Task Force Advisory Group and social care reform

Blog imageBlog from the Task Force Advisory Group Co Chairs Alex Fox, Rachel Moody and Trevor Wright

 

 

 

This blog is part of our series on the future of social care.

 

If you have heard politicians debating social care in the last few weeks, you would think that social care is just for older people and that the main problem with it is money.

Many people with learning disabilities and autistic people know that neither of these things are true.

Read more  “Task Force Advisory Group and social care reform”

Ask yourself, whose social care is it anyway?

Blog by Sinead Mchugh-Hicks, Executive Director of support at Advance Housing & Support

 

 

This is part of the Future of Social Care series of members’ thoughts and views.

Find out more about Learning Disability England’s work on the future of social care here

 

“I joined Advance in December 2020 but have worked in the sector for many years.

Joining an organisation in the middle of a global pandemic was daunting and challenging – but what I have seen in the care and support provided by Advance has really inspired me.

Read more  “Ask yourself, whose social care is it anyway?”

What we do when things go wrong

If a member behaves in a way that may go against our beliefs or policies, Learning Disability England follows a set process to decide if they should leave.

What is Good Lives?

Work on Good Lives began in 2020, when a group of 40 self advocates came together in Birmingham.

Find out more about the work in 2020 here

They spoke about what it will take for everyone with learning disabilities to be able to live their good life.

Since then, we have heard from so many people and their families about what they want and need to live well. 

This formed the base of the Good Lives Framework and its seven chapters (LINK)

The framework is there to start a debate and give ideas for action.

But Good Lives is more than just a framework – it is a vision and a goal that we can all aim for.

Good Lives focuses on hope, solutions and highlights what we all stand for.

Though of course we recognise and respect the many challenges people face and the failings – Good Lives does not ignore those but uses them as a reason to keep acting and expecting more.

Learning Disability England hosts Good Lives but do not control it. It belongs to the community.

You can hear lots more about Good Lives by watching this video.

Lifetime Members

Learning Disability England Lifetime members have been awarded lifetime membership for the work they have done or inspired in making Learning Disability England happen.

Jenny Carter

Jenny Carter being presented with a Learning Disability England Lifetime Membership at the House of Lords.

Patricia Charlesworth

Photo of Patricia Charlesworth after she was presented with a Learning Disability England Lifetime Membership at the House of Lords.

Sarah Cookson

Sarah Cookson (left) after being presented with a Learning Disability England Lifetime Membership at the House of Lords.

Simon Cramp

Simon Cramp being presented with a Learning Disability England Lifetime Membership at the House of Lords.

Jackie Downer MBE

Jackie Downer MBE being presented with a Learning Disability England Lifetime Membership at the House of Lords.

Steven Neary

Sui-ling Tang

Sui-ling Tang being presented with a Learning Disability England Lifetime Membership by Gary Bourlet.

Shaun Webster MBE

Shaun Webster MBE, spokesperson for Learning Disability England at the 2015 Conservative Party Conference.

Our Spokespeople

We have spokespeople with learning disabilities, families and other experts who are ready to speak at events and to the media.

At Learning Disability England we believe society’s attitudes towards people with learning disabilities will not be changed until we see people speaking up for themselves, especially in the media and in politics.

A bit of history

Learning Disability England was founded in 2015.
It is a registered charity.

Watch the video to listen to Gary Bourlet, now Membership and Engagement Lead, as he helped to set up Learning Disability England.