Ivan Olbrechts, family and friends Rep Body member, represented Learning Disability England members at a recent Department of Health and Social Care ‘stakeholder event’ about the Mental Health Bill and has written a guest blog about it:

Here they are again, providers moaning about the money. 

I work for a canny big organisation employing 350 staff to support 170 people.  We are a Co-operative and Community Benefit society with Charitable status.  We are not in it for the money.  

The Co-chairs of Learning Disability England have been thinking about the government’s budget and what that means for the LDE members they know and represent. 

Learning Disability England wants to welcome some new people to it’s board of Trustees.

The Board of Trustees makes sure Learning Disability England does a good job and is chosen by the Representative Body.

On the 18th October three new people joined the board.

These people were:

There are many different types of advocacy, from independent advocacy, to peer advocacy to what I would argue is the most important – self-advocacy!

Paid advocates are so important and I think could actually play a major role in supporting people with learning disabilities to self-advocate.

Blog from Scott Watkin – Paid Supporter Representative of Learning Disability England

On Tuesday I was at a reception at the Science Museum in London.

Blog by Ivan Olbrechts and James O’Rourke – Family and Friends Representatives of Learning Disability England

The new Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said that:

“Our NHS is broken, but not beaten. Together we can fix it. “

Announced on Monday, 21st October, the government has asked the public, NHS staff, and experts to help ‘fix’ the NHS via a new online platform:

Change.NHS.uk

October is Black History Month. This is a month that gives people the opportunity to share and celebrate the impact of black heritage and culture.

I wish that this was something that people were doing all year round, not just at this time, but I think it’s great that people are stopping to think about the good things black people have done through history.

There are lots of black people, especially women, who I look up to and have had an impact on my life.

Letitia Wright is a big role model for me. She is a Guyana-born actress who has overcome problems like depression and is now living in the UK and is a successful actress.