Training, Resources and Professional Learning

01Training, Resources and Professional Learning

At Nellie Supports, we provide training, events, guides and professional resources for people working across mental capacity assessments, Court of Protection, social care and care planning, NHS Continuing Healthcare, EHCP and SEND support, safeguarding and wider professional practice.

This page brings together our main learning and resource channels, including Nellie Con, Nellie on the Sofa, our Guides and Resource Directory, our latest News and Articles, and our Site Search.

Our aim is simple: to make complex areas of law, care, capacity and professional judgement easier to understand, without losing the depth, accuracy and practical value that professionals and families need.

• Nellie Con - Annual Conference
• Mental Capacity Guides

02Nellie Con

Nellie Con is the Nellie Supports socio-legal conference for professionals working with vulnerable adults, mental capacity, Court of Protection, social care, safeguarding and related practice areas.

The event brings together speakers and delegates from legal, social care, health, financial and professional practice backgrounds. It is designed for people who want practical learning, cross-sector discussion and stronger professional networks.

Nellie Con is particularly relevant for solicitors, barristers, professional deputies, attorneys, social workers, case managers, financial professionals, occupational therapists, safeguarding practitioners and organisations working with people who may require support with decision-making, care or legal processes.

03Nellie on the Sofa

Nellie on the Sofa is our free monthly webinar and podcast-style interview series. It explores key issues across health, social care, law, safeguarding, Court of Protection, SEND, CHC and wider professional practice.

Each episode is designed to make important professional conversations accessible. Ben and Kerry Slater are joined by guests from across our professional network, including solicitors, deputies, social workers, health professionals, safeguarding practitioners, advocates and specialist advisers.

The series is useful for professionals looking for CPD-friendly learning, but it is also written and delivered in a way that families, carers and referrers can follow.

04Guides and Resources

Our Guides and Resource Directory brings together practical explainers and structured resources across mental capacity, Court of Protection, social care, care funding, EHCP, SEND, professional evidence and related areas.

Use the directory when you need a clear explanation of a particular decision, assessment type, form, legal process or practice issue. The guides are designed to support better understanding before formal advice, assessment, advocacy or legal input is arranged.

The directory includes resources linked to the Mental Capacity Act 2005, COP3 assessments, capacity to manage finances, capacity to litigate, CHC funding, the CHC process, EHCP support and care assessment and planning.

05News and Articles

Our News and Articles section shares updates, commentary and practical insight from the Nellie Supports team and guest contributors.

Articles cover topics such as mental capacity, Court of Protection, social care, safeguarding, CHC, EHCP, SEND, professional standards, assessment practice and real-world issues affecting families, solicitors, deputies and care professionals.

This section is useful if you want to keep up with new content from Nellie Supports, including updates linked to The Nellie Standard, professional practice, training announcements and learning from recent webinars or events.

06Looking for something specific?

If you are looking for a particular assessment type, guide, article, legal process or support service, use our Site Search.

This can help you find resources across the whole Nellie Supports website, including service pages, guides, articles, event pages and information pages.

Common searches include COP3, mental capacity assessments, CHC appeals, EHCP appeals, care funding, court reports and professional standards.

07Who our resources are for

Our training, guides, webinars and articles are designed for a wide range of people who may need to understand complex care, legal or professional issues.

They may be useful for:

• solicitors and barristers working in Court of Protection, private client, litigation, community care, clinical negligence or education law
• professional deputies, attorneys and financial professionals supporting vulnerable clients
• social workers, case managers, AMHPs, BIAs, occupational therapists and allied health professionals
• SENCOs, SEND professionals, advocates, parents and families involved in EHCP processes
• families trying to understand care, capacity, funding, safeguarding or public service processes
• commissioners, referrers and organisations looking for training, webinars or professional input
• professionals seeking practical learning linked to mental capacity, social care, CHC, EHCP or expert assessment

08Topics we cover

Nellie Supports resources cover a broad range of practice areas, including:

• mental capacity assessments
• COP3 and Court of Protection reports
• decision-specific capacity and relevant information
• capacity to manage finances
• capacity to grant a Lasting Power of Attorney
• testamentary capacity
• statutory will capacity
• litigation capacity
• care, residence and contact decisions
• safeguarding and vulnerable adults
• NHS Continuing Healthcare
• CHC checklist and DST support
• care funding advice
• EHCP and SEND support
• Court reports and expert assessments
• professional evidence, report writing and assessment quality
• ethical, legal and practical issues in independent social work

09Why use Nellie Supports resources?

Our resources draw on mental capacity assessments, COP3 Court of Protection reports, care assessment and planning, NHS Continuing Healthcare, EHCP support and expert reports. Check each item’s jurisdiction and publication date: our MCA discussion concerns England and Wales, while the CHC and EHCP pathways described are for England. Wales has separate education, continuing healthcare and social care frameworks.

We aim to produce resources that are clear, practical and professionally grounded. The purpose is not to replace legal advice, case-specific advocacy or formal assessment. It is to help people understand the issues, ask better questions and know when further support may be needed.

For case-specific help, you can contact Nellie Supports or review our prices before making an enquiry.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the Training and Resources hub? The Training and Resources hub brings together Nellie Supports’ professional learning content, including Nellie Con, Nellie on the Sofa, the Guides and Resource Directory, News and Articles, and Site Search.
• What is Nellie Con? Nellie Con is Nellie Supports’ socio-legal conference for professionals working across mental capacity, Court of Protection, social care, safeguarding, care funding and related practice areas.
• What is Nellie on the Sofa? Nellie on the Sofa is a free monthly webinar and podcast-style interview series. It features conversations with professionals from health, social care, law, safeguarding and wider practice.
• Are the resources only for professionals?No. Some resources are written for professionals, but many are also designed to help families, attorneys, deputies, parents, carers and referrers understand complex topics in plain English.
• Do your resources replace legal advice or formal assessment?No. Our resources are for general information and professional learning. They do not replace legal advice, formal advocacy, case-specific assessment or professional decision-making.
• Can I use the guides before instructing Nellie Supports? Yes. The Guides and Resource Directory can help you understand the type of issue, decision or process involved before making a referral or enquiry.
• Can organisations ask Nellie Supports to provide training?Yes. Organisations can contact Nellie Supports to discuss training, webinars, conference input or professional learning linked to mental capacity, social care, Court of Protection, CHC, EHCP, SEND or expert assessment practice.
• Where can I find the latest Nellie Supports updates? You can read the latest updates in our News and Articles section, or use the Site Search to find a specific topic.

10Need help finding the right resource?

Whether you are looking for a guide, webinar, conference, article or service page, we can help you find the right starting point.

Use our Site Search, browse the Guides and Resource Directory, read our latest News and Articles, or contact Nellie Supports if your enquiry relates to a specific case, assessment, report or support need.

Search the website

Browse our guides

Contact Nellie Supports

11How The Nellie Standard™ Applies to Training and Conferences

This service is delivered in accordance with The Nellie Standard™, Nellie Supports’ framework for evidence-led assessment, reporting and advocacy.

For Training and Conferences, The Nellie Standard™ means learning, conference and professional development activity is designed to be useful, evidence-informed and connected to real practice rather than generic professional commentary. Training should help attendees understand the relevant framework, apply it in practice and recognise common risks, limitations or errors.

In this service, particular attention is given to professional development, shared learning, evidence-led practice, practical application and quality improvement across social care, capacity, CHC and SEND contexts. This may include translating legal, social care, safeguarding, capacity, CHC or SEND concepts into clear practice guidance, using realistic examples and helping professionals understand what good evidence and reasoning look like.

Under The Nellie Standard™, training and professional resources should be clear, structured and capable of professional use. The aim is not simply to provide information, but to improve practice quality, evidential reasoning and confidence in applying the correct test or process.

Evidence-informed practice; Correct framework first; Transparent reasoning; Supportive process; Professional development

12Our Therapeutic Assessment Approach to Training and Conferences

At Nellie Supports, assessment and support work is approached as a structured, supportive professional conversation rather than a rigid or purely clinical interview.

This reflects two core principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005: Principle 1, that a person must be assumed to have capacity unless it is established that they lack it; and Principle 2, that a person is not to be treated as unable to make a decision unless all practicable steps have been taken to help them do so without success.

Our learning sessions aim to be practical, respectful and accessible. Clear examples and time to consider questions can help participants connect a legal or care framework with their own work. A learning session is not an assessment of an individual’s capacity or an opinion on a particular case.

In this context, the approach should translate complex legal, care, capacity, CHC or SEND issues into practical learning that supports reflective and evidence-informed practice. Learning should support confidence, reflection and clearer application of legal, care, safeguarding, capacity or SEND frameworks.

The written or supporting materials serve a different function. They should be clear, structured and usable in practice, helping professionals apply evidence-led reasoning in their own work.

Use supporting materials to revisit the topic, check the primary sources and identify questions for your own supervision or professional advice. Apply the current framework for the relevant nation and situation; general training does not decide a case, funding entitlement or court outcome.