Neurodiversity Training for VAWG and Sexual Violence Services
Supporting Neurodivergent Survivors: Staff Training
A significant proportion of the clients of violence against women and girls (VAWG) services and independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs) are neurodivergent — often undiagnosed and unsupported as such. This 90 minute virtual training equips frontline staff with the knowledge and practical tools to identify neurodivergent clients, understand how their experiences of trauma and violence may be shaped by their neurodivergence, and adapt their support accordingly.
Delivered by neurodivergent trainers with lived experience, this training has been specifically developed for the VAWG sector. It is not generic neurodiversity awareness — it is focused on the clients you are most likely to be missing.
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Format: Virtual, delivered with your team
- Price: £360 (no VAT) for up to 40 staff. Please contact us for pricing for higher numbers of attendees.
- Scheduling: We are UK-based and training will take place in UK time. Evening sessions are available.
Why This Matters for Your Service
Autistic women and girls, and those with ADHD and other neurodivergent profiles, are significantly overrepresented among survivors of sexual and domestic violence. They are also more likely to have experienced abuse over long periods without disclosure — partly because they may struggle to identify or name what is happening to them, and partly because services have historically not been designed with their communication and sensory needs in mind.
Without neurodiversity-aware practice, VAWG services risk inadvertently re-traumatising clients, misreading non-disclosure as consent, or losing the people most in need of support because engagement feels impossible or unsafe.
This training is not about adding another layer of complexity to already stretched teams. It is about recognising patterns you are already seeing and understanding them differently.
Key Learning Outcomes
This training will help your team:
- Recognise neurodivergent presentations in clients: Understand why autism, ADHD, and related profiles are frequently unidentified in women, and what to look for in the context of your work.
- Understand masking and its consequences: Grasp why many neurodivergent clients appear to be coping or consenting when they are not, and how masking shapes disclosure, communication, and trust.
- Adapt your practice: Develop practical strategies for adjusting communication, interview approaches, and case management to meet neurodivergent clients where they are.
- Understand the intersection of neurodivergence and trauma: Recognise how autistic and ADHD profiles can increase vulnerability to abuse, affect the ability to disclose, and complicate recovery — and how your service can respond.
- Build confidence in the team: Move from uncertainty about how to support neurodivergent clients to a clear, values-led approach that extends your existing trauma-informed practice.
