Wednesday 1st July 2026 marked an exciting milestone for the Making Positive Moves team as they launched the Making Positive Moves (MPM) toolkit. Researchers, people with lived experience, carers, and health and social care professionals came together online to celebrate the launch and learn more about the new resource.
In this blog we share more about the development of the toolkit.
Wednesday 1st July 2026 marked an exciting milestone for the Making Positive Moves team as they launched the Making Positive Moves (MPM) toolkit. Researchers, people with lived experience, carers, and health and social care professionals came together online to celebrate the launch and learn more about the new resource.
The toolkit is based on the MPM research findings and aims to help adults with learning disabilities build and strengthen the foundations they need to live their best life in their own homes after discharge from a mental health hospital.
Read more about our findings and the MPM model in our findings blog.
How was the toolkit developed?
The toolkit was co-produced through a series of workshops with stakeholders including adults with learning disabilities, family members and health and social care professionals between 2024 – 2025. The workshops played a key role in shaping the content, format and design of the toolkit, ensuring that that toolkit reflected the thoughts and ideas of the people it is intended to support.
To find out more about the co-production journey, read our previous blogs:
What happened at the Launch Event
After welcoming the 147 attendees who joined the event, Dr Annabel Head (Clinical Psychologist and Research Fellow on the MPM project) provided an overview of how the Making Positive Moves project began and the journey that led to the development of the toolkit.
Dr Helen Ellis-Caird (Clinical Psychologist and Methodology Lead on the MPM project) and Sam Prowse (Lead of the MPM Expert by Experience Consultation Group) then talked attendees through the co-production process, sharing how a series of workshops helped shape the toolkit. They discussed the aims of the workshops and explained how people with learning disabilities, family members, carers and professionals contributed to its development.
Dr Louisa Rhodes (Clinical Psychologist and Chief Investigator on the MPM project) introduced the toolkit, providing an overview of its purpose, structure and content. Attendees were shown the first section of the toolkit; the same format used throughout to help its accessibility and useability.
The event ended with an update on the next stage of the project: the team are currently piloting the toolkit within a local service to understand how it works in practice, identify areas for further development, and evaluate its impact on the lives of the people who use it.
Following the presentations, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and share their reflections on the toolkit.
Questions and Discussions
The launch event prompted some thoughtful questions and discussion about how the toolkit can be used to support people following discharge and how it might fit within existing services and support systems.
Attendees were interested in the accessibility of the toolkit, including the reasons behind the chosen format, and how people with learning disabilities can be actively involved in planning and decision-making. There were also discussions about how the toolkit could be used alongside other person-centred tools and assessments already being used across health and social care services.
Some attendees reflected on some of the challenges that people can face when moving back into the community, particularly around accessing appropriate housing and support. Family carers shared reflections on the realities of supporting someone after discharge, including the challenges of involving people in planning when they may be experiencing trauma or distress.
Our conversation also explored how the toolkit could be shared more widely with commissioners, social care leaders and service managers, and how its impact could be evaluated over time. It was encouraging to hear attendees thinking about the practical application of the toolkit and how it might support positive outcomes for people with learning disabilities in the future.
Thank You!
Thank you to everyone who attended the launch event. It was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the launch of the Making Positive Moves Toolkit and reflect on the contributions of everyone involved in its development.
Find Out More
If you were unable to join us, or would like to watch the event again, you can access the recording on our YouTube channel here: Event Recording
The toolkit is available to download in both digital and printable formats via the Making Positive Moves website, where you can also access a toolkit guidance video that provides practical support for using the toolkit.
We would love to hear your feedback if you use the toolkit. Your comments will help us continue to develop the toolkit. You can access the feedback form directly here: Toolkit Feedback Form
If you would like to share your views or hear more about this, please get in touch:
hello@makingpositivemoves.org
