“Having a Life and Being a Citizen”

1. “Having a Life and Being a Citizen” Presentation to the Learning Disability Partnership Board (LDPB) on 29th April 2010 Sarah Cunningham Mel Tollervey

2. LDPB Plan 2009 Introduction Last year, the Partnership Board wrote a plan. The plan set some pieces of work to happen in 2009 about “Having a Life and Being a Citizen”

3. 1. The plan asked for people with a learning disability and family carers to be involved in decisions about how services will change. They are involved in the following ways: • 7 People with a learning disability and 3 family carers are members of the LDPB. They help write plans and make decisions • The LDPB have 7 work groups. All of the work groups involve people with a learning disability and most also include family carers in making the plans happen. The work groups are: • A Place to Live • Employment • One Health • Person Centred Planning • Communication • Keeping Safe • Relationships • Transitions Health]

4. The Council arranged a series of Market Place Events where people with a learning disability and family carers were involved with telling service providers what they wanted to do with their time and how they wanted to spend their personal budgets. • The Council organised a two day event for people who told us they wanted to get paid work. • Both the Council and the Primary Care Trust have involved family carers and people with learning disabilities in planning change for the services they receive. • Family Carers took part in a Leadership Course about ‘Sharing the Knowledge’ run by Partners in Policy Making. 15 carers completed the course.

5. There are many more things people with learning disabilities and family carers have been involved in... We may not have time to tell you about them all today. Family carers and people with learning disabilities who want to be involved in Monitoring Support Services, are receiving training to help them do this. People with learning disabilities are also having training so that they can be involved in commissioning for new service providers. Following the new Autism Bill 2009 & the new plan, Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives 2010, people with Autism will be involved and will work alongside partners to develop and improve systems and supports to people with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

6. Continued.... People on the LDPB were involved in the County Council Budget consultation. They sent in comments about how the council should spend the budget next year and some changes to the budget have taken place. A Steering Group was set up to make sure that the Developing Community Lives Plan, was ready for consultation. It’s members included representatives from the LDPB and Advocacy Groups representing parents and carers and people with learning disabilities. Family carers on the LDPB, have reported that they feel confident to challenge and feel that they and people with learning disabilities have achieved real change in certain areas including: A Joint Health & Council Common Assessment Form and The County Council’s Medication Policy.

7. 2. Local public services will make sure that people know their rights and how to complain. Good progress has been made in making sure people know how to complain to public services. The Primary Care Trust and the County Council now have a single step process which means that they all work together with complaints. This has been led by the Department of Health. Other partners including the Police and Borough Councils are also talking to each other and are keen to make sure that people can complain more easily. More work will be done on this during 2010.

8. Complaints received.... The complaints received by the County Council during 2009-2010 within learning disability services were 40 in total. They were as follows: 20 in Care Management 5 in Short Term Breaks and Residential Care 15 in Day Opportunities The types of complaints were about transport, standards of personal care, problems with Self Directed Support and care agencies.

9. Compliments received During 2009-2010, the County Council received 43 compliments within learning disability services. They were as follows: 32 in day services 6 in short breaks and 5 in 24 hrs supported living. The types of compliments were about reliable services, enjoyable activities, good support offered during transitions and good quality care and support provided by staff.

10. Group Work 20 minutes We know that more work needs to be done to support people with a learning disability to be able to make a complaint and to give a compliment. The Customer Service Team (where complaints and compliments are sent to) are keen to help with this. Question 1 How can the Learning Disability Partnership Board and the Customer Service Team work closer together? Question 2 What type of support do people need to make a complaint or to give a compliment? Question 3 How can we help people to feel confident about making a complaint or giving a compliment? For example, One complaint form for all services which is more accessible for people with learning disabilities. Write your ideas on a post-it.

11. 3. A campaign to raise everybody’s awareness about transport and concessionary travel The LDPB invited a representative from the County Council’s Transport Department to attend a Board meeting in 2008. He listened to questions heard concerns about the unfairness of free transport provision across the county. Further talking took place with all the Borough Councils and letters have been sent but sadly it was decided that free travel before 9.30am in some areas of the county was too expensive to provide. County Council day services supported over 300 people with learning disabilities to have their own free bus passes and these are used regularly for people to travel in their local communities.

12. 4. District Council Leisure Teams will be more aware of the needs of people with a learning disability in their area • All of the Leisure Centres in Northampton, now hold the Inclusive Initiative Award. This means that they have good access to both their buildings and the gym equipment they provide. • They also provide information and support to people with disabilities to help them use special equipment and resources. This helps people to feel more included. • Many leisure centres have their own disability groups who advise staff teams about disability issues important to them. • Some of the swimming pools and leisure centres have now been approved as providers for the Paralympics sports as well as the Olympics in 2012.

13. 5. More accessible Changing Places will be planned and in use in Northamptonshire During 2009 Changing Places were opened in the following areas: Corby - 2 in the new Olympic size swimming pool Kettering - 1 in The Shop in Kettering town centre 1 in Tresham College Wellingborough - 1 in Redwell Leisure Centre 1 in Waendell Leisure Centre 1 in Harrowden Road Rushden - 1 additional in Ashgrove Resource Centre Northampton - 1 in the new Sessions House Visitors Centre 1 in Allen Road which is currently being installed 1 in Moulton College

14. Changing Places planned for 2010 -2011 We have been talking to the people who manage the following places and we hope that they all be able to have a Changing Place, but we will have to wait and see. Daventry - 2 in Daventry Leisure Centre - 1 in the new build Library - 1 in Danetre Hospital Towcester - 1 in Leisure Centre Brackley - 1 in Community Resource/Health Centre Irchester - 1 in Irchester Country Park - 1 in new build Outpatients Centre Northampton - 1 in Brixworth Country Park - 1 in Royal & Derngate Theatre - 1 Northampton General Hospital

15. Group Work 20 minutes Over 34,000 people can benefit from using changes places in the community including people who have Dementia, Physical Disabilities and older people. We think in 2010 it will be a good idea to set up a User Group to monitor the access and use of the Changing Places across the county. 1. Do you think this is a good idea? 2. Should there be one User Group for the County? 3. Should there be a User Group in each locality? Who do you think could be part of this group and why? Please write this on the paper provided. Use Dot voting

16. 6. Training about Relationships will be organised and support in this area will be reviewed RULES On the 23rd February, a group met to discuss Relationships. Many people came to the meeting. They were people with learning disabilities, family carers, staff from voluntary and other services and service providers. There is a lot of work to do on Relationships, so there will be 5 smaller working groups who will work on: Policies (agreed ways of working and standards) Education Meeting People Information Parents with a learning disability In June, the group plan to meet again and after that will be able tell you all about the work they intend to do.

17. 7. People will be able to maintain friendships and develop new ones A lot of work has been done on this over the last year. It is really important that people are supported to help keep friendships going and to be able to develop new friendships as they experience new life choices. This all needs to be included in peoples Person Centred Plans. Examples of how people have been supported to meet with their friends are: • The Rockin’ Road Runner at the New Roadmender Club in Northampton which meets several times a year. • A drop in service has been set up at Allen Road In Northampton and at Signposts in Corby. • By joining the Timebank that has been started in Kettering. • When services have been changed e.g. Sandersgate in Wellingborough the staff have supported people to move bases together in small groups wherever possible.

18. “Having a Life and Being a Citizen” Summary