Making It Happen for Everyone including Families! Cally Ward

1. Making It Happen for Everyone including Families!Cally Ward

2. What I am here to talk about • Valuing People Now: • what it says • what it means for families • How important the delivery plan is • How it fits into the bigger social policy picture

3. Valuing People Now Making it Happen for everyone The BIG messages!

4. Valuing People • This was the Governments plan for Learning Disability Services for the 21st Century • It was written in 2001 • It was the first plan only about people with learning disabilities for 30 years

5. So why do we need Another plan? • The government has looked at how well Valuing People is working • Some good things have happened • Stronger advocacy - more people are telling people what they want • People are working better together in many places • Person centred planning is changing some peoples lives BUT • It was not working for everyone or in every part of the country • Families, in particular, said that not enough was being done for people with complex needs

6. So what has been done about it? • In December 2007 a new paper called Valuing People Now was written and everybody had a chance to say what they thought about it • Lots of people said that they liked it but thought some parts of it needed to change • Lots of families wrote in & said they did not think change was happening fast enough & people with complex needs sometimes were ignored • The government listened to what people said and wrote this new plan

7. What is different about this plan? • It is a cross government plan that has been agreed to by leads within the following departments: - Health - Transport - Work and pensions - Children , schools and families - Home Office - Communities and local government - Office for disability issue • It has a delivery plan - that sets out roles and responsibilities for making sure actions happen by agreed times • Families are given a greater role in the delivery plan than in Valuing People and seen as key partners

8. The Big Messages People with learning disabilities should have: • The same rights and choices as everyone one else • Be treated with respect and dignity • The same chances and responsibilities as everyone else • Family carers should have the same rights to hope and choices as other families • These are the same as in Valuing People

9. A new Big Message • In 2007 the Government wrote another big report. It looked at how well people with learning disabilities are treated • They found that peoples human rights were not being respected e.g people are not always treated well or can do things other people can • Valuing People Now is based on making sure peoples get their human rights

10. Valuing People Now The strategy is split into 5 big sections • Including Everyone • Personalisation • Having a Life • People as Citizens • Making it Happen

11. Including Everyone Some people with learning disabilities miss out more than others. These include: • People with complex needs • People from different backgrounds and cultures • People with Autism • People who are in or who have been in prison or forensic services

12. Including Everyone • Valuing People now says we must do more to support them • The needs of these people must be part of all national and local plans • Supporting, involving and empowering families is a vital part of including everyone

13. VPN: Making it work for families! Families are at the heart of everything in Valuing People Now! • Personalisation • Health • Housing • Jobs • Leisure

14. People as Citizens – Advocacyand access to Justice • Valuing People Now says it is important that people with learning disabilities get the right support, information, advice and advocacy. • Everybody should be able to speak up and be heard • There will be new guidance about making easy read information very soon. • People need to know about their rights and how to complain

15. Making it happen – Workforce • There will be new training for staff who work with people with learning disabilities and other staff • Implications of personalisation

16. People as Citizens – Transport and Leisure and Keeping Safe People should be able to: • Use public transport and ordinary leisure services and feel confident to do so • Feel safe in their communities • Be protected

17. Making it Happen Some things will stay the same • The National Directors • The National Forum • Partnership Boards

18. Making it happen Some new things to help • The National Learning Disability Programme Board • National Valuing Families Forum • Regional Learning Disability Programme Boards • Extra help and guidance for Partnership Boards We also have help from the new Deputy Regional Directors of Social Care and Partnerships

19. Making it happen National Learning Disability Programme Board National Forums Regional Learning Disability Programme Board Regional Forums Local Learning Disability Partnership Boards

20. Making it Happen – Planning and Paying for Services • The challenge for commissioning • We need to get better information about how many people have a Learning disability

21. The Delivery Plan • To make sure this all happens the Government has written a plan called the delivery plan which says all the things they will do and the things they expect to be done locally. ‘ The Delivery Plan is the thing I’ll be using in my area. I can use it to make sure the Partnership Board does what it needs to do!’.

22. Together we can make this happen!

23. National Valuing Families Forum

24. Making it happen National Learning Disability Programme Board National Valuing Family Forum Regional Learning Disability Programme Board Regional Family Forums Local Learning Disability Partnership Boards Families

25. VPN: Making it work for families Priority one: • Making the Carers Strategy work for us! • Mainstreaming support in carers organisation & other services • Strengthen our networks

26. VPN: Making it work for families! Priority two: Older family carers: Get it right for John and the you get it right for us!!!!

27. VPN: Making it work for families! Priority three: People with learning disabilities who are carers!

28. “Not enough people listen. I felt I was struggling until people started to listen to me.” Maureen Hobley, Shropshire

29. VPN: Making it work for families! Priority four: Families from black and minority communities

30. VPN: Making it work for families! Priority five: Family leadership

31. The bigger picture In the end they are all a means to an end!

33. What we want to see is change in our own front room