Dignity in Care

Dignity in Care

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Course Overview

Dignity in care is not a value statement on a wall or a box to tick during induction. It is what happens in the thirty seconds before a care worker starts helping someone get dressed. Whether they knock and wait, explain what they are about to do, ask how the person likes things done, and give them time to respond. It is the difference between care that makes a person feel safe and respected, and care that makes them feel like a task to be completed.

The gap between what care workers believe they are delivering and what the person receiving care is actually experiencing is one of the most important things this course addresses. Most dignity failures are not deliberate. They are the result of habit, time pressure, and a drift in practice that happens gradually and without anyone noticing. A care worker who talks to a colleague over the head of the person they are washing. A team that uses nicknames nobody asked for. Staff who rush through personal care without explanation or acknowledgement. None of these feel like serious failures from the inside. From the outside, they can feel deeply dehumanising.

This course examines dignity where it matters most: continence care, washing and dressing, eating and drinking, and the everyday communication that either affirms a person’s sense of self or quietly erodes it. Whether the person’s preferences are asked rather than assumed. Whether staff speak to the individual or around them. Whether language is warm and respectful or patronising and generic. These are not incidental aspects of care. They are the core of what care is, and they are where dignity is upheld or compromised multiple times every single day.

Dignity in Care Training gives care staff the practical tools, honest self-reflection, and genuine understanding to close that gap between intention and experience. It challenges the habits that develop over time and replaces them with an approach that is consistently, reliably person-centred.

The course aligns with CQC Regulation 10 (Dignity and Respect), Regulation 9 (Person-Centred Care), the Human Rights Act 1998, the Care Act 2014, and the Social Care Institute for Excellence dignity in care guidance. It maps directly to Care Certificate Standard 7 (Privacy and Dignity) as updated in 2025, which introduced revised criteria outcomes strengthening the expectations around person-centred communication, privacy in personal care, and the active promotion of independence and choice. Workforce values and principles are aligned with Skills for Care standards throughout.

Course Details

• Duration: Half day or full day, depending on requirements
• Delivery: In-person at your venue, or live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams
• Certificate: CPD-accredited certificate of achievement in Dignity in Care
• Refresher: Every 1 to 3 years, or sooner following CQC inspection findings related to dignity and respect, a safeguarding concern linked to care practice, or where supervision or audit identifies drift in standards
• Group size: Flexible for team training

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for anyone working in a care setting where individuals rely on others for support, including:

• Care assistants and support workers in care homes, supported living, and domiciliary care
• Senior carers and team leaders
• Residential, nursing home, and community care staff
• Staff supporting individuals with personal care needs, continence needs, or complex support requirements
• New starters completing the Care Certificate, including alignment to the updated 2025 Standard 7
• Experienced staff whose practice has never been examined through a dignity lens

No prior training is needed, and this course is as valuable for experienced staff as it is for new starters.

Why This Training Matters

Dignity is not a soft skill sitting alongside clinical competence. Under CQC Regulation 10, providers are legally required to ensure that people are treated with dignity and respect at all times. Under the Human Rights Act 1998, every person has the right to respect for their private and family life and their personal dignity. These are legal obligations, and CQC inspectors test them directly through conversations with the people receiving care and their families.

The Care Act 2014 places wellbeing at the heart of care and support, and wellbeing is inseparable from dignity. A person who does not feel respected, who is not given choice and control over how their care is delivered, or who is spoken to in a way that does not acknowledge their personhood, is not experiencing the wellbeing the Act requires services to promote.

The 2025 update to the Care Certificate strengthened Standard 7 (Privacy and Dignity) with revised criteria outcomes that raise the bar on person-centred communication, the active promotion of independence, and the protection of privacy during personal care. For organisations delivering or assessing the Care Certificate, this training reflects those updated expectations directly.

In practice, the highest-risk areas for dignity are the most personal ones. Continence care that is rushed or handled without privacy or explanation. Washing and dressing where the person’s preferences are assumed rather than asked. Mealtimes where staff are physically present but emotionally absent. Communication directed at a family member or colleague rather than at the person being supported. What makes these failures so persistent is that they rarely feel like failures to the person delivering care. The task is completed. What is missed is that the human being at the centre of that task has preferences, feelings, and a sense of self that are either acknowledged or ignored in every interaction.

Undignified care is also a safeguarding risk. The SCIE dignity in care framework is clear that persistent failure to respect dignity can constitute neglect. CQC regularly identifies dignity failures as contributing factors in safeguarding referrals and Requires Improvement ratings. Training that embeds genuine dignity in practice is a measurable protection for the people being supported and for the organisations responsible for their care.

What You Will Learn

By the end of the session, learners will be able to:

• Explain what dignity means in care and why it is a legal and regulatory requirement, not just a value
• Identify how dignity is upheld or compromised in continence care, personal care, eating and drinking, and washing and dressing
• Recognise the gap between what care workers believe they are delivering and what the person receiving care is actually experiencing
• Communicate in a genuinely person-centred way: language, tone, approach, and the habit of directing communication to the individual
• Promote privacy, choice, and independence in every care interaction in line with updated Care Certificate Standard 7
• Recognise discriminatory, infantilising, or disrespectful practice and understand why it causes harm
• Challenge undignified practice safely and professionally
• Reflect honestly on their own attitudes, habits, and communication patterns
• Understand the link between dignity, safeguarding, and their reporting responsibilities

Course Content

Content is adapted to your setting and team, but typically covers:

• What dignity is and what it is not: moving from principle to practice
• The legal and regulatory framework: Human Rights Act 1998, Care Act 2014, CQC Regulation 10, and Care Certificate Standard 7 (2025 update)
• Dignity in continence care: privacy, timeliness, explanation, and the person’s experience
• Dignity in washing and dressing: choice, routine, preference, and pacing
• Dignity in eating and drinking: presence, attention, and genuine mealtime support
• Communication and dignity: person-centred language, avoiding infantilising speech, and directing conversation to the individual
• The gap between intention and experience: how care workers can believe they are being respectful while the person in their care does not feel that way
• Equality, diversity, and inclusion: how cultural background, identity, and personal history shape what dignity means for each individual
• Recognising and challenging undignified practice: what to do when something is wrong and how to raise it appropriately
• The link between dignity and safeguarding: when dignity failures become safeguarding concerns
• Reflective practice: examining real care interactions and identifying what genuine dignity in action looks like

How the Course Is Delivered

Sessions are reflective, honest, and built around the real moments of care where dignity is most at stake. This is not a course about policies. It is a course about practice, and the discussion it generates is frequently one of the most significant conversations a care team has had together.

Delivery includes:

• Scenario-based discussion drawn from real care situations including continence care, personal care, mealtimes, and everyday communication
• Reflective exercises that ask learners to examine their own practice from the perspective of the person receiving care
• Honest exploration of how habits develop and how good intentions can still produce undignified outcomes
• Practical strategies for communication, pacing, and person-centred practice that can be applied immediately
• Space for questions and open conversation, because dignity is a topic that resonates personally for most people in a care role

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive a CPD-accredited certificate of achievement in Dignity in Care.

A refresher is recommended every 1 to 3 years, or sooner following CQC inspection findings related to dignity and respect, a safeguarding concern linked to care practice, or where supervision or audit identifies drift in standards. Many organisations align dignity training with their safeguarding and person-centred care refresher cycles. For services delivering the Care Certificate to new starters, this course directly supports evidence against updated Standard 7.

In-House and Bespoke Training

We adapt delivery to your setting, your team, and the specific dignity challenges relevant to your service.

We can build content around:

• The specific care tasks and interactions where dignity is most at risk in your setting
• Your internal policies, codes of conduct, and whistleblowing procedures
• Care Certificate Standard 7 alignment for new starter induction programmes, reflecting the 2025 updated criteria
• Services where dignity is particularly complex, such as dementia care, learning disability services, or end of life care
• Common practice patterns identified through supervision, complaints, or CQC feedback that need to be examined and addressed
• Combined delivery with Person-Centred Care, Communication in Care, or Safeguarding Adults for a joined-up programme

Course Location and Service Areas

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.

For teams in multiple locations or with remote workers, this course is available live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, with no drop in quality or interaction.

All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Every trainer holds an Enhanced DBS certificate.

FAQs

Related Courses

• Person-Centred Care
• Communication in Care
• Safeguarding Adults
• Continence Awareness and Promotion

Book or Enquire

To book Dignity in Care training or to discuss a tailored option for your organisation, please get in touch with Prima Cura Training. We’re happy to advise on delivery options, group sizes, and suitability for your service.

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.

This course is reviewed against updates from the Care Quality Commission, Skills for Care, the Social Care Institute for Excellence, and current UK legislation including the Human Rights Act 1998, the Care Act 2014, and the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Content is also reviewed against the Skills for Care Care Certificate 2025 update, specifically Standard 7 (Privacy and Dignity).

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

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