Open Course: Embedding human rights legal duties in community mental health care
In March 2026, BIHR is delighted to be running a brand new 3-part online training programme for mental health workers, focused on embedding the Human Rights Act legal duties within community mental health services.
Applications for this programme are now closed. Click below to find out more about BIHR's training for public bodies or join our Practitioners Email Group to be the first to know about future open courses.
Register for updates through our Practitioners Email Group Find out about BIHR's training for public bodies
About this programme
Now is an important time to build strong foundational knowledge of the Human Rights Act. The new Mental Health Act passed into law in December 2025, introducing the legal duty to respect, protect, and fulfil human rights to independent providers of mental health after-care services, alongside public services. The law has changed and the focus is now on rights-respecting implementation, and these changes must be accompanied by rights-respecting and preventative community mental health support.
Human rights champions are needed across services to improve standards of care and lead to better experiences for people accessing, or trying to access, community mental health services, as well as their families, carers, and loved ones.
BIHR is a leading provider of human rights capacity-building support in the UK. We have decades of experience training staff across health and social care services to feel confident in their understanding of the Human Rights Act and to increase their ability and accountability to uphold people’s rights in practice.
Find out about BIHR's work on the Mental Health Bill 2024-25
Who can apply for this open course?
This online programme is aimed at public bodies and service providers delivering mental health support in the community in England and Wales. This includes staff working in NHS mental health trusts, local authority mental health teams, and independent mental health care providers (e.g. registered care homes, supported living providers, etc.)
Participants will not need to have prior knowledge of the Human Rights Act to take part. The content will be broad in order to meet the needs of a wide range of services, with opportunities for practitioners apply learning to their specialist areas. BIHR can create bespoke training courses for organisations if this is preferred – click here to find out more about BIHR’s training for public bodies.
This is not open to individuals paying for themselves. Bookings must be made by the organisation who can put forward up to 10 suitable candidate(s) – this is because we believe that to achieve meaningful practice change there needs to be a commitment to a human rights-based approach from the wider organisation.
Workshop 1
Thursday 12th March
10am - 12.30pm
Workshop 2
Thursday 19th March
10am – 12.30pm
Co-delivered with a lived experience expert!
Workshop 3
Thursday 26th March
10am – 12.30pm
What will the course cover?
This 3-part online training course will bring together staff working in community mental health services in England and Wales. Participants will:
- Learn about the Human Rights Act legal duties and relevant rights in mental health care
- Develop confidence and capacity to apply a human rights-based approach to decisions and policies in practice
- Connect with other practitioners seeking to build a culture of respect for human rights in their organisations.
Participants will receive a certificate on completion of this 3-part programme - attendance at all three workshops is required to qualify for this.
Please note that this is not training on the Mental Health Act itself. BIHR’s expertise is in the Human Rights Act and how it applies in practice, including alongside other relevant legislation.
Course Costs
The cost for the workshops will be a tiered system based on the size of your organisation. The costs per person are set out below.
|
Size of Organisation |
Cost |
|
Micro (Annual turnover under £100k) |
£240 (£80 per workshop, per person) |
|
Small (Annual turnover from £100K to £500K) |
£300 (£100 per workshop, per person) |
|
Medium (Annual turnover £500K to £1m) |
£390 (£130 per workshop, per person) |
|
Large (Annual turnover above £1m) |
£510 (£170 per workshop, per person) |
|
Public Bodies |
£450 (£150 per workshop, per person) |
Discounts:
- 10% off for block bookings (book 5 spaces and any additional spaces will get a 10% discount, up to 10 spaces per organisation.)
- 5% off for returning BIHR clients (since 2023).
*No VAT is payable on our fees. As a registered charity, BIHR is an eligible body under the VAT Act 1994, Schedule 9, Group 6 and our provision of education and training is therefore exempt from VAT.
Applications for this programme have now closed
We are no longer accepting applications from organisations to take part in this open online training programme for Spring 2026.
If you work in a mental health service and you would like to find out more about how to work with BIHR, you can find out training & support offers below. You can also sign up to our practitioners email group to stay updated on our latest news and opportunities for public officials.
Find out about BIHR's training for public bodies Join our Practitioners Email Group
Related information
Changing Mental Health Law
Our experience informed research with people involved in accessing or delivering mental health services underpins our policy work on the new draft Mental Health Act.
Changing Mental Health Law
Our experience informed research with people involved in accessing or delivering mental health services underpins our policy work on the new draft Mental Health Act.
Stay up-to-date
Get our newsletter
Get monthly updates on UK human rights law and our work, resources and events sent straight to your inbox.