InTouch
AUTUMN 2015
The magazine for families and supporters of United Response
Family reunion Keeping people in touch with the relatives they didn’t know they had.
Getting political People we support in Liverpool share their views on what should matter most to the new Government.
ALSO INSIDE
Meet our new Chief Executive Staff Satisfaction Survey
This is the latest in a series of articles introducing and explaining the person centred planning tools we use in United Response to fulfil the promise to make everything we do meet the needs and desires of the people we support.
Relationship Circle
A key aspect of good support is to foster and encourage friendships with people other than their support staff, and so the purpose of a relationship circle is to identify who is important to a person. It provides a starting point to actively seek to widen the connections and relationships that someone has. It can also identify the nature of those relationships i.e. how someone knows the people in their life and, in particular, the people who are important to them. This process not only identifies who is important in the person’s life, but can suggest how they can stay in contact with them and whether there is any support the person may need in keeping and developing those relationships. It can also show if there are other people with whom the person could share ideas, support or resources. Sadly, people in receipt of support may very often have few friends or colleagues in their lives. Their families may be very important, but are not always present. Some people only have people listed in the section entitled ‘paid support’.
CONTENTS
The Way We Work
IN TOUCH / AUTUMN 2015
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NEWS
Learn a little more about our new Chief Executive, and find out what our green-fingered Garden Gnomes have been up to, and more.
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FAMILY STORIES
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Happy family reunions and supporting people undergoing surgery.
YOUR VOICE
We look at last year’s satisfaction survey results and give you a guide to our complaints procedure.
FEATURE
The people they see most are paid to know them. The relationship circle is easily understood and a clear indicator of the balance of family and friends versus paid support in the person’s life. If people find that their relationship circle is not as full as they would like, then it can become a focus for action by asking: ‘What would it take to increase the number and depth of your relationships?’
This tool helps: • As a way to learn who is important to a person. • As an exploration tool to see if there are any important issues around relationships. • To identify who to talk to when developing a plan. • To identify relationships that can be strengthened or supported. The relationship circle is divided into four sections identifying family; paid supporters; work colleagues; friends. Over time, the tool is an easy visible indicator of a widening circle of friends.
People we support share their views on big issues.
BEST PRACTICE
This issue, we focus on the big impact of a little active support, and see how discrimination can be combated with a little patience and two-way dialogue.
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TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA
Understanding the value of social networking.
CAMPAIGNS
How we’re trying to influence politicians.
IN THE KNOW Get to grips with the new Government.
Editorial Welcome to the autumn issue of In Touch. I was delighted to officially start my role as Chief Executive at the start of August, and feel very fortunate to be following in the footsteps of some inspirational leaders; Interim Chief Executive, Shan Nicholas, has done a fantastic job over the past year and I am also very conscious of the enormous legacy I inherit from Su Sayer CBE and Bob Tindall, who together, led the organisation for many years. I have heard so much about the incredible work staff have been doing to improve the lives of the people we support. Some fantastic campaigns have taken shape and made very significant changes, such as the Isolation appeal, which made a big difference to the lives of many vulnerable people around the Christmas period. Then came the Every Vote Counts campaign, aimed at encouraging more people with learning disabilities to make their voices heard by voting in the last General Election. You can read more about our campaigns on page 22. I am grateful for the warm welcome that I’ve had from across United Response - so many of you have told me what a great place this is, and I can now see for myself why this is so! During my first weeks in post, I have made it my priority to get out and about to visit services, meeting
people we support, families and colleagues across each of the four divisions. I have had a great time visiting around about 20 different services; although these were all unique I was struck by a common United Response ethos everywhere, and particularly by the great respect shown to people we support and our strong person centred approach. Over the next six months we will be working on a new strategic plan for the organisation which will set out our goals for the next three years and how we will work together to achieve these. I am keen that we get ideas and contributions from families and supporters too. We would really love to hear from you. If you would like to get involved, please send an email to Diane Lightfoot, our Director of Policy and Communications: diane. lightfoot@unitedresponse.org.uk You will know as well as I that there are some big challenges ahead for organisations like United Response, not least the continuing reductions in public spending. I am confident that we are well placed to meet these challenges and that there are lots of ways in which we can grow and enhance the work that we are doing around the country. I’m looking forward to meeting with as many of you as possible to make this happen over the coming years.
Tim Cooper Chief Executive
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IN TOUCH / AUTUMN 2015
NEWS
Say hello to “
I HAVE BEEN DEAF SINCE BIRTH... IF I APPEAR TO BE IGNORING YOU (I MAY BE!) BUT MORE LIKELY HAVEN’T HEARD YOU, SO GIVE ME A NUDGE!
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Tim... We are delighted to welcome Tim Cooper as our new permanent Chief Executive. Tim joined at the beginning of August from Advance Housing and Support and brings with him a wealth of expertise in supporting people with learning disabilities, including particular expertise in supported employment and housing management, both of which will be a great asset to United Response’s future strategy and development. Before joining Advance, Tim was Director at the Office for Disability Issues, and prior to that, Managing Director of the Work and Independence Division of the Shaw Trust. To find out a bit more about Tim, we asked him a few, quick-fire questions: How long have you worked with us? I started at the beginning of July to enable a full handover with Shan and spent my first few weeks going out and about meeting staff, people we support and their families.
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What don’t we know about you? I live in Wiltshire with my wife Ruth and we have three children. I enjoy travelling when I can. Recently, we’ve been to Prague and also Iceland, where we managed to see the Northern Lights. I have been deaf since birth and rely on hearing aids and some lip reading – so it helps to be able to see your face, particularly when it’s noisy. If I appear to be ignoring you (I may be!) but more likely haven’t heard you, so give me a nudge! What would you do if you were the Prime Minister? One of the first tasks must surely be to re-establish funding for supporting people with a learning disability or mental health condition as a much higher priority. Not just in terms of personal support but ensuring fair access to housing and to jobs too. What is your favourite book, film and song? I have just finished Robert Harris’ fictionalised version of the Dreyfuss affair and am currently reading an account of a journey around India on 80 trains. Much as I enjoy a good film, my family and friends have long despaired at my inability to remember much about what I’ve just watched! My musical tastes are mixed and I enjoyed seeing The Kaiser Chiefs and The Who in Hyde Park in June.
And introducing new Trustees We are delighted to let you know that, following a comprehensive competitive recruitment process, we have appointed four new trustees to join the United Response Board. The appointments have been made following a review of our governance to ensure that we have the right mix of skills and talents to support the organisation effectively. The four new trustees come from a range of backgrounds and bring with them high level skills in key areas including service provision and commission, financial services, health and the law. Helen England is currently an Executive Director for a primary care provider organisation in Bristol. She began her career as a music therapist, working with people with physical and learning disabilities and mental health needs in a range of educational, health and social care settings, before moving onto senior clinical, and then senior managerial and executive roles within the NHS, in both service provider and commissioning organisations.
Charles Garthwaite has held a variety of executive roles within the UK Life and Pensions sector, and was most recently CEO of Fund Partners, the second largest fund hosting business in the UK with approximately £6 billion under administration. Prior to Fund Partners, Charles was Chief Risk Officer and a Director of Aegon UK. Charles qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse and has worked in the UK, Australia and the US.
Bronagh Scott is currently the deputy Chief Nurse for NHS England London Region. She has held a number of senior management posts and Executive Directorships in health and social services in Northern Ireland and London. In her current position she leads on the patient experience agenda and the implementation of Compassion in Practice, the national strategy for Nursing. Bronagh is also an honorary Clinical Professor for Middlesex University. David Willis is a solicitor and was a Partner in international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills for 25 years. Prior to his retirement in 2014, he was the firm’s joint CEO. David is a member of the governing body of Queen Mary University of London, where he chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. He is a Director of Paradigm Trust, an academy trust responsible for three primary schools in deprived areas of East London, and a Director of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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IN TOUCH / AUTUMN 2015
NEWS
Blooming success for our Garden Gnomes The award-winning Garden Gnomes are a team of multi-skilled horticulture enthusiasts based in South West London. The Garden Gnomes in Richmond have been going since 2011. This talented and creative group have formed a social enterprise offering an assortment of gardening services and have been potting and planting their way through community gardening projects ever since. They have been entered into ‘Ham In Bloom’ two years running, and have won awards, including a Green Flag for their help rejuvenating gardens at their local library and day centre. The business is managed and staffed by people we support, all of whom have distinct roles and take a huge
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THEY HAVE HELPED REJUVENATE GARDENS AT THEIR LOCAL LIBRARY AND DAY CENTRE. amount of pride in their profession. The group also produce hand-painted pottery for the home and garden, which they sell at local stalls, fairs and community events. As well as income from their many customers, they are very good at fundraising and applying for grants to ensure that their enterprise is sustainable for the future.
Hard work pays off at our Derby Lodge Café Nestling in the beautiful grounds of Shipley Country Park, the Derby Lodge Café has been a supported employment enterprise for people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs for several years and was known and used by people we support. As it was only open for a couple of odd days each week and didn’t have anybody with overall management responsibility, it was struggling to survive. When the provider pulled out earlier this year, Derby Council approached
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United Response and asked us to take it over for a reduced rent. Local staff jumped at this opportunity to build the skills and offer paid employment to the people they support. They put together a business plan which included budgeting for employing someone to run it, stock requirements, re-furbishment and equipment. During the weeks that it took to get it ready to open, they got to know many visitors to the park, so that on the Sunday they opened, they were rushed off their feet all day. An added bonus that delighted visitors was that dogs were welcome too with
free doggie treats, bowls of water and an open fire to dry off in front of in the winter. As business has increased, they have been able to employ two paid Café Co-ordinators who provide extra training and support to people. There are now nine people in paid supported employment who have a wide range of disabilities including
some with more complex needs who need hand-on-hand support to do their jobs. When asked, they all agreed that what they love most about working in the café was a feeling of pride, getting paid, meeting people, everyone helping each other out, improving their maths and their conversational skills and the happy, friendly atmosphere in the cafe. The rest of the workforce are their highly valued volunteers from all walks of life (one of them is an astrophysicist!) Attached to a horticulture centre, greenhouse and a large orchard, the café is in a listed building and it’s rooms are full of amazing artwork created by people with learning disabilities and autism. The business is going from strength to strength
and customers know that they will always get a friendly welcome and consistently good food – especially the cheese on toast which is a huge favourite! “I have met lots of people who are all different,” says Allan Needham, who works at the café. “If I wasn’t doing this, I would be sitting at home all day. When I received my first pay cheque I was over the moon!” Service manager Belinda Heaney says: “It’s one of the most exciting projects I have been involved in and has been a sharp learning curve for all of us. But to see people working for payment and engaging with customers has been amazing, and the customer feedback has been fantastic!”
Past and present perfect Two exhibitions mounted by The Boot Shop photography group for Little Fest, a local based arts and crafts festival, were transferred to Easingwold Library at the request of Easingwold’s Mayor, Councillor Shirley Shepherd. The first of these exhibitions, ‘Now and Then’, charts Easingwold’s past, displaying photographs loaned to the service by G.H. Smith and Son dating from 1905. These are displayed next to photos of how the same locations look today, taken by our group of talented photographers. The second exhibition, ‘Vibrant,’ consists of a number of digitally modified photographs based around sites of local historical importance and images of a horticultural theme. The success of these exhibitions has led to one of the people we support, Damon Jephcott, setting up his own micro-business, selling cards he’s made from his own photographic work. The exhibition will also be used in our Making Community Connections group as a focal point to explain the historical changes that have occurred in Easingwold during the last century. We would like to thank both G.H. Smith and Son and Mr Ian Brannick for their invaluable support in helping to mount this exhibition.
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IN TOUCH / AUTUMN 2015
OUR NEWS
Involving
people we support
United Response’s political correspondent, David Allkins In February, as part of our Every Vote Counts campaign, we recruited David Allkins as our political correspondent, to help reach out to people with learning disabilities about their right to vote and raise awareness about how they can campaign locally on issues that affect their life.
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David, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, has a wealth of knowledge on politics, and said he “would like to replace Prime Minister’s Question Time with a set of questions from the public each week so that, instead of a bunch of men shouting and name calling, there would be a more sensible process.” Below David talks about his whirlwind experience so far in his job...
As with every time that you get a new job, the initial excitement is balanced by the concern about if you will be able to do it. You think about the sort of people that interview politicians like John Snow and Jeremy Paxman. I’ll be honest, that isn’t exactly me. However, the one thing that helped me deal with this was the realisation that I was going to be talking to politicians who must have to speak to several different people a day when they are working. They cannot remember every single person they see in a week, so even if I did say something embarrassing, would they really remember it or dwell on it? It was this that helped me steady myself for the role.
So far, I have done a lot of travelling and visited some amazing places. The most important part of this job has been talking to people about their concerns, members of parliament and those standing for it. I have to say that all of the MPs and candidates that I talked to, whatever party they were from, were welcoming and keen to speak with me. What being in this role has showed me is that politics and political discussion is important for people. This was demonstrated when talking with people making easy-read documents, who said that they listened to the news but wanted explanations of what everybody was talking about. There were also moments that confirmed this, such as seeing how many people attended the hustings meeting in Twickenham, and the woman who talked with the Liberal Democrat campaign team in Cornwall about proportional representation. The most important meeting was going to the House of Commons to speak at the All Party Parliamentary Group on Disability. The process of entering the building is enough of a build-up in itself, with the elaborate security checks to get in. Then you walk through the corridors and halls with constant reminders of the 17th and 18th centuries -
then your brain thinks of Hogwarts as a comparison and you try to forget it as much you can! I’m also pleased that United Response was able to get messages of support from all of the party leaders and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, for the Every Vote Counts campaign. While I will consider myself to have fulfilled my duties if more people with learning disabilities voted in the election, there is another point to make. Interestingly, the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disability, MP Tom Clarke, made the point that there had not yet been an MP with a learning disability. Maybe that person has been following my online videos and blogs throughout my time in this job and has started thinking about politics. I hope so.
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Chief Exec gets the thumbs up Involving people we support in recruitment is something that United Response is firmly committed to, and hiring a new Chief Executive was no exception. David Dunhill was one of the people who helped recruit Tim. David has been assisting service manager Olivia Briggs with Person-Centred Thinking training for some years now, and was able to transfer the skills he’s learnt from the training to his role in interviewing for the new Chief Executive. With the help of support worker Jason Woolley, David travelled to London to be a part of the panel, and asked candidates about good and bad days, as well as what is important to them, making an invaluable contribution to the day.
Every Vote Counts: Accessible campaign achieves 10% increase in number of people with learning disabilities voting We carried out a survey at the end of our Every Vote Counts campaign and are delighted to
report that 43% of people with learning disabilities surveyed voted at the General Election in May – a 10% increase from 2010. The survey also revealed the extent to which the campaign has reached out to new voters, with some 31% stating that they had voted for the first time, of which only 14% stated that this was due to age. 71% of the survey respondents found the Every Vote Counts
booklets helpful, with a further 33% visiting the dedicated website. One survey respondent added: “I had lots of information and encouragement from the Every Vote Counts resources and enjoyed voting at the polling station.” The new Conservative Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson MP, said: “Your Every Vote Counts campaign really does hit the nail on the head. Democracy works if people are engaged. I think that the work you are doing is fantastic.”
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IN TOUCH / AUTUMN 2015
FAMILY STORIES
A nice
success story My son Richard has Down’s Syndrome. He is in the care of United Response at Haxby, York and he is 56 years old.
As time passed his vision deteriorated, so his carers organised visits to the GP and the optician where it was diagnosed that Richard had large cataracts and was in need of surgery to both eyes.
By Geoff Smith
Marzena, Richard’s support worker, made an appointment with the eye consultant at York District Hospital and invited me to go along with her. This was fine until Richard put his foot down and refused to go! Marzena and I decided to keep the appointment, as the consultant would have detailed medical reports in front of him. Marzena was able to answer his questions and I expressed my concern that if we managed to get Richard to agree to having one eye done, I doubted we would ever get him to go back into hospital again to get the other eye done. The consultant explained, in great detail, why they never operated on both eyes together. Briefly, there was always a danger of getting an infection when doing cataract operations which could result in the loss of sight in that eye. Should they do both eyes together, there was the added danger of cross-infection, which could
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IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT RICHARD HAD LARGE CATARACTS AND WAS IN NEED OF SURGERY TO BOTH EYES.
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leave the patient blind. So they never operated on both eyes together. He then made the most remarkably kind offer I shall remember for the rest of my life. He said he would do one cataract operation on one eye and then all the ‘team’ would vacate the theatre, leaving only one person to keep an eye on Richard. The team would then scrub down, shower and then get dressed for a new operation in theatre. This would eliminate, as far as humanly possible, the fear of cross-infection. The operations were scheduled for very early morning. My daughter, Alison, would go to Haxby and help Marzena’s colleague, Doreen, with Richard’s sedation and taking him to the hospital. It was arranged that the liaison nurse would be there to meet them with a wheelchair to take Richard to the operating theatre. All went well until they arrived at the hospital to find no liaison nurse and no wheelchair. Doreen stayed with Richard whilst Alison went hunting for a wheelchair! The operations were successful - and Richard went back home that afternoon. My sincere thanks to Jules, the service manager and to all her staff for their invaluable help. To Marzena, Doreen and Alison, a very special thank you to you three. I wrote to the Consultant and Anaesthetist and visited the GP to thank them, but no words can express my appreciation for what they all achieved for Richard.
Do you have a positive support story to share? Let us know, by emailing anna.nathanson@ unitedresponse.org.uk or calling 020 8246 5221
A family from out of the blue We have been supporting Roger*, who is in his 60s, for 15 years. Two members of staff have been supporting him throughout and have formed amazing bonds with him. With their dedication and consistent approach they have helped Roger to develop his tolerance to situations to lead a full and rewarding life. “Although we had tried to find out, as far as we were aware, Roger had no known family. Then in early 2013 a letter arrived out of the blue from a lady saying that she had information which led her to believe that we might be supporting her brother or, at least, her half-brother. Knowing absolutely nothing about her birth parents but through sheer determination and massive effort, she found evidence that she was Roger’s sister. We have been exchanging emails, letters, phone calls and texts for over a year with this amazing lady, who has done so much groundwork and digging so deep into her birth and childhood.
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It was amazing, emotional, overwhelming and truly wonderful.
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* Name has been changed
As a result she has also found out that she has three sisters, as well as wonderful nieces and nephews too. We supported Roger to organise a family visit with his sister and two of his nephews, who travelled up north all the way from Somerset and London to meet him for the very first time. What can I say! It was amazing, emotional, overwhelming and truly wonderful. There were tears of emotion from both staff and family, but the most amazing thing was the way in which Roger responded to his sister and nephews, looking into their eyes, listening intently, as if he could indeed sense a true connection. I have worked for United Response for over 20 years and have never witnessed anything so incredibly unbelievable with anyone I have supported with such complex needs.”
United Response Service Manager 11
IN TOUCH / AUTUMN 2015
YOUR VOICE YOUR PULL-OUT GUIDE TO OUR
Complaints Procedure United Response encourages feedback on everything we do as we always strive to provide the best support for people in our care.
You can make a comment, concern or complaint: • • • •
by telephone in person in writing by email
We listen, record and respond positively to any comments, concerns or complaints that are raised.
We will do all that we can to support you to get assistance, if needed, from friends, carers or family members, independent advocacy or other agencies.
Every effort is made to respond to a person’s concern before it develops into a complaint, and to resolve issues as locally as possible.
The timescale and process of handling any concerns or complaints are shown below.
We try to deal with all complaints thoroughly, speedily, confidentially, objectively and sensitively. United Response will call in independent investigators if necessary, and no one need fear the consequences of raising a concern or making a complaint. If you make a complaint or raise a concern, we will keep you informed of the progress and outcomes. You will not be victimised for making a complaint. We will provide information about our complaints procedure in
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different formats, such as braille, easy read, audio or different languages, if needed.
You can address your comment, concern or complaint through: • a one-to-one meeting/phone call with a staff member of your choice • to the Chief Executive of United Response • to your local Social Services, Health Authority, Local Government Ombudsman • to the Care Quality Commission • to the Supporting People Administrative Authority
Any member of staff will be able to provide you with a copy of our complaints procedure, or a complaint form should you need one. From the receipt of a complaint, we will ensure that the following timescales (measured in working days) are met:
day 1
day 14
day 28 day 35
Complaint reported to the appropriate Line Manager
Investigation completed, decision on action taken, and all appropriate parties informed of decision
day 3
Then – if necessary:
Investigator appointed (where required)
day 16
Second investigation completed, decision on action taken, and all appropriate parties informed of decision, and (if necessary) Independent Investigator appointed
Senior Investigator appointed
Useful numbers: United Response Head Office: 020 8246 5200 / Chief Executive’s Hotline: 020 8254 3135
Independent investigation completed and reported to the Chief Executive
Following this – if necessary – the Chief Executive will arrange for an Appeal Panel to be held, and will provide a response and a final decision.
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YOUR VOICE
IN TOUCH / AUTUMN 2015
Results
Satisfaction Survey First of all, a very
big thank you to
everyone who took the time to fill out our satisfaction survey last year and we really hope that even more of you did this year. Your feedback is vital to us so that we can ensure we provide the best support possible.
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Carrying out an annual user satisfaction survey is also a requirement of our regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). In 2014, the survey was carried out centrally for the first time, to enable us to have oversight of how we are doing as an organisation. We designed the questions in the surveys to fit with the CQC inspection model for care delivery, which should be safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led. We also produced
three different versions of the survey for people we support (including an easy-read version), families and professionals and these were sent out in July 2014. Response rates were encouraging, with returned surveys from 43% of people we support and 30% of families and friends.
Responses were generally very positive:
of people we support said they were always happy with how they were supported with a further 8.5% happy sometimes – that’s 98.5% in total.
90%
were always or sometimes happy with the things they do and over 96.6% are always or sometimes happy with their support worker.
96%
Less positively: ONLY
91% 66% rated the quality of our support as “Good” or “Excellent”.
people we support say they are supported to try new things. ONLY
96% of families and friends felt that we always or sometimes “do the right things.”
70% say they see and speak to their family and friends.
However, there may be many issues around this including people who have lost contact as a result of being in an institution for a long time or because they do not want contact.
In parallel with this, whilst the vast majority of family and friends feel welcome when they visit, only
56%
are satisfied with how they are kept up to date with what’s happening. This is something we need to work on at local and national level. We are repeating the survey this year– using the same questions where possible in order to track trends. All individual responses will be sent to local managers to ensure that they put action plans in place where needed to address any concerns – and equally importantly, to celebrate all the really great feedback!
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IN TOUCH / AUTUMN 2015
FEATURE
It is no secret that many people find politics difficult to understand or even boring. Particularly for people with learning disabilities, politics has traditionally been seen as inaccessible and somewhat off-putting, with only one in three people we support voting in the 2010 General Election. A lot has changed recently, and during the campaign ahead of the 2015 General Election, all the main political parties produced accessible manifestos. As part of our Every Vote Counts campaign, our very own UR Consultants created an online Easy News round-up of all the manifestos in Easy Read language, which sat alongside our Every Vote Counts resources and dedicated website. These were really successful in promoting the vote among this key section of society, as well as helping people with learning disabilities better engage with politics in general. There was a 10% increase in the people we support voting this time around, with 31% of them being first time voters. Political decisions have a direct impact on the lives of those with learning disabilities, and it is therefore essential that they are involved as much as possible when it comes to politics. A recent workshop we ran at the Oakfield day service in Liverpool saw people with learning disabilities expressing some very strong opinions on a range of political issues...
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s ard i f I c t s o I p first d peace. uld l “My r , I wo t wo abou politician ple o was a o stop pe in. I’d t a want o war ag y people t m g goin ll the ar fe.” a a want e back s m o bber to c a Du
Postcards from the Edges
gets political This session kicked off a new Postcards from the Edges campaign board, creating a buzz which led to other people with learning disabilities submitting their own postcards to us, in order to reach out to the Government and express their opinions to shape future legislation. Postcards from the Edges is a creative project first started in 2013, providing a platform for people affected by disability to express what matters most to them by decorating postcards with artwork, poetry, stories, collages or messages. Past topics have ranged from relationships and work to challenges and change. The Oakfield workshop started off with service manager, Veronica Astor, introducing the theme and asking people about the kinds of things that are important to them. This sparked a lively and interactive discussion, with people saying they wanted, among other things, more police on the beat, a cleaner country and more doctors and nurses in the NHS.
The people we support then began illustrating their thoughts by creating a collection of beautiful, unique postcards, using a range of different art materials including paint, coloured pens, pencils, glue, stickers, gems and pictures from magazines. The 20-strong session included "People First Merseyside members of the Road Ahead group and the Sefton group," as well as eight people with learning disabilities who are supported by United Response at the Oakfield day service. “I was really impressed by the breadth of issues covered and the range of postcards produced during the twohour session,” says our web and digital communications assistant Laura Cook, who organised the workshop. “What moved me most was seeing how Veronica and staff member Steve supported the attendees, and helped me to support and get to know them.” “This is what we’re about really; making people more self-aware and interested in the world around them,” explains Veronica. “We do
a lot on current affairs as well as sessions around Easy News. We look at topics that people care about. I think today has been really important when it comes to that.”
in
Katr
“My postcard is about the disco that was in town. It was called Lloyd’s Bar and I used to go there, but they shut it down because they haven't got the money. I want them to re-open it. I want to be a DJ and my next postcard is about that."
Patrick Kimber
“All of the contributors had a knack for summing up political issues and drilling down to the root of what really matters, be it feeling safe, not having to worry about money, being healthy or getting the chance to work, live alone or have a relationship,” says Laura. “I came away from Oakfield day service believing that if everyone were as honest, frank and open as the people I met during the workshop, we’d all get along much better – and probably get a lot more done!”
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THIS IS WHAT WE’RE ALL ABOUT REALLY; MAKING PEOPLE MORE AWARE
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Oakfield at a glance “Oakfield has been running for over 18 years and is for people with learning disabilities, with ages ranging between 22 and 60 years. There are over 20 activities every week, including sport, art, drama, cookery, life skills and educational courses. We try and make it as fun as possible, with people from different organisations providing us with exciting and valued courses without charge. We’ve done lots of creative things from animation to film making, screen printing, jewellery making, collage and mosaic. People always amaze you by what skills they have and what they can do." Veronica Astor, Service Manager
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IN TOUCH / AUTUMN 2015
BEST PRACTICE
Tackling discrimination
positively Alan* is supported five days a week by United Response. His severe autism and learning disability means that he finds it very hard to cope with other people and many situations, and this has led to him displaying significant challenging behaviour. Part of Alan’s routine is that he will not leave the house without his bowl of food and some snacks which he chooses each morning and then carries around all day.
Finding things to do and places to go where he feels secure is inevitably very difficult for Alan but staff discovered that he could cope with visiting the local library. It’s not very busy and there’s some seating with a big window where he goes several times a week and enjoys sitting and watching what’s going on outside. The only problem was that food and libraries don’t mix, so he was told by library staff that
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either he doesn’t bring food in or doesn’t come in. The bowl is an important part of how Alan copes with daily life and if he can’t have it with him he experiences such high levels of distress that challenging behaviour inevitably follows. The Disability Discrimination Act states that reasonable adjustments should be made in order for people with disabilities to have the same rights as others.
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THE KEY TO THIS SUCCESS STORY WAS UNDERSTANDING THE SITUATION FACED BY ALL THOSE INVOLVED.
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United Response staff could see the difficulties the library faced as they would be seen to be setting one rule for Alan and another for the rest of the library’s visitors. They set up a meeting to explore ways that would minimise the library’s difficulties whilst still enabling Alan to attend the library with his snacks. “We started off by telling them about United Response and the community work we do, as well as explaining our values. We then spoke about autism, as well as the significance of the bowl and the impact on Alan’s health and wellbeing. We didn’t want to bombard them with facts and figures. Finally we listened to each other’s points of view, and discussed some things we could do to help the situation.” These included Alan bringing his snacks in a closed Tupperware container rather than a bowl so that other visitors couldn’t see what was inside. Other actions discussed were asking Alan to sit down when eating, rather than walking up and down, with staff using their body positioning to block other people’s view and cleaning up any crumbs afterwards. Since then, everything is going to plan, with positive feedback from the library. Negotiation was central to the process; rather than simply accepting that this person could not use the library and not attempting to negotiate, or at the opposite extreme, going in all guns blazing, shouting about the person’s rights and alienating those concerned, the key to this success story was understanding the situation faced by all those involved.
Active support in action In 2012, United Response began supporting Ken*, who is in his fifties. He had suffered a fall while in an institution which resulted in a brain injury and although he could walk, the previous organisation supporting him didn’t want to risk further injury, and so had put him in a wheelchair with a chest harness and leg straps. They had also padded his bedroom in case he fell. Soon after United Response took over his support, his area manager, Jo, worked with the team and Ken’s family to remove the padding. “The room looked great when it all came down!” says Jo. The team then started to discuss removing the harness and straps on Ken’s wheelchair, supporting each other to take positive risks. Working with the help of a physiotherapist, Ken soon started to walk around his home.
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VERY SMALL CHANGES CAN GENERATE LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCES
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All this had a hugely positive effect on Ken. Existing health conditions, like his epilepsy, have improved and he has become much happier and more sociable, actively seeking out staff to engage with and exploring his home for the first time. “It just shows what can be achieved with active support and how very small changes can generate life changing experiences,” Jo says. *Name has been changed
What we found is that the library was co-operative in recognising Alan’s rights and his disability, and as we made reasonable proposals, their aim is to work with us. *Name has been changed
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IN TOUCH / AUTUMN 2015
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA
the cast of Coronation Street this year. These stories really help spread the message that disability is no barrier to success. Our blogs and videos – contributed by people including news (formerly ‘political’) correspondent David Allkins and fellow charities/partner organisations – also make up a large chunk of the content that we share.
Get social United Response is more active on social media than ever before. Since taking our first (tentative!) steps back in 2009, we’ve grown a community of over 1,800 Facebook fans and 8,200 Twitter followers, and started sharing videos about our work on YouTube.
We’d like to invite you to join this community, so please follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook page and subscribe to our YouTube channel – and tell your family and friends.
How does United Response use What kind of social media? things do we United Response uses social networks to: share? • communicate with people who are interested in what we do • share best practice and family resources • promote our campaigns and influence government policy on issues that affect the people we support.
Follow us on social media!
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On our Facebook page and Twitter feed, we share information and stories that are of interest to current and potential staff, others working in our sector, the people we support and their friends, families and wider networks.
We love to share positive news stories about people with disabilities (whether we support them or not), such as Nathan Mattick, the first wheelchairusing referee in the UK and Liam Bairstow, an actor with Down’s Syndrome who is joining
www.youtube.com/user/UnitedResponseAdmin
David has his own dedicated YouTube playlist that features all of his interviews and reports with politicians, UR Consultants and other officials, and is well worth a watch. We’ve also recently expanded into reviewing accessible events, festivals and concerts, such as the launch of Why Not People (a members’ club exclusively for people with disabilities) and this year’s Nine Worlds science fiction and fantasy conference.
Do you know any would-be bloggers? Blogging, vlogging and social media are powerful tools for us to use to allow the people we support to tell their own stories. Instead of putting words in their mouths or talking about them, we’d love for them and their families to get involved first hand.
MyChoicePad MyChoicePad brings together proven speech and language therapy techniques with market leading technology to deliver language development via tablet computers, that is both effective and measurable. MyChoicePad exclusively incorporates the popular Makaton language programme of symbols and signs but is also compatible with other symbol sets, custom photographs and audio. Other speech therapy techniques and activities are being incorporated as part of the ongoing product development. In the last year, we’ve been working with MyChoicePad to pilot its use in the Derwent Area. MyChoicePad was used by staff as a way of developing their own skills. Alongside this, it was used as a way of engaging with, and supporting, the communication skills of the people they support. 90% of the staff actively used MyChoicePad as part of an action plan to build up personalised grids for the person they support to communicate about key people within their lives.
When surveyed about the impact of MyChoicePad on the people they support: • 88% advised MyChoicePad increased people’s capacity to purposefully choose specific information to get a message across or make a choice. • Over 75% told us that MyChoicePad helped the person they support to make themselves understood to more people than previously and increase their use of Makaton signing, with or without the language development platform being present.
Helen and Laura in the web and digital team are really keen to help any of the people we support and their loved ones write reviews or blogs about themselves, their ambitions and their passions, or learn more about video and social media.
• 55.6% witnessed increased understanding through the use of signing and the symbols on the language development platform (better orientated to what is being talked about), and people staying focused on communication for longer than they previously would.
Please email laura.cook@ unitedresponse.org.uk if you know someone who would like to take part. Could your son or daughter be the next online sensation?
You can see some of the immediate results, feedback and impact that was achieved together at https://youtu.be/aS3jSSa4Jw4.
unitedresponse
We are now rolling out MyChoicePad to 50 people we support and 98 support staff.
unitedresponse
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CAMPAIGNS
Westminster Watch
As well as providing support to people, we also campaign to change and shape policy that affects the people we support and the wider disabled. By John J C Cooper, Campaigns and Public Affairs Manager
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Our broad practice base and experience gives us practical examples of what’s working – and crucially, what’s not working – that we can use to help change things for the better.
The recent General Election has of course seen a change in Government with a Conservative majority for the first time since 1997. One of the Conservative’s manifesto promises was, ‘removing barriers that stop…disabled people from participating in our workforce.’ United Response believes that people with disabilities are equal participants in society and should have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else – and that includes the right and opportunity to get a job. Through our dedicated supported employment services and our day to day support, we have many examples of how the right support can help someone to get and keep a job. This includes developing skills, gaining friends and increased independence. We are very pleased that the new Disabilities Minister, Justin Tomlinson, has already gone on record to say that he wants to provide a better experience for disabled people which, “ensures fairer outcomes, enables employment support for
disabled people who might previously have just been written off, and targets financial help at those with the greatest need.”
Our Campaigns and Policy team has had a very positive initial meeting with Mr Tomlinson to discuss these shared aims, and we will be holding Fringe Events at both the Labour Party Conference in Brighton in September, and at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester in October, to talk about issues that affect all the people we support, and to look at what works - and what needs to change – to enable more people with learning disabilities – and particularly young people coming through transition, to have not just a job but a meaningful, fulfilling career. Our other major campaigning priority is to continue progress with the Green Paper ‘No voice unheard, no right ignored.’ We sincerely hope that our experience of supporting people to move out of a range of long-stay institutions, including Assessment and Treatment Units (ATUs), into their local community, will be taken on board by the new Government, and we are pleased to have had some very positive meetings with the Department of Health to move this agenda forward. The British Parliament is at its best when all Parties unite to help those people who need it most. United Response has also been in touch with
IN TOUCH / AUTUMN 2015
Shadow Disabilities Minister, Kate Green, and Shadow Care Minister, Liz Kendall. We have asked them in the same way to scrutinise and contribute to any legislation which effects disabled people on relevant matters. We will be keeping an eye on all issues to do with health and social care, mental health, disability benefits, and supporting disabled people into the work-place, as well as ensuring that all political parties remember the most vulnerable people in society. We want MPs and Peers across the political spectrum to do their best to make disabled people equal participants in society, with the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The real test of how new legislation on disability, health and social care matters affects people we support, will come in the Autumn, with the start of the new Parliamentary year. So watch this space for more news from Westminster, and how the party political conference season goes. There’ll be plenty more to read about as the new Government begins its task of implementing its manifesto, and United Response will be keeping an eye on what this means for disabled people and those with mental health needs. But for now keep checking United Response’s website: www.unitedresponse.org.uk
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IN THE KNOW
5
things to know… about... the new Government
Diary date
United Response’s Annual Carol Service Weds 2nd December 6.15pm for 6.30pm start St Peter’s Church Eaton Square, London
1. Employment Support Allowance From April 2017, any new claimants of the Employment Support Allowance (ESA) who fall into the work-related activity group (WRAG) will receive approximately £30 a week less than current claimants, as ESA amounts are brought into line with Job Seekers’ Allowance.
2. Housing Benefit 18 to 21 year-olds will only receive Housing Benefit if they are in training or on a work placement. We believe that most of the people supported by United Response will be exempt from this rule. The backdating of Housing Benefit has also been reduced from 26 weeks to 4 weeks, as of April 2016, meaning that claims now need to be filed quicker.
3. Welfare cap Head office has moved! Our address is now: United Response 4th Floor, Highland House, 165 The Broadway, London SW19 1NE
The welfare cap will be lowered from £26,000 to £23,000 for households in London and £20,000 for those outside of London (and to £13,400 and £15,410 for single claimants). The cap will apply to welfare benefits, which will include ESA, Carer’s Allowance, Housing Benefit, Universal Credit and Severe Disablement Allowance. Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and the Personal independence Payment (PIP) will be exempt.
4. Freeze on working-age benefits Working-age benefits will be frozen for four years from April 2016. The freeze will not affect people in receipt of PIP and the DLA and the support element of ESA, but will affect those in receipt of tax credits, the WRAG element of ESA and the Local Housing Allowance.
5. Welfare cap The Bill introduces a requirement on the Secretary of State to report annually on progress made towards achieving full employment and increasing the number of apprenticeships.
The Welfare Reform and Work Bill is currently being debated in Parliament. United Response’s campaigns team are calling for ministers to consider the impact that this legislation will have on disabled people and their families. We are also calling for the Secretary State to be required to report back on progress made to increasing the employment and apprenticeship opportunities for people with disabilities. Please email sarah. bartlett@unitedresponse.org.uk if you would like to share your views.