse out of fear of getting things wrong
- Want to feel more confident in their decision-making
- Are preparing for a CQC inspection or internal audit
Why Positive Risk Training Is Important
Risk is part of life. It’s part of everyone’s life, including the people your team supports.
Walking to the shops, making a cup of tea, going out with friends, choosing what to eat: these activities carry risk. So does staying in bed all day, never leaving the house, and having every decision made for you. The difference is that we don’t always recognise the second kind as harm.
The Care Quality Commission expects providers to support people to take appropriate risks as part of delivering person-centred care. Services that are overly restrictive will be seen as just that: restrictive. Not safe. Not good. Restrictive.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 is clear that individuals have the right to make decisions others may consider unwise, as long as they have the capacity to make them. The Care Act 2014 goes further, placing wellbeing at the heart of everything: physical, mental, emotional and social. Removing someone’s ability to take risks doesn’t protect their well-being. Often, it damages it.
And under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998, people have the right to respect for their private and family life. That includes the right to make choices about how they live.
When staff don’t understand how to apply these frameworks in practice, risk avoidance fills the gap. This course changes that.
What You Will Learn
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Define positive risk-taking and explain why it matters in care
- Understand the difference between avoiding risk and managing it safely
- Apply the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in real situations
- Understand how the Care Act 2014 and Human Rights Act 1998 relate to risk and decision-making
- Involve the people they support in decisions about their own lives
- Carry out and contribute to risk assessments
- Balance ‘duty of care’ with individual rights
- Know when to escalate concerns and how to do it
- Document decisions clearly and in a way that demonstrates good practice
- Reflect honestly on their own approach to risk
Course Content
- Understanding risk in health and social care
- Positive risk-taking explained
- Risk assessment principles
- Balancing safety, choice and independence
- Mental Capacity Act 2005 and decision-making
- Care Act 2014 and the Wellbeing Principle
- Human rights and the right to make choices
- Duty of care and accountability
- Involving individuals in decisions
- Documentation and recording
- Working within policies and procedures
- Learning from incidents and near misses
- Reflective practice
How the Course Is Delivered
This course is delivered face-to-face at your workplace or chosen venue, or remotely via Zoom or Teams. Sessions include:
- Real-life scenarios from care settings
- Group discussion and problem-solving
- Practical examples linked to your environment
- Space for staff to reflect on their own approach to risk
This isn’t off-the-shelf content delivered by rote. It’s training that reflects where your team actually is and what they’re actually dealing with.
Certification & Validity
Learners receive a CPD-accredited Positive Risk Taking certificate on completion.
There’s no fixed renewal period, but refresher training is recommended to support consistency in decision-making, keep staff aligned with updated guidance, and maintain confidence over time. Many organisations build this into their annual or biennial training cycle.
In-House & Bespoke Training
All training is delivered in-house or remotely and built around your organisation.
We can:
- Align training with your risk assessment processes
- Support teams with mixed experience levels
- Focus on specific challenges within your service
- Incorporate inspection feedback or audit findings
The goal is training your team will actually use, not a tick-box exercise they’ll have forgotten by Friday.
Course Location & Service Areas
We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue, built around your needs and schedule. No sending staff off-site. No disruption to your rota.
Our experienced trainers cover Manchester and Greater Manchester, with courses delivered across the North West and throughout England, including North England, South England, London and Surrey.
Wherever the training is delivered, every session is led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors and meets the same standard.
FAQs
What is positive risk-taking in care?
It means supporting people to make real choices and live as independently as possible, while managing risk responsibly. The goal is not to eliminate risk but to understand it, assess it, and make sure the person at the centre of care is part of the conversation.
How does this relate to the Mental Capacity Act?
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 gives people the right to make decisions others may consider unwise. This course helps staff understand how to apply that in practice: when capacity needs to be assessed, what best interests decision-making looks like, and how to document it properly.
Does the Care Act 2014 apply here?
Absolutely. The Care Act places wellbeing at the heart of adult social care, and that includes emotional and social wellbeing, not just physical safety. Positive risk-taking is one of the ways that the well-being principle is put into practice.
Why is this important for CQC inspections?
The CQC expects services to support independence and choice. If your team is routinely making restrictive decisions out of habit or fear rather than evidence-based assessment, that will show up during inspection. This course gives staff the knowledge and confidence to demonstrate good practice.
Is this course suitable for new staff?
Yes. It provides a solid grounding for people new to care, and it gives more experienced staff the chance to reflect on their practice and fill any gaps. Both benefit from the course, just in different ways.
How does this training help reduce incidents?
Staff who understand how to assess risk properly are better placed to make good decisions, spot warning signs, and escalate early when something doesn’t feel right. It’s not about taking risks carelessly; it’s about taking them thoughtfully, with the individual involved, and with proper documentation behind every decision.
Can the training be adapted to our service?
Yes. We work with your policies, your documentation and the specific population you support. If there are particular challenges or incidents your team is grappling with, we can work those into the session directly.
Related Courses
- Care & Support Planning
- Person Centred Care and Planning
- Mental Capacity Act and DoLS Training
- Safeguarding Adults Training
- Key Working with Individuals
- Communication Skills in Care
Book or Enquire
If you want your team to feel genuinely confident supporting independence, not just ticking a compliance box, get in touch and we’ll put something together that works for your organisation.
Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance
At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice.
All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.
Training is regularly reviewed to reflect updates from the Care Quality Commission and legislation, including the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Care Act 2014.
You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.
Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner & Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: March 2026 Next review: March 2027
This page is for general guidance only and reflects current UK legislation and best practice at the date of review. It does not constitute legal, clinical, or regulatory advice. Positive Risk Taking Training provides awareness and practical guidance for care staff and does not replace organisational risk assessment processes, supervision, or the legal responsibilities placed on providers and individuals under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Care Act 2014, the Human Rights Act 1998, and the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Where positive risk-taking decisions involve individuals who may lack capacity, all decisions must be made in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and documented accordingly. Providers remain responsible for ensuring their risk management frameworks, care planning processes, and staff training comply with all applicable legislation and CQC expectations.
