Most vulnerability training ticks the compliance box.

It doesn't change what happens in the conversation.

Vulnerability and Inclusive Design

Supporting vulnerable customers in Financial Services.

October 1st 2026

London, UK: 13:30 – 20:00

An in-person event with expert panelists and practical takeaways.

The FCA’s 2025 review identified a persistent gap between completing vulnerability training and recognising vulnerability in real interactions. This event is about that gap.

THE PROBLEM

Why are firms still struggling with vulnerability?

Vulnerability frameworks are well established. Consumer Duty has sharpened the focus further. Yet the FCA’s 2025 review found the same failure patterns repeating across firms of all sizes.

The core issue is about what happens in the moment: when a customer’s circumstances are ambiguous, when they don’t volunteer information, when a colleague has to decide in real time how to respond.

This is a judgement problem.

And e-learning modules do not build judgement.

44%

of vulnerable customers reported a negative experience — compared to 33% of others

42%

of vulnerable customers disclosed their circumstances to a firm — most did not

25%

were uncomfortable disclosing at all — the conversation has to earn it

Source: FCA Consumer Research.
Published with the March 2025 Vulnerable Customer Review

THE TAKEAWAYS

Concrete insights to take back to your organisation

Our event is a half-day conference for people who want to go beyond existing approaches to supporting vulnerable customers.

1 An honest assessment

of the challenges presented by vulnerability training.

2 FIrst-hand experience

from lived experts about unseen barriers created by many financial products.

3 A cross-sector perspective

to show what good looks like in Financial Services and beyond.

4 A clear picture

of the benefits of inclusive design in financial products.

EXPERT PANEL

Who's in the room?

The panel brings together practitioners with direct experience of designing, implementing and auditing vulnerable customer programmes in financial services. Panellists will be confirmed shortly.

Faith Reynolds

Devon Fields Consulting

Vanessa Barnes

Women’s Wealth Alliance

Helen Pettifer

Helen Pettifer Training

Andy Harrison

Fidelity

Michael Hilton

Three Hands Insight

Carl Lyon

Fellowship of Responsible Business

Helen Bellamy

Quilter

Jaypee Soule

PensionBee

Carolyn Delehanty

Delehanty Consulting

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Is this for you?

You'll find it useful if you...

Lead or commission training for customer-facing teams.
Have responsibility for Consumer Duty or conduct risk.
Work in product, proposition, distribution or digital and want to understand how training affects your customer outcomes.
Are trying to make the case internally for a different approach to training.
Want to understand what good looks like – before the regulator tells you what it doesn’t.

This event is not...

A briefing on the FCA’s vulnerable customer rules.
A sales presentation for a training product. Ding facilitates the session. We don’t present ourselves as vulnerability experts, we design the conditions for honest, productive conversation. The expertise comes from the panellists and from the room.
An event exclusively for L&D or compliance professionals.
Suitable for customer-facing staff looking for guidance on individual cases.

RESERVE YOUR PLACE

Register your interest for the event

You’ll receive a free copy of our white paper which:

Explains how the regulator’s expectations have moved.

Demonstrates how scenario-based training turns abstract policy into rehearsed, repeatable behaviour.

Provides evidence for shifting your training focus away from completion
and towards genuine capability.

Register your interest

Privacy Policy

Frequently asked questions

We often get asked questions about what we do.

"Is this just a sales pitch for Ding's training products?"

No. The event is structured around a panel discussion and facilitated conversation, not a product demonstration. Ding’s role is to facilitate — we don’t present ourselves as vulnerability subject-matter experts. If you want to find out more about working with Ding after the event, that conversation is available, but it isn’t on the agenda.

"Do I need a background in L&D or compliance to attend?"

No. The event is designed for anyone with responsibility for outcomes in this area — whether that’s training design, conduct risk, product, distribution or customer proposition. The conversation is structured to be useful across functions, not just specialist roles.

"We've already updated our training since Consumer Duty. Is this still relevant?"

Possibly more so. The FCA’s 2025 review focused specifically on firms that had updated their policies and training — and still found gaps in operational capability. The question the event addresses is not whether your firm has the right framework, but whether your people can use it when it matters.

"What is scenario-based learning, and how is it different from what we already do?"

Most vulnerability training develops policy recall — staff can describe the four FCA drivers, name the relevant protocols, and complete an assessment. Scenario-based learning is designed to develop judgement — the ability to notice ambiguous cues, handle a disclosure well, and adapt when a conversation doesn’t go to script. At some point during the event, attendees will experience a short scenario-based activity, so you’ll be able to see the difference rather than just hear about it.

"Our training already uses TEXAS/BRUCE protocols. Doesn't that cover it?"

Structured protocols are a useful foundation — but they’re a starting point, not a destination. The FCA has been explicit that it does not want to see rigidly scripted responses. Protocols tell staff what to ask; scenario-based practice builds the confidence to ask it well, in the right moment, in a real conversation rather than a training exercise.

"What's the format on the day — how long, how many people?"

It’s a small-group session — deliberately kept to a size where real conversation is possible. The format is a facilitated panel discussion, followed by structured group activity, followed by open Q&A. Full logistics will be confirmed on registration. Broad shape: half a day.

"What is the diagnostic, and how long does it take?"

The diagnostic is a short self-assessment covering four areas where vulnerable customer training most commonly falls short. It takes around five minutes to complete. Results are scored and returned immediately, along with a copy of our white paper. You don’t need to be attending the event to use it.

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“Working with the Ding team was such a pleasure… they made our content so much more relevant and engaging. We’ve had great feedback from both learners and coaches.”

Christine Doonan

Learning Designer, Multiverse