LDAG NewsLDAG NewsLDAG News Inside this issue:

LDAG update 2-4

Access to mental health services

5

CB CoP update 5

Real Opportunities Real Party

6-7

Macmillan Learning Disability Project

8

Youth offending and communication skills

9

New LDAG website

10

Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014

Issue 5 Spring 2014

A landmark Welsh law that introduces the biggest transformation of Social Services in Wales for over 60 years was granted Royal Assent on 1 May 2014 by Her Majesty the Queen.

The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 will provide a Welsh legal framework for social services. According to Welsh Government, “It will transform the way social services are delivered, promoting people’s independence to give them a stronger voice and more control. It will also encourage a renewed focus on prevention and early intervention.”

It is hoped that integration and simplification of the law will also provide greater consistency and clarity to: people who use social services their carers local authority staff and their partner

organisations the courts and the judiciary.

The Act will promote equality, improve the quality of services and enhance access to the provision of information people receive. It will also encourage a renewed focus on prevention and early intervention.

Deputy Minister for Social Services Gwenda Thomas has also announced that a new Bill to reform the regulation and inspection regime in social care in Wales will be introduced before the National Assembly in February 2015. The new Regulation and Inspection Bill will refocus the regulation of social care towards outcomes for people.

Both laws are a part of a wider strategic change set out by the Deputy Minister three and a half years ago in Sustainable Social Services: A Framework for Action.

Find out more about the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act on the National Assembly for Wales website.

“To catch the reader's attention,

place an interesting sentence or

quote from the story here.”

Page 2 LDAG News

The Learning Disability Advisory Group (LDAG) met for the 8th time on 29 April 2014. Topics covered included the future of the Learning Disabilities Minimum Dataset, housing needs, the Learning Disabilities Transformation Project and updates from sub-groups.

Learning Disabilities Minimum Dataset

Andrew Stephens from the Data Unit Wales gave a presentation on the Learning Disabilities Minimum Dataset, providing a brief background to the original data collection project and an explanation of the current situation.

The dataset was originally funded by Welsh Government at the request of the previous Learning Disability Implementation Advisory Group (LDIAG) in order to provide some basic data from across Wales including how many people with a learning disability are registered in each local authority, where they are placed (eg own home, with family, residential accommodation etc) and how much money is spent providing services to them. The data was available on the InfoBaseCymru website until last year when it was taken down due to the fact that the funding to collate the date had run out and very few people were accessing the information. LDAG Information Officer Samantha Williams noticed that the dataset had been removed last October and contacted the Data Unit to find out why. She then met with Andrew Stephens and one of his colleagues to discuss the dataset and

what could be done to ensure that this important information continues to be available in the future. Representatives from Welsh Government also met with Andrew and asked him to come along to talk to the LDAG about the future of the dataset. Andrew explained that the original dataset was simply a collation of figures supplied by local authorities

and did not offer any added value such as analysis, comparators, links with other data or bespoke reports. He suggested that the group needs to think about what information they want the Data Unit to collect

and how they want the data to be presented. Roger Banks, LDAG co-Chair, suggested that a small group of LDAG members should meet with staff at the Data Unit to discuss these issues and decide how to move forward. You can access the existing dataset on the InfoBaseCymru website but please be aware that the data for 2012-2013 may not be fully up-to-date: http://www.infobasecymru.net/IAS/themes/learningdisabilities(adults)minimumdataset.

Learning Disability Transformation Project

In response to a request from members at the last LDAG meeting, Steve Garland from Neath Port Talbot and Mark Wilkinson from Bridgend delivered presentations on how the Social Services Improvement Agency’s Learning Disability Transformation Project has worked in their local areas. This project

(Continued on page 3)

LDAG update

“To catch the reader's attention,

place an interesting sentence or

quote from the story here.”

Page 3 Issue 5 Spring 2014

was piloted in a number of local authorities around Wales and introduced the “Progression Model” as a way of improving outcomes and reducing costs in learning disability services. Steve Garland explained that, as part of Neath Port Talbot’s “Pathways to Independence”, a new detailed assessment process had been developed that takes 2-3 days to complete. This information is then used in negotiations with providers around the services provided, outcomes achieved, cost effectiveness etc. This has led to more targeted and appropriate support, and a reduction in ‘over-support’ in a number of cases. Quality issues have also been identified. A number of individual case studies were shared with the group to highlight some of the positive changes the project has made to the lives of people with a learning disability receiving services in Neath Port Talbot. Results of the project included:

24 individuals moved from residential care to supported living in last 6 months

£1.5m reduction in residential care budget

3 residential care services de-registered leading to reduced costs.

Steve stated that it is important to work closely with individuals, families and carers, and that by focusing on outcomes for individuals, cost savings will follow.

Mark Wilkinson then presented Bridgend’s new model for learning disability services as part of the Western Bay Collaboration. This included a number of new developments including social enterprises, community based

(Continued from page 2) opportunities, an asset based model of community support and new accommodation models such as core and cluster. They are also developing a new learning disability commissioning plan and intend to ensure that contracts include ways to measure progression, outcomes and quality of service.

LDAG co-Chair Roger Banks raised the issue of evaluation and measuring outcomes by asking the question how will we know if the changes are making a difference to the lives of people with a learning disability? Nygaire Bevan from the Social Services Improvement Agency (SSIA) pointed out that the funding for the project has ended and therefore any evaluation will be on a local basis only. She also mentioned that the SSIA recently held a webinar about the work of this project and this is now available on their website http://www.ssiacymru.org.uk/home.php?page_id=8485.

Sub-group updates

The next section of the meeting was dedicated to the work of the sub-groups. Each sub-group leader gave an update on the work of their group since the last meeting. Edwin Jones, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, informed the group that the ‘Transforming care for people with a learning disability and challenging behaviour’ sub-group met recently for

(Continued on page 4)

“To catch the reader's attention,

place an interesting sentence or

quote from the story here.”

Page 4 LDAG News

the second time to finalise the 5 priorities report to be sent to the Deputy Minister for approval. The report includes key short and long term actions and work has already begun on certain aspects of the recommendations. The report was circulated to the LDAG members for comment after the meeting before being submitted to Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister for Social Services.

Ray Jacques, Royal College of Psychiatry, provided an update from the ‘Health inequalities and social determinants of health’ sub-group. He explained that the group have identified a number of workstreams and agreed who will work on these and by when. The focus is on assessing the current situation and developing specific recommendations for improvement. They anticipate the first drafts to be completed within 3-4 months and aim to produce the final report for the Deputy Minister for Social Services and the Minister for Health within 12 months.

The final update was from Joe Powell, All Wales People First, about the work of the advocacy sub-group. During the two meetings of the sub-group that have taken place so far, the group have produced terms of reference and agreed a number of workstreams including mapping advocacy services currently commissioned in Wales, identifying possible funding streams and collating real stories about the impact of advocacy/self-advocacy.

The group then went on to discuss the possibility of creating a new sub-group to look at the issue of where people with a learning disability live and the lack of suitable supported accommodation that leads to adults having to remain in

(Continued from page 3) the family home, often with elderly parents. A proposed remit and terms of reference for this new sub-group will be circulated to members for comment after the meeting.

National Partnership Board for Mental Health

The final discussion was about the National Partnership Board for Mental Health. This group was set up to oversee the delivery and implementation of ‘Together for Mental Health – A Strategy for Mental Health and Wellbeing in Wales’. Ray Jacques raised his concern about the lack of representation from the learning disability field, especially in light of the fact that people with a learning disability are more likely to develop mental health issues. There are sub-groups for other specific populations including older people and children but not people with a learning disability. Penny Hall, Welsh Government, agreed to investigate how representation may be achieved and how to establish a formal link between the partnership board and LDAG. You can find out more about the National Partnership Board on the Welsh Government website: http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/nhswales/healthservice/mental-health-services/board/?lang=en.

“To catch the reader's attention,

place an interesting sentence or

quote from the story here.”

Page 5 Issue 5 Spring 2014

The Foundation for People with a Learning Disability in England recently published “Feeling Down: Improving the mental health of people with learning disabilities” as part of a campaign to promote equal access to mental health services. People with a learning disability are 3 times more likely to develop mental health issues yet the report clearly shows that they often struggle to access mental health support and services. Some of the key problems for people with a learning disability identified in the report are:

People did not see them – they just saw their learning disability

Information provided was not accessible or in a format they could understand They were not believed, listened to or supported when they felt down.

In light of these issues, the report sets out a number of recommendations to promote positive mental health and enhance the mental well-being of people with a learning disability.

The full report and an easy read guide for people with a learning disability can be found on the Foundation's website: http://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/our-news/14-05-12-feeling-down/.

Access to mental health services

The Challenging Behaviour Community of Practice (CB CoP) met on 30 April 2014 to share best practice and discuss relevant topics including the Department of Health consultation “Positive and Proactive Care: reducing the need for restrictive interventions” and the Welsh Government consultation on Adult Practice Reviews.

Louise Denne from the School of Psychology at Bangor University gave a presentation on a piece of work she is undertaking in partnership with a

number of other researchers including David Allen, Sandy Toogood and Richard Hastings. The aim of the research is to develop a core competencies framework for positive behavioural support (PBS). Members of the group were asked to comment on the proposed

competencies and suggest specific knowledge/skills that staff working with people with challenging behaviour at various levels should be able to demonstrate.

CB CoP update

“To catch the reader's attention,

place an interesting sentence or

quote from the story here.”

Page 6 LDAG News

Real Opportunities hosted an event at Porthcawl Grand Pavilion on 25 April 2014 for 300 guests made up of project staff, peer mentors, participants and their families. The event was called ‘Real Party’ and the purpose was to celebrate the achievements of every young person who has contributed to the project and to share a fun day with their families and the staff who have worked so hard to support them.

Background

The Regional SEN Transition to Employment Project, otherwise known as Real Opportunities, is funded by the European Social Fund. It began in 2011 and is due to finish later this year unless further funding can be found. The project works with young people aged 14-19 years old with a learning disability, severe and complex needs or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) to help them become as independent as possible in their adult lives.

Real Opportunities supports young people through the transition to adulthood using an innovative and comprehensive model of support. The project focusses on person centred planning and developing the young person 'as a whole'. Project staff work closely with young people, their families and other professionals to develop person-centred transition plans and help them to achieve their goals by providing training, activities, opportunities and support.

The project is based in 9 local authorities: Caerphilly, Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Neath Port Talbot, Swansea, Merthyr,

Pembrokeshire and Torfaen.

Direct support is given to young people based on five pathways in the transition to adulthood, encompassing different areas of life including: life-long learning, independent living, leisure opportunities, relationships and employment. This is achieved through the following interventions:

Transition planning

Person centred planning and family liaison

Work preparation and employment support (provided by Elite, Remploy, NAS and Mencap)

Skills for living independently

Youth inclusion and peer mentor development

Psychological support and behaviour management.

Young people are indirectly supported by the training and recruitment of peer mentors. Each Real Opportunities team has a Peer Mentor Coordinator who trains colleagues and peers within the young person's life to be able to support them in a more natural setting, promoting greater integration into the workplace and community, and providing support in a more personal

(Continued on page 7)

Real Opportunities Real Party

“To catch the reader's attention,

place an interesting sentence or

quote from the story here.”

Page 7 Issue 5 Spring 2014

way. Outcomes of the project have been researched and evaluated by a team of researchers led by Dr Steve Beyer at the Welsh Centre for Learning Disabilities based at Cardiff University.

Real Party

The celebration began with a presentation from two young people, Nicole Bird and Glenn Lucas, who talked about their personal experiences of the Real Opportunities project. Hannah Buckley from the Neath Hub Team provided an entertaining and inspirational video story and Sara Pickard from Mencap Cymru delivered a presentation about her own transition from school to life as a young professional and actress.

The day was a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who took part. Attendees had the choice of a range of activities during the day and were treated to some fantastic entertainment in the evening from Jukebox Collective, formerly known as Jukebox Juniors, who made it to the finals of Sky1’s Got to Dance talent show in 2010.

Real Party attendees also had the chance to learn about and handle a variety of animals at the ‘Nearly Wild Show’. There was a craft station run by Crafty Little Things where you could design your own baseball cap; a hair, beauty and massage station to pamper hard working staff and parents; an energetic dance workshop run by Tan Dance; and the opportunity

(Continued from page 6) to learn circus skills with Circus Eruption. Drama expert Michael Aubin also ran a stage combat workshop where people could learn the techniques of performing a realistic stage fight.

A party isn’t a party without a cake, so before the buffet

was served, Peer Mentor Tyler Payne from Carmarthenshire, who recently won the

Courageous Citizen Diana Award for her incredible

volunteering actions, did the honour of cutting the rainbow cake.

The most important part of the day was recognising the achievements of the participants and peer mentors who have worked hard to achieve incredible things. Claire Williams, 2012 Paralympic Bronze Medallist, presented the young people with a Real Opportunities participation certificate and a goody bag as a big ‘thank you and congratulations’ from the Real Opportunities project team.

You can find out more about the Real Opportunities project on their website www.realopportunities.org.uk.

“To catch the reader's attention,

place an interesting sentence or

quote from the story here.”

Page 8 LDAG News

Macmillan Cancer Support is running a project in Wales to improve the experience and outcomes for people with a learning disability affected by cancer.

Tracey Lloyd, a Clinical Nurse Specialist with experience of working in learning disability services, has been appointed to coordinate the project and a steering group has been established to oversee the project’s work.

The project aims to develop timely, coordinated, person-centred support and improve the capacity of cancer care services to identify and respond to the additional information and support needs of people with a learning disability.

The project steering group is made up of a number of professionals from health, social care and the voluntary sector including LDAG member Ruth Northway, University of South Wales. There are also a few people with a learning disability on the group plus LDAG Information Officer Samantha Williams has recently been invited to join in order to provide advice on producing accessible information.

The main objectives of the project are to:

Identify educational needs among cancer care services staff relating to people with a learning disability

Plan and deliver appropriate training to meet the identified needs of staff

Identify areas where reasonable adjustments may be required to meet the information and support

needs of people with a learning disability (eg changes to the content and format of information)

Identify existing resources designed to meet the additional needs of people with a learning disability

Identify gaps where resources are needed and begin to address these gaps.

The intention is that these objectives will lead to 9 positive outcomes for individuals with a learning disability affected by cancer:

I was diagnosed early

I understand, so I make good decisions

I get the treatment and care that are best for my cancer, and my life

I know what I can do to help myself and who else can help me

I am treated with dignity and respect

Those around me are well supported

I can enjoy life

I feel part of a community and I’m inspired to give something back

I want to die well.

Macmillan Learning Disability Project

“To catch the reader's attention,

place an interesting sentence or

quote from the story here.”

Page 9 Issue 5 Spring 2014

Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Local Government and Government Business, opened an event on youth offending and communication skills on 14 May 2014 at the Angel Hotel, Cardiff. The event was run by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists to highlight some of the issues for young people with communication needs in the criminal justice system and to promote the use of a training programme called ‘The Box’.

Presentations were delivered by a number of specialists in the fields of youth justice and communication including LDAG member Christine Griffiths, Professional Head of Speech and Language Therapy at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board. Christine talked specifically about the issues for young people with a learning disability in the criminal justice system and the need for specialist support to address their communication needs. There was

also a presentation on the ‘The Box’, a training programme for staff working in the criminal justice system to help identify those with communication needs and provide the right support. Attendees had an opportunity to try out the online element of the training programme after the presentation.

More information about ‘The Box’ and the issues raised at this event can be found on the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists’ website http://www.rcslt.org/news/events/2014/wales_box_launch.

Youth Offending and Communication Skills Event

Page 10 LDAG News

Following months of preparation, the new LDAG website www.ldag.info has finally gone live. There is still more work to be done on some sections but you can read about the history of the group, find out about some of its members, read newsletters and minutes of previous meetings as well as relevant policy documents.

There are sections on research and good practice so if you have something you would like to share, please email LDAG Information Officer Samantha Williams: samantha.williams@ldw.org.uk.

We will be regularly updating the website with the latest news and each of the sub-groups will have their own pages to keep you up-to-date on progress. The website will be available in Welsh at a later date (www.gcad.info) and there will also be Easy Read pages and a blog. Why not have a look and let us know what you think? Don’t forget, you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates and information.

For more information or to let us know what you think, contact Sam Williams on 029 20681177 or e-mail: samantha.williams@ldw.org.uk. Check out the website www.ldag.info or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @LDAdvisoryGroup.

New LDAG website goes live!