Big Messages February 2016

The impact of the cuts

Cuts is the biggest message from both
forums.
Within Local Authorities this is happening
across the regions. There is less money for:
Partnership Boards
Involvement work
Support for people to speak up
People are giving us stories about cuts that
are affecting them now, and about the fear
of cuts to their services and support.
Families are telling us that they wont speak
up about things that are going wrong with
their current support because they are
afraid of losing what they have.
More self-advocacy groups are losing their
funding. With fewer places to go to people
are becoming more lonely. Loneliness was
a big message coming back from our
regions.
We need good information about what good
looks like who is working well with people
and families despite the cuts.
We are working on our cuts evidence paper
and will be presenting it at the next Board.

We have put a few examples together with

this report of the stories we are hearing.
The Care Act implementation and
knowledge gap
The cuts are leading to more generic roles
and fewer people with experience and good
knowledge of learning disability.
Professionals are carrying out several roles
and are not able to offer families good
information, services and support.
Many of the regions are reporting that
families are being told that their
reassessment under the Care Act is to look
for cost savings.
There has been a big increase in Statutory
advocacy this is advocacy that has to
happen like IMHA, IMCA and Care Act
Advocacy.
This means there is less money for general
advocacy some areas are thinking about
not funding this work. This means people
will have less support to help them speak
up.
Employment
There is not enough support to help people
get jobs. Where there are projects these
are often short term and can only work with
certain groups of people.

People say that the Job Centre do not

understand how to work with people with
learning disabilities.
We are very worried about the message
given out by the recent awarding of the
CQC Experts by Experience contract to
Maximus and the payments that they want
to give to experts. We feel that people and
families are being devalued are other
members of the inspection team getting
their payments reduced?

Some good news:

The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities When I
Grow Up is a four year programme funded by Reaching
Communities England aims to increase work assumptions,
aspirations and opportunities for young people with learning
disabilities at three schools in West Berkshire, Kent and
the London Borough of Redbridge. We feel that this is a positive
approach to the issues around work and employment and
something the Board should hear more about.

Some questions for the Board:

What information and support will be available to enable people
with learning disabilities to vote in the European referendum on 23
June?
How are the Board responding to the Mazars report?
What do the Board think about Sir Stephen Bubbs
recommendation that there should be a learning disability
commissioner?