Welcome to the April 2026 policy updates. Please note policies are rapidly changing to a new format. Quality Statements are evidenced clearly at the start of the policy, and a detailed Procedures section has been clearly separated out in the policies. For structured details on these policy updates, please see this>
Behaviours That Challenge and Positive Behaviour Support Policy – Residential Services
Change Classification: MAJOR
This is a comprehensive restructure of the Behaviours That Challenge and Positive Behaviour Support Policy for residential services in England. The new version replaces the previous edition with a fully reorganised document that separates policy detail from operational procedures, adds numbered sections throughout, introduces a dedicated procedures section with defined timescales and named responsibilities, and restructures references into categorised subsections. The update expands regulation references from numbers alone to include descriptive summaries, adds Regulation 18 (Staffing), presents CQC quality statements in full with policy mapping, and introduces a new personalised field. Terminology has been updated and a cross-reference list to related organisational policies has been added.
Catheter Care Policy
Change Classification: MAJOR
This is a comprehensive restructure of the Catheter Care Policy. The new version replaces the previous edition with a fully reorganised document that separates policy detail from operational procedures, adds new content on catheter waste disposal with setting-specific requirements, introduces structured role-based responsibilities, and extends the scope to cover both residential and community-based services within a single policy. The update restructures the regulatory header to include explanatory descriptions and presents CQC quality statements with full quoted text. Terminology has been standardised from "service users" to "people we support" throughout.
Training and Development Policy
Change Classification: MAJOR
This is a comprehensive restructure of the Training and Development Policy for England. The new version replaces the previous edition with a fully reorganised document that separates policy detail from operational procedures, introduces numbered sections throughout, and adds a complete Procedures section (Section 6) containing seven step-by-step procedures not present in the previous version. The update expands coverage of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training to reflect the Code of Practice commencing 6 September 2025, updates the Care Certificate from 15 to 16 standards following the addition of Standard 16 on learning disability and autism, expands the specialist training section, and restructures the References and Further Reading section into categorised subsections. CQC quality statements are now presented in full with policy mapping in Section 1, replacing the deferred approach in the previous version. Terminology has been updated from "service users" to "people we support" in key areas.