Putting the pieces together

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Putting the pieces together

• So what is going on nationally to improve the
  lives of people with learning disabilities from
  black and minority ethnic communities?

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North West

• Liverpool City Council - All staff receive
  diversity training

• Sefton - Wide ranging community participation
  work

• Wirral - Race Equality Impact Assessment in LD
  Services

• Merseyside - Separate or Different Event 2007

• Rochdale Aashiyana Asian Carers Group AACG
  have monthly meetings
• attended by around 40 people from a community
  base of 160 carers.

• Bolton Working with young people from ethnic
  communities to develop
• Person Centred Plans and school reviews

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North East
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North East

• Gateshead have made good contact with
  neighbouring authorities
• and regional ethnicity group. They have set up a
  SADA ethnicity group
• to develop their work and ensure that carers
  have a say in planning,
• developing and delivering services inclusively.

• Northumberland now have a sub-group on
  ethnicity on their LDPB and
• are sharing information and resources on
  ethnicity in their locality. They
• have representation on the Regional Ethnicity
  Network.

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Yorkshire and Humberside
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• Leeds - The Leeds LDPB used the Learning
  Disability Development Fund to
• employ an Ethnicity Manager. Under this
  leadership they are developing key
• areas of work around ethnicity including
  accessibility of information, training
• in cultural awareness, community engagement and
  community consultation.

Yorkshire and Humberside

• Leeds - Shakti will support people with learning
  difficulties from south Asian
• communities who face disadvantages because of
  their impairment and
• ethnicity - to change their lives. Run by
  Connect in the North, Shakti will
• raise self-esteem, confidence, knowledge and
  life skills through 30 weeks
• training that will cover subjects including
  personal rights, accessing help and
• managing support.

• Leeds - People in Action Peoples Place a
  multicultural centre for people with
• learning difficulties and disabilities. This is
  a collaboration between several
• groups including Skin Deep (a Black Asian
  People First group), Pride of Leeds
• (a South Asian social firm of trainers) and
  ROOOOTS.

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• Sheffield Sheffield Case Register and Insight
  Systems now enable proper
• planning of services and can link ethnicity to
  the level of peoples disabilities
• Sheffield - Asian Family Carers Group,
  established in 2001, supports families
• from local Pakistani community including
  signposting people to services.

Yorkshire and Humberside continued

• Sheffield - Apni Awaaz day services based at
  Sheffields Pakistan Muslim
• Centre from 2003

• Wakefield Now have a BME development worker
  for family services who has
• been supporting advocacy through targeting
  people from BME communities and
• distributing specially designed posters in
  suitable locations. Cultural competence
• training is now being given and in particular
  workshops on Islamic awareness.

• Rotherham Have developed an Ethnicity
  Framework to increase communication
• and awareness across the service. Since its
  introduction there has been an
• increase from 18 to 29 peopl from BME
  communities know to their services.
• they have a designated BME worker working with
  the Asian Womens Day Care
• group and their families. A newsletter called
  Moving Together is sent out in
• different languages and formats to other groups
  to ensure good support.

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West Midlands
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• Dudley the Healthy You project supports people
  with
• learning disabilities and their carers from BME
  groups.
• The LDPB Ethnicity Sub Group meets bi-monthly
  with family
• carer and self-advocates from minority
  communities on the
• sub group and PB.

• Dudley - Ehsas Carers support children with
  special needs
• and adults with learning disabilities. They plan
  a training
• programme for family carers in a community
  language.

• Dudley - APNA Group has a part-time development
  worker
• supporting a dozen self-advocates and providing
  educational
• courses.

West Midlands

• Walsall Ethnic Advocacy Black Country is a
  partnership
• between two BME advocacy groups in Walsall and
  Dudley

• Wolverhampton Completion of audit of BME needs
  of
• people from BME communities now influencing
  services.

• Stoke Developed a PATH from taking part in
  Valuing All
• People to improve services for BME communities
  and
• appointed a transition facilitator for BME young
  people

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• Telford - An initial meeting is being planned on
  April 17th
• to bring together adults with learning
  disabilities from BME
• communities across Shropshire, Telford and The
  Wrekin.

• Birmingham Development of an Asian womens day
  centre to
• help them access community resources of
  interest in a culturally
• appropriate environment. Recent appointment of
  two carers
• assessors specifically for carers from BME
  communities

• Solihull - Care Trust training for LD staff on
  cultural competency

West Midlands continued

• Coventry Grapevine are organising a summer
  holiday event which
• has a BME focus but is also an inclusive event.
  Also the
• Culture Speak Out Group for people from BME
  backgrounds to
• take part in sub group and LDPB. The PB has an
  accessible website
• at www.ldpb.info. They have had several events
  for family carers
• from BME communities to share information
  increase awareness

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East Midlands
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• Leicester City an advocacy group called We
  Think Too for BME women feeds
• feeds into PB as does a group for Asian carers.
• Carers Action Group have been using
  interpreters to facilitate their training
• and working groups. Almost 50 of carers
  stating their ethnicity in response to
• a recent questionnaire came from ethnic
  communities.

East Midlands

• Leicester City - An accessible Transition Pack
  has been completed with a focus
• on the needs of people with learning
  disabilities. Groups promoting this will
• support those from ethnic minority communities.
• Developing materials, including interactive CDs
  on going to opticians and have a
• hearing test in easy read, photo symbol and
  video clip form with the aim of voice
• overs in community languages. Also now have a
  subgroup to ensure the BME
• groups are able to develop Health Action Plans
  and access resources.

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• Derby City An Asian carers group has been
  established and is thriving. Plans
• are for an African Caribbean carers Forum too.
• A project targeted at South Asian children,
  previously under-represented for
• short-break provision, has expanded
  significantly as the number of South Asian
• and other BME children being supported has
  increased. Around 40 of children
• receiving a service from the Integrated Disabled
  Childrens Service are from
• BME communities in Derby

East Midlands continued
Derbyshire - Derbyshire Advocacy Service are
looking at producing their publicity Material in
different languages as those done previously are
now out of date.
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Eastern Region
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• Hertfordshire - The County Council have worked
  hard to make information
• accessible to different communities, including a
  DVD about its services also
• BME sub group of LDPB set up with BME reps for
  carers service users on
• the board itself.

• Norfolk - Learning Difficulty Service has
  identified changing needs and
• services for different communities, in
  particular the developing Portuguese
• and East European communities.

• Suffolk The Suffolk Family Carers does
  research in to experiences of
• family carers and service users from BME
  communities and how LD services
• address diversity needs. Referals can be made
  to Suffolk Family Carers BME
• support worker

Eastern Region

• Bedfordshire and Luton - undertook a major
  project to
• identify their ethnic minority populations to
  enable them
• to focus their services for these different
  communities

• Southend on sea - have also been identifying
  their different communities
• and talking to organisations that represent them
  to improve communication
• and information about services.

A new initiative to set up an Eastern Regional
network is planned for this summer
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South West
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• Devon Work being done to help communications
  about
• emotions and mental health in five community
  languages.
• Also, paying people from BME communities to
  talk with
• people with learning disabilities within their
  communities

• Plymouth Holding a Respect Festival and
  increasing the
• awareness of BME issues as part of
  Person-Centred Planning

• South Gloucestershire - has just set up a
  Learning Difficulties
• Programme Board responsible for changes to LD
  services.
• The project and reference groups will ensure
  that people
• from BME communities are involved in any changes
  to
• services as well as getting BME members on
  partnership
• boards. There are also now two funded posts
  working with
• both the Afro Carribean and Asian communities.

• Swindon - building on work done by its
  community
• development workers.

South West

• Devon Hikmat project being funded by LDDF to
  see how
• they could include people with learning
  disabilities from
• minority ethnic communities in what they do.

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• Bristol University Research by Martin
  Partridge into
• Chinese adults with learning disabilities in
  Britain.

• Bournemouth Development officer in place to
  support Forum
• Speaking Up Group, also part of PB subgroup
  engaging with
• people with learning disabilities from BME
  groups.
• Assisting people from BME communities to access
  Direct
• Payments for support services including their
  choice of
• language for information.

• Torbay A large day centre in Torbay has
  started making good
• links with local minority ethnic communities
  including a staff
• organising a fund-raising event with a local
  Indian restaurant
• which was very successful. This year another
  Indian restaurant
• are taking part along with and African drummer
  and Chinese
• dancers. It is planned to make this an annual
  event to bring the
• different cultures in Torbay close together.

South West

• Portsmouth the Learning Disability Team
  produced a mainly
• pictorial leaflet aimed at BME communities with
  learning
• disabilities translated into Bengali,
  Cantonese, Arabic
• Kurdish and are working alongside other BME
  groups locally.

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South East
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• Buckinghamshire BME sub group of PB has been
  formed. They had a workshop for family carers
  from BME communities looking at depression in
  carers. Also had 2 conferences for people with LD
  and their carers from BME communities in last 3
  years. There is also a transition service in
  place with good co-working with BME workers and
  use of interpreters and translated materials

• Windsor Maidenhead Now working with their
  respite services to make it more welcoming
  for people from diverse communities e.g.
  providing suitable food and entertainment for a
  wider range of cultures. They have a BME worker
  who has built good links with on local specialist
  school and to referring schools. Also support
  from the LDDF to identify young people in
  transition and provide support for them

South East
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• Hampshire - Hampshire Ethnic Minority Learning
  Disability Project is a
• major initiative providing a link to learning
  disability services for ethnic
• minority people and their families. See their
  presentation for more info!

• Hertfordshire Have been made a Beacon
  Authority and have used this
• to fund two videos. One covers 10 key words in a
  number of community
• Languages to help staff communicate with BME
  communities. The other is
• A video about accessing Getting in Touch a
  language line service for BME
• Communities to access services.

• Slough Development of employment opportunities
  through a successful
• employment workshop attended by over 100 people.
  Working party set up
• after to further develop opportunities for
  people from BME communities.

• Kent BME awareness training for existing
  Voice for Kent self-advocacy
• group

South East continued
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London
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• Camden Now developing effective ways of
  working closely with members of
• BME communities after a consultation through a
  local carers organisation to
• review services. Also agreed a local Advocacy
  Development Plan to enable
• members of BME community groups to support
  member of their communities who
• have learning disabilities.

• Enfield Developing their PCP approach by
  translating their Listen to Me
• document into Turkish Greek and to make
  facilitators aware of any other
• Community languages that people would like
  translated. PCP documentation also
• Made available .in picture/graphic format.
  Ensure that all facilitators consider
• peoples religion, culture and beliefs in their
  planning

• Croydon A more adequate advocacy service has
  been set up through extra
• funding which will enable bi-lingual advocacy
  and facilitate the BME development
• officers work.

London
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• Westminster Following advice from the DRC, the
  local PCT has introduced
• systems to record the ethnicity of people with a
  learning disability within GP
• records. This can then be used to offer an
  annual health check and devise a
• Health Action Plan

• Brent Diversity training is now compulsory
  within the local council and takes
• into account the culturally diverse population
  there.

• Sutton The whole borough workforce have
  received diversity training although
• not specific to people with learning
  disabilities.

London continued
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Phew!
Tell me about any missing pieces you know about!
Simon Nieder BME Worker ARC UK simon.nieder_at_arcuk
.org.uk