http://www.speakingup.org/index.php The latest news from Advocacy Partners Speaking Up en carla.spain@voiceability.org Copyright 2012 2012-05-16T14:14:15+00:00 http://www.voiceability.org/site/suffolk_quality_award http://www.voiceability.org/site/suffolk_quality_award#When:14:14:15Z VoiceAbility has this week been awarded with another quality award.   VoiceAbility has this week been awarded with another quality award. The Young Suffolk Quality Standard shows that an organisation runs services for children and young people that are safe and well run. To achieve the Quality Standard, accredited by Young Suffolk and endorsed by Suffolk County Council, VoiceAbility needed to show policies and procedures and demonstrate that they are followed fully in each service. The standard covers many areas by focuses on: Child Protection Health and safety Staff support and development Organisational management. Commenting on the assessment process, the awarding body said “The panel was impressed by the quality of your portfolio and recognise the amount of time and effort that has been spent by you and your team to ensure you have a safe, well administered group with whom young people, partners / carers, staff, volunteers and funders can work with confidence.” The process to apply for the Quality Standard is very thorough and we thank everyone involved in gaining such a prestigious award. Active Voices, Awards, Company News, 2012-05-16T14:14:15+00:00 http://www.voiceability.org/site/voiceability_peer_champion_is_keynote_speaker_at_inclusion_event http://www.voiceability.org/site/voiceability_peer_champion_is_keynote_speaker_at_inclusion_event#When:14:03:56Z VoiceAbility peer champion, James Bell, was recently invited to be the keynote speaker at Lincoln event, Include Us In. VoiceAbility peer champion, James Bell, was recently invited to be the keynote speaker at Lincoln event, Include Us In. The event was hosted by Linkage Trust and involved more than 150 adults and young people joining together to present their views to the Government about the importance of including people with disabilities in decisions about their lives. They discussed what was important to them and how vital it was to be able to choose and participate in decisions about school, college, support systems and employment. James was delighted to have been asked to speak at the event and told us how he believed his work as a Peer Champion with VoiceAbility had helped him gain the confidence to take on this challenge. “Total Voice is the most amazing thing I’ve ever done in my whole life... it’s given me so much confidence, I didn’t think I could make it out there, but look where I am now!” Ruth Ingamells, VoiceAbility Regional Director, said the keynote speech was “a massive achievement for James. His work with the Peer Champions project has given him the support and techniques he needed to feel able to speak in front of a large group of people about something that has been life changing to him.” James’ life has changed dramatically since he began to feel confident and in control of his future. At the event, he spoke of what being able to successfully gain employment meant to him: “My work gives me a wider life. It gives me the opportunity to do things I have always dreamed of. I work at a hotel and at an advocacy project called VoiceAbility. 18 months ago I never thought I would get a job or enjoy life as much as I am doing right now... This has all made me more confident and independent and now I have this new beginning.” As a Peer Champion, James’ work with VoiceAbility involves engaging others in discussions about their lives and their futures. As a young person with a lived experience of a learning disability, James’ role in the project is to support others to speak up for their right to be involved in decisions that affect them. James takes part in running a number of self advocacy forums and voice panels with VoiceAbility, each of which involve empowering people to share their ideas and talk about the changes they want to see in their local areas. James says “It’s really exciting, I’ve always wanted to become something different and the voice panels give a voice to disabled people. Everyone needs someone to listen to them.” The Peer Champions project in Lincoln is just one example of VoiceAbility’s role in empowering people with disabilities to have a say in their futures, for more information about the work we do in this area, please visit the ‘What We Do’ section of the VoiceAbility website. Active Voices, Advocacy, Events, Learning Disabilities, 2012-05-16T14:03:56+00:00 http://www.voiceability.org/site/voiceability_respond_to_the_queens_opening_of_parliament_speech http://www.voiceability.org/site/voiceability_respond_to_the_queens_opening_of_parliament_speech#When:14:56:38Z The Queen outlines Government plans for a draft bill to modernise adult care and support in England. Yesterday saw the Queen give her 57th opening of parliament speech in the Palace of Westminster. At VoiceAbility, we listened eagerly for Government proposals on reforms to social care and were pleased that this crucial issue was not entirely overshadowed by other Government objectives, including the House of Lords Reform Bill. The Queen’s speech did refer to the Government’s intention to “improve provision for disabled children and children with special educational needs” and to “publish a draft bill to modernise adult care and support in England.” VoiceAbility CEO, Jonathan Senker, says: “The confirmation that a draft adult social bill provides some reassurance. What we really need to know is that this Government understands the true urgency of a thorough reform of the delivery and funding of long-term care. We have in this Jubilee an ideal opportunity to prove we are a civilised society by treating people with the greatest needs justly, so if not now, then when?” Concern over the apparent lack of urgency in introducing reforms in social care is something which many critics of the Coalition Government have echoed in the aftermath of yesterday’s speech. Labour leader, Ed Miliband, said that the speech offered nothing “for millions of people who think the Government isn’t on their side.” Frustration over continual delays in publishing the long awaited White Paper on adult social care has left many campaigning organisations feeling let down by the Coalition Government. The work of the Dilnot Commission in identifying key areas for change looked set to inform a policy which would work to address the current care crisis and provide appropriate levels of support for those who need it. Advocacy was a key area which the Dilnot Commission focused on in its recommendations for social care reform, identifying that many people are unable to access the support they need because of a lack of information and advocacy. We hope that the essential work of the Commission in drawing up recommendations for a new and appropriate policy on social care will be given due priority in the Government’s political agenda. Our thanks to: BBC Disability Rights UK The Guardian Advocacy, 2012-05-10T14:56:38+00:00 http://www.voiceability.org/site/voiceability_imha_meets_london_mayoral_candidate http://www.voiceability.org/site/voiceability_imha_meets_london_mayoral_candidate#When:09:37:04Z Today is polling day in the London Mayoral Elections and VoiceAbility IMHA meets Ken Livingstone Today sees the mayoral election taking place in the capital. Polls have been open since 7am and London residents will have until 10pm to cast their vote. Current figures pitch Boris Johnson as the likely winner, though by a small margin and with all to play for for the two main candidates; Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone. On Monday, one of VoiceAbility’s Independent Mental Health Advocates from the Camden and Islington office was fortunate enough to bump into Ken Livingstone on the bus to work. Like a true advocate, Emanuela Disu took the opportunity to speak up for the rights of people in the mental health community. “I asked Mr. Livingstone about views on cuts to the mental health services, and the fact that our service cannot be accessed by clients who are not under section in some areas. Mr. Livingstone stated that if he is elected Mayor of London, he will make sure that services that give people the chance to have choice and control are prioritised.” In the current economic climate, cuts to vital support services are increasingly under threat, with Local Authorities commissioning fewer and fewer of the services which people in the mental health community depend on in order to regain control and independence in their lives. Independent Mental Health Advocacy is essential for representing and championing the rights of people detained under mental health section. Advocates work with individuals in secure settings to ensure that they are treated appropriately, that they have access to information and are able to participate in their care, that they understand their position and are empowered to appeal against decisions that they feel are inappropriate. Independent Mental Health Advocacy is statutory and recognised by the Government as a channel of support for which ring fenced funds should be allocated. However, mental health support services are not only critically important for those on mental health section. Community Mental Health Advocacy is under threat as a result of cuts to Local Authority budgets, which leaves people struggling with mental health conditions, outside of NHS care, in an increasingly vulnerable position. The importance of Community Mental Health Advocacy cannot be underestimated. It not only supports people struggling to cope with conditions such as depression, anxiety or substance misuse, it also ensures that the right support is given at the right time, enabling people to recover and regain their independence from support services. Community Mental Health Advocates support individuals to fully participate in their care, whether this is support to access services, set up or manage a personal budget, prepare for and participate in Care Programme Approach Meetings or simply to have the power to decide what’s right for them. Advocacy is about making care decisions person centred and ensuring that every individual gets the support they need to have control in their lives. We value Ken Livingstone’s recognition of the importance of our work and we hope that whoever wins today’s election will support us in championing the voices of vulnerable people in society. Advocacy, Mental Health, 2012-05-03T09:37:04+00:00 http://www.voiceability.org/site/the_care_quality_commission_release_36_new_inspection_reports http://www.voiceability.org/site/the_care_quality_commission_release_36_new_inspection_reports#When:15:16:24Z The care regulator recognises participation, involvement and safeguarding as key to improving care services. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have released 36 new reports as part of their inspection of 150 care facilities for people with learning disabilities. The inspection process is designed to monitor the extent to which adults with learning disabilities “experience safe and appropriate care, treatment and support and whether they are protected from abuse.” VoiceAbility provide advocacy services in a number of healthcare and independent provider settings. Our aim is to ensure that people using our services are fully involved and able to participate in the care they receive and that they feel informed and empowered to speak up for what is important to them. We work independently with the people who use our services to ensure that they are aware of their rights and entitlements and have a voice in their care planning. A key element of our work also involves supporting people to identify and communicate any problems or concerns, which works to prevent instances of abuse or ill-treatment from occurring. Key feedback provided by the CQC includes: Birling Centre: • “Information had not been used to plan care or manage people’s behaviours in a way that focused on their individual needs.” Victoria Street: • “[Care plans] lacked detail, or were missing, and were not reviewed regularly to ensure that people’s needs were met... People were not consistently involved in a person centred way in their personal support and health care.” • “People did not have up to date and specific information about the service. This meant they could not make an informed choice about using the service.” Willes Road: • “Incidents of possible harm had not been dealt with according to safeguarding policy [and] staff did not fully understand how the best interests of people using services should be protected through the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberties Safeguards.” Cheswold Park: • “Systems to prevent and identify abuse were not adequately robust to ensure patients were always effectively safeguarded [and] some staff were confused about the safeguarding procedures.” Since this inspection, Cheswold Park approached VoiceAbility to set up an advocacy service which would ensure people using their services have the opportunity to become fully involved in their care. Giles Frampton, one of our advocates working with the new service, says “we have identified that there is a need for better safeguarding of vulnerable adults with learning disabilities and we are now developing self, group and peer advocacy for users of the Cheswold Park service.” We are optimistic that the latest issues highlighted by the CQC will encourage other care providers to engage with advocacy in order to promote user involvement and improve safeguarding awareness within their services. For more information on the range of advocacy we provide, please visit the What We Do section of the VoiceAbility website. Our thanks to: Care Quality Commission VoiceAbility’s Lincoln Team Advocacy, Learning Disabilities, 2012-04-27T15:16:24+00:00 http://www.voiceability.org/site/voiceability_is_awarded_qpm_from_action_for_advocacy http://www.voiceability.org/site/voiceability_is_awarded_qpm_from_action_for_advocacy#When:10:41:49Z We are delighted to have been awarded the IMCA Specific Quality Performance Mark from Action for Advocacy We are delighted to announce today that VoiceAbility have been awarded the IMCA (Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy) specific Quality Performance Mark (QPM) from Action for Advocacy.  In May last year, we received the standard Quality Performance Mark from the organisation, recognising our commitment to providing first class quality advocacy services throughout the country. Following our success, we then applied for QPM+, which looks specifically at our IMCA services and measures their quality. We were judged on the following criteria: Publicity and awareness of the IMCA service Accessibility of referral pathways Speed of response and prioritisation of criteria IMCA role clarity Casework practice and policies Quality of IMCA reports Training and supervision of IMCAs Engagement with external stakeholders As a statutory advocacy service, Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy plays a vital role in ensuring that those who are deemed to lack the capacity to make important decisions in their lives have the support and information they need to communicate their views. Decisions range from housing options to serious medical treatment plans and support from an independent advocate in making these decisions ensures that individuals are fully involved in discussions about their care. IMCA services are a key element of the advocacy we provide, so we are extremely pleased to be able to demonstrate the quality of our work through the prestigious QPM+ award. Martin Coyle, Deputy Chief Executive of Action for Advocacy says: “It is clear that VoiceAbility manages to provide a high quality IMCA service across its range of offices. The service is seen to be responsive, flexible, engaging, thorough and person centred. There was remarkably positive feedback from referrers who had used the service and sample of IMCA reports evidenced thorough, detailed and appropriate work by IMCAs... The service appears to live up to its mission to ensure that the service users are kept central to decisions made about their life. As a result I am happy to award VoiceAbility the IMCA Specific Review component of the Quality Performance Mark.” To view the full review report, click here: http://www.voiceability.org/assets/news/QPM_Plus.pdf Advocacy, Awards, Company News, 2012-04-20T10:41:49+00:00 http://www.voiceability.org/site/total_voice_news_1 http://www.voiceability.org/site/total_voice_news_1#When:14:20:22Z As the world is changing, our services have to change with it. Our Lincolnshire team tell us how they are evolving. In recent times the needs of the people we work with have become greater than ever and the challenges they face are many. the comprehensive spending review has seen the loss of valued services the fight to get the support people are entitled to is getting harder than ever the personalisation agenda has not brought the benefits that it seemed to offer the sweeping reforms of the welfare state and the proposed ‘modernisation’ of the NHS These combine together to make the times in which we are living in so uncertain for the people with whom we work. We have also seen a rise in the number of people accessing our service, and the range of issues that people are facing have become more wide ranging. When we realised that not only was the quality of life of the people we work with being eroded and their fear for the future increasing, but that many were losing the will to continue, we knew we had to consider the way we were working to ensure that we offered a service that went a small way to offering a solution to people’s issues. Responding to the challenge… We have, in recent weeks, restructured and refocused our service and the structure we have put together will offer a far better service for the people of Lincolnshire. The structure of our team and the focus of their work has been put together as a direct result of the views and needs of the people we work with. We have listened to the people of Lincolnshire, considered the full spectrum of challenges they face, as well as those we face as a service as expectations of us increase and funding goes in the opposite direction. Advocates Our advocates now work across all forms of advocacy with a strong focus on self advocacy and empowerment. Peer Support We are able to facilitate peer support, which we have been told by the people we work with time and time again is invaluable. Everyone is welcome We offer a ‘no wrong door’ service to the people of Lincolnshire. Although we do have specific eligibility criteria, anybody who contacts our service is offered information, guidance and signposting if we are unable to offer support ourselves. We have a qualified advocate taking referrals and this role provides a vital element to our structure and enables us to offer immediate resolution to ‘low level advocacy’ requests, meaning that advocates have more time to work on complex cases and the people we work with are able to achieve immediate resolution to their enquiries. Volunteers Our volunteer coordinator has allowed us to increase capacity within our team through the use of volunteers. Our focus is on the recruitment of peer volunteers ensuring that we are genuinely and meaningfully honouring our commitment to having a team that is representative of the people we work with. Our volunteer coordinator is also developing peer support mechanisms, Peer support offers something that professional support can’t, not only a true understanding of the issue from a lived perspective, but the opportunity to access an informal support network that is lacking for so many people. Empowerment Our advocates are now working in innovative ways, ensuring that even the easiest to ignore people have a voice in Lincolnshire. Empowerment is our key focus, and we are introducing new and creative ways to offer everybody the chance to develop the skills they need to speak up for themselves. The advocacy we deliver is person centred and the work that we do is person and not process driven. This means that the people of Lincolnshire are able to access a service that makes sense to them. We truly believe in times of great need, it is essential that organisations are delivering services that are driven by people and not processes, that bureaucracy doesn’t prevent responsiveness and creativity, that we are involving people every step of the way and are delivering continually developing services that are fit for purpose in the good times and the bad. For more information, please contact us in the Lincoln office on 01522 706580 or email us at TVL@voiceability.org Active Voices, Advocacy, Company News, Learning Disabilities, Mental Health, 2012-04-19T14:20:22+00:00 http://www.voiceability.org/site/suffolk_advocacy_awareness_week_2012 http://www.voiceability.org/site/suffolk_advocacy_awareness_week_2012#When:08:12:52Z VoiceAbility Suffolk will be leading events in the region this week. Come along to find out what advocacy can do for you.... VoiceAbility Raises Awareness of Advocacy 16th - 20th April is Suffolk’s first Advocacy Celebration Week! Advocacy organisations in Suffolk will be running events throughout the week to celebrate the successes of advocacy, raise awareness of advocacy and to focus on the importance of advocacy for the future. The week kicks off with a launch event at which Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Action4Advocacy, will be speaking (09.30-12.00 at Waterfront Building, UCS, Ipswich). VoiceAbility Suffolk will be leading all events on Tuesday 17th April, including an appearance on Ipswich Community radio and an advocacy clinic at Ipswich library. Find out more about the events that you can join in with below: Radio Tune in to Ipswich Community Radio 105.7fm at 8am every morning to hear representatives of the advocacy organisations in Suffolk talk about the impact of the work they do. Morrisons Ipswich Stall Anyone is welcome to visit the stall in Morrisons Ipswich between 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday advocacy celebration week. There will be a chance to talk to someone about advocacy, find out whether an advocate could help you or get more information about becoming an advocate. (Sproughton Road, Ipswich IP1 5AF) Events being held by VoiceAbility Suffolk on Tuesday 17th April Advocacy clinic Anyone is welcome to attend the advocacy clinic at Ipswich library between 10am and 3pm. You will be able to speak to an advocate about any issue which you feel you need help speaking up about. You will also be able to find out more about advocacy and whether you are eligible to have an advocate. (Northgate Street, Ipswich IP1 3DE) Advocacy workshop VoiceAbility Suffolk is running an advocacy workshop for voluntary and community organisations who want to know more about advocacy. This is being held at the Kirkley Centre in Lowestoft from 9.30am until 12.00pm. To book a place please speak to Martyn Burnside at the Kirkley Centre on 01502 530495. (154 London Road South, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0AZ) APEX stall VoiceAbility Suffolk will have an advocacy information stall at ‘the apex’ in Bury St Edmunds from 11am to 3pm. Anyone can drop in to find out more about advocacy. (the Apex, Charter Square, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3FD) For more details on any of the events happening this week please call VoiceAbility Suffolk on 01473 329671 or Anglia Care Trust on 01473 213140. 2012-04-17T08:12:52+00:00 http://www.voiceability.org/site/suffolk_advocacy_week http://www.voiceability.org/site/suffolk_advocacy_week#When:13:26:23Z VoiceAbility Suffolk will be leading events in the region next week. Come along to find out what advocacy can do for you. VoiceAbility Raises Awareness of Advocacy 16th - 20th April is Suffolk’s first Advocacy Celebration Week! Advocacy organisations in Suffolk will be running events throughout the week to celebrate the successes of advocacy, raise awareness of advocacy and to focus on the importance of advocacy for the future. The week kicks off with a launch event at which Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Action4Advocacy, will be speaking (09.30-12.00 at Waterfront Building, UCS, Ipswich). VoiceAbility Suffolk will be leading all events on Tuesday 17th April, including an appearance on Ipswich Community radio and an advocacy clinic at Ipswich library. Find out more about the events that you can join in with below: Radio Tune in to Ipswich Community Radio 105.7fm at 8am every morning to hear representatives of the advocacy organisations in Suffolk talk about the impact of the work they do. Morrisons Ipswich Stall Anyone is welcome to visit the stall in Morrisons Ipswich between 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday advocacy celebration week. There will be a chance to talk to someone about advocacy, find out whether an advocate could help you or get more information about becoming an advocate. (Sproughton Road, Ipswich IP1 5AF) Events being held by VoiceAbility Suffolk on Tuesday 17th April Advocacy clinic Anyone is welcome to attend the advocacy clinic at Ipswich library between 10am and 3pm. You will be able to speak to an advocate about any issue which you feel you need help speaking up about. You will also be able to find out more about advocacy and whether you are eligible to have an advocate. (Northgate Street, Ipswich IP1 3DE) Advocacy workshop VoiceAbility Suffolk is running an advocacy workshop for voluntary and community organisations who want to know more about advocacy. This is being held at the Kirkley Centre in Lowestoft from 9.30am until 12.00pm. To book a place please speak to Martyn Burnside at the Kirkley Centre on 01502 530495. (154 London Road South, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0AZ) APEX stall VoiceAbility Suffolk will have an advocacy information stall at ‘the apex’ in Bury St Edmunds from 11am to 3pm. Anyone can drop in to find out more about advocacy. (the Apex, Charter Square, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3FD) For more details on any of the events happening this week please call VoiceAbility Suffolk on 01473 329671 or Anglia Care Trust on 01473 213140. Advocacy, Company News, 2012-04-10T13:26:23+00:00 http://www.voiceability.org/site/world_autism_day http://www.voiceability.org/site/world_autism_day#When:10:04:01Z Today is World Autism Day and a great chance to raise awareness of the condition and how advocacy can help to support the people affected. There are over 500 000 people in the UK with Autism, an incurable condition which affects a person’s ability to communicate and form relationships with others. At VoiceAbility, we run a number of services which are designed to support people with Autism to address some of the aspects of the condition that they find most difficult, for example making eye contact, being in a busy group of people, using a telephone, or accessibly relaying information to others. Our services work with individuals to look at their own goals and how they would like to reach them, the type of support they need and ways of addressing some of the challenges they face. Larry’s Story: Larry was 16 and had just finished his GCSEs, he had done a two week work experience placement as part of his course, but he really wanted a paid Saturday job to help him support his filmmaking hobby. As Larry lacked confidence and felt very anxious meeting new people and being in a busy environment, he approached VoiceAbility to be part of the ‘work to success’ course, designed to help young people with autism gain the skills they need to enter the workplace. During Larry’s first few weeks with VoiceAbility, he worked with the team in Cambridge to address some of his concerns about confidence and insecurity around new people. The team supported him to speak up about what made him feel nervous and uncomfortable around others, and together they worked to find ways of Larry addressing these issues. Through role playing exercises and getting to know the team, Larry began to feel more confident in himself and his ability to interact with people and a couple of weeks later, Larry had the opportunity to put his new skills to the test. At VoiceAbility event, Better Together, VoiceAbility staff were looking for a filmmaker to record the action and the Cambridge team suggested Larry might like to take part. Larry was very happy to have been asked and was keen to put what he had learned into practice. The filming was a great success and Larry was able to manage his anxiety throughout the process and produce something he was really happy with! A few weeks later, Larry saw an advert in a shop window for part time staff at a sweet shop. He spoke to the people in the shop and they asked for his CV. Larry had just been working on his CV at VoiceAbility, and he knew it had to shine. Before he knew it, he had an interview and soon after he was offered the job! This came as a big surprise for his Mum, she said: “He can’t work there; he hates noisy places and meeting people!” But Larry’s confidence had grown so much through his time at VoiceAbility that he was much more secure and happy around other people. Most of all, he was happy to have been given the opportunity to earn the money he wanted to support his love of filmmaking. In the UK, only 15% of adults with Autism are in full-time, paid employment. In 79% of cases, those on incapacity benefit as a result of the condition say they would rather be working. Though Autism presents a number of difficulties, Larry’s story is an example of how the right support can help to address some of these issues and give an individual the confidence and skills they need to work, boosting their sense of worth and achievement, as well as saving public money. One in five children with Autism have been excluded from school at some point in their educational career, many more than once. In some cases, this can reflect a lack of recognition for the condition and a lack of available support for those who need it. As children leave school, their existing support networks often crumble and one in three adults with autism experience severe mental health conditions as a result of isolation and lack of support. Commissioning advocacy and other support services to be more widely available for people with Autism can, as Larry’s story demonstrates, help to prevent individuals from being unable to access the job market, thus reducing their risk of dependency on benefit systems or mental health services later in life. Coming Up... VoiceAbility is currently applying for funding to run an Advocamp service for young people with behavioural challenges and learning disabilities, including Autism. Advocamp will allow young people to take control of the activities they would like to take part in, they will be able to direct their own support in an environment that promotes togetherness and relationship building within their peer group. Advocamp will have a strong advocacy focus, designed to support young people to look at the skills they need for work, education or training once they leave school. Staff will offer a range of activities to engage young people and encourage them to think about the important issues of the future. If you would like further information about Advocamp, to suggest a source of funding, or to offer financial support for this project, we would be very pleased to hear from you. Please email sarah.dowd-crosby@voiceability.org  Our thanks to the National Autistic Society for providing the statistics used in this article. Active Voices, Advocacy, Learning Disabilities, Mental Health, 2012-04-02T10:04:01+00:00