Inclusion North Bulletin

Issue Number 157

23rd January 2018
In this bulletin you will hear about some of
the work Inclusion North is doing and
information about what is happening across
the country.

Inclusion North News

A Fond Farwell To Barrie Warner

Barrie Warner has been a Director at Inclusion North for

many years.

He’s now decided to retire which we understand

completely but we will miss him.

Barrie has brought his determination, expertise and

support to the role.

This comes from being a family carer in Wakefield and his

background in HR services. He also was part of a team
that set up a local horticultural service back in 1992 that is
still going strong!

We will miss Barrie’s persistence, support and knowledge

from our Board of Directors.

Do keep in touch Barrie!

 Inclusion North are getting a new website

In 2018 one of the important things we need to do is

change our website.

We have had the old one now for a long time, and it
doesn’t do the things we need it to do anymore.

We have spoken to a lot of people about what is wrong

with the old website.

We have also asked what our new website should be like.

We have set up a Steering Group to make the decisions

about a new website.

The group has people with a learning disability, family

carers and people who work for Inclusion North on it.

What is wrong with our website now?

• There is too much on it.

• It is too hard to find anything.
• Things are saved in the wrong place
• You can’t search for things on it
• Too many clicks to get to things
• It doesn’t work well on mobile phones.
• It isn’t very accessible.
• It doesn’t look professional
• It doesn’t really say who we are and what we do
• It doesn’t show all the great work we are doing
• Not enough great photos
• Not enough video content

What do we want from a new website?

• Very accessible
• Easy to find things
 • It works on a mobile phone
• It is easy for the team to update
• It links to our Twitter and Facebook
• It looks modern and professional
• It is easy to change in the future

A calendar of our events and a way of booking a place

The CTR Hub and a booking form

Information about
• Who we are
• What we do
• Our values
• Current and past work
• Our view on things that are happening

Next steps…

We have found 4 companies who might be able to do the

work with us.
The Steering Group are interviewing them on 2nd
February.
We will choose which company we want to work with

Once we have chosen the company, they will start working

with us to build a new website.

We will involve a lot of different people in looking at

designs and testing out accessibility

We want to make sure it is right for people, family carers

and professionals

We will keep you updated on what is happening through

the Bulletin
 Talking Travel Takeover

What’s it all about?

During the 26th February – 2nd March Inclusion North will

be focusing on travel and the barriers to travel for people
with a learning disability, autism or both.

This will involve:

• Talking Travel takeover on the Inclusion North twitter
account

• Special ‘Travel’ bulletin

• New Talking Travel section on the Inclusion North

website

• #sharedjourneys feature and films

We need your help!! Get involved in talking about

travel
We need your stories for the bulletin. Let us know your
stories about:
 • Shared journeys - have you had a good experience?
Have you had a bad experience? What makes a
good and bad journey and how does it affect your
day? Have you got to know other passengers on your
journey? Have you made friendships?

• We want your top tips about travel

• We want to know if you use any apps for travel, and

what you like and don’t like about them
We also want to know if your group is doing any activities
around travel during our Talking Travel Takeover week
that we can promote in our bulletin and via twitter.
We’re keen to share the work you are doing as widely as
possible. We think there are lots of good things going on
around travel that we could share.

When do we need this by?

By Wednesday 14th February at 5pm.

We will try to feature as many of your stories as possible.

Who do I send the information to?

Either, Kirsty Morgan or Lucy Virgo

Email kirsty@inclusionnorth.org
or Telephone 07539 063 467

Email lucyvirgo@inclusionnorth.org
or Telephone 07944 185 771
 GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation

There are new rules that we have to follow about how we

look after your personal information.

Personal Information is your Name, Address, Email

Address, and anything that means people can find out who
you are and things about you.

We call this your Contact Details.

The new rules cover work email addresses as well as

personal email addresses.

These rules are the Law and Inclusion North needs to

make some changes to make sure we are doing things
right.

We need to keep a record of:

You agreeing to be on our Bulletin Mailing List

Or

Asking to be removed from our Bulletin Mailing List

And

Asking to receive any other information from Inclusion

North that we think would be good for you to know about.

These rules have to be in place by the 26th May 2018.

To get ready for the new rules we are asking that you let
us know:
 • If you still want to receive the Bulletin

• If you no longer want to receive the Bulletin

• If you want to receive other Inclusion North

information that we think would be good for you to
know about

• Information given to us from other people or

organisations we think would be good for you to know
about

If you can email samta@inclusionnorth.org with the

completed form

or post to
Sam Dhruv, Administrator
Inclusion North, Woodhouse Community Centre
197 Woodhouse Street, Leeds, LS6 2NY

If you do not let us know we will have to remove you from

our list at the end of April 2018.

We keep your contact details safe and store it for 5 years.

We do this even if you say you no longer want to receive
information from us, unless you ask for it to be removed
from our records.

We keep your contact details to make sure you get the

bulletin and other information you agree to receive from
Inclusion North.
The form is attached to the Email or included with your
paper copy of the Bulletin.
 Developing our skills together

On Wednesday 17th January, a group of Tomorrow’s

Leaders graduates met with Kellie and Angela.
They talked about how we can all support and work
together to develop our leadership skills.

We agreed to:

• Use our own experience and expertise – we have

loads of skills and talents that we can share with each
other

• Work in creative ways – we don’t want every session

to be like a training session. We want to have
workshops, sharing events and use different venues.

• Pay some of the graduates to make sure everyone

gets the invites, the sessions are well organised and
that someone is able to host them.

Are you a Tomorrow’s Leaders graduate that couldn’t

make it to the session?

We would still like to hear your ideas about leadership

development.

Please contact Angela email:angela@inclusionnorth.org

or telephone: 07487 729237.

 Family Carers Survey – Summary report

Inclusion North has been working to understand more fully

the issues faced by family carers of adults with a learning
disability, autism or both.

Part of this work has been done through a survey in the

areas we work. Family carers in 16 of these 21 areas
responded.

There were 45 responses:

36 from family carers
1 from a professional in this area of work
8 who are both

We are using this information to think how Inclusion North

offers support to family carers at both a local and regional
level. Family Advisors will work on this between now and
April 2018 and we will use it to plan our work for the rest of
the year.

Work by the Family Advisors before the survey found a

number of issues for family carers and their relative.
These were used as a starting point in the survey for
family carers to agree with or not. This is what we found:

Issue People in agreement

Reduced funding 34
Communication 31
Understanding of professionals 29
Invisible carers 27
Isolation 23
Welfare benefits 23
Accuracy of online information 22
Move from children to
adult services, transition 20
Accessing direct payments 20
Transport 18
Staff, getting and keeping them 17
Employment 16
Transforming Care 9

Family Carers also told us about other things that

were difficult for them -

• Process and time it takes for diagnosis and the

knowledge those involved have of autism

• Cares needs not being recognised. The lack of

suitable emergency accommodation or support out of
hours was felt to be evidence of this. Also, the limited
opportunities for cares to have a break from their
caring responsibilities, pressure on families when
support services break down and worries about what
the future holds

• Training for supporters that is specific to their relative

• Meaningful activities for their relative

• Values and culture of services leading to distrust and

a lack of openness

• How the Care Act is being used

• Opportunities for carers to come together made

difficult by funding cuts and the practical challenges
of such arrangements

• Individuals and carers not fully involved in the

arrangements made between support providers and
the local authority
What is Inclusion North going to do about what we
have been told?

1. Follow up with the 5 areas where there was no

response to learn how best we connect with and hear
the views of carers in these areas

2. Inclusion North bulletin to provide information each

month about the difficulties identified by carers

3. Family Carers section of the Inclusion North website

updated to provide better:
• connections
• information
• examples of positive practice
• shared experiences
• top tips
• campaigning and policy resources

4. Care Act training

5. Find an opportunity for Family Carers to come

together two times per year in support of local
initiatives and opportunities

6. Continue to encourage co-production in local areas

through all our connections and work

7. Plan the rest of our work this year around the most
important things family carers have told us
 Policy News
SCIE – Growing innovative models of health care and
support for adults
SCIE recommendations for new models of health care and
support for adults.

SCIE are the Social Care Institute for Excellence they

have some recommendations for new models of health
care and support for adults.

They think that the government need to have

a health and care system that has a plan for the future.
The plan should:
• Be good and person centred

• Look at what works well and use it to make things

better for people

• Make sure there is money to do this

• Make sure every service uses things that work well

They think the Government and organisations they work

with across the country should:

• Look at the Care Act vision for wellbeing

• Look at new ways to pay providers

• Create new funds to test new ways of working in local

areas

• Work with user led organisations to make sure that

people who use personal budgets and personal
health budgets holders can make real choices about
their budgets

• Share ideas with everyone

 • Have a learning network with information, training
and support, to help local authorities and local
partners test out new ideas and share what works
well

• Develop national measuring tools for wellbeing that

can be used by providers and commissioners

• Have one place to share what works well in health

care and support

Local areas should:

• Learn from others and change ways of working using

person and community centred approaches

• Have the money to try new ideas and if they work

have the money to continue to do the things that work
well

• For commissioning plans to be co-produced with

people who use the services

• Make sure there is money for the things that work

well and show why the money should be spent on the
things that work well

• Pay providers who help people to have good lives by

helping them to be independent, look after
themselves well and have good support from people
around them

You can see the full report here

http://bit.ly/2mZ4Joa
 Stopping Over-Medication of People with a
learning disability, autism or both

The STOMP group is run by the NHS England Learning

Disability Programme.

This is a short round-up of what’s happening around this

project.

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has made a

set of 5 short films about STOMP. To view these films
please click on the link http://bit.ly/2FXk0gT

STOMP will be having some events in different places

On 23rd January
At STOMP Social Care Conference, Birmingham

27th February
At North West Regional Conference, Blackpool

6th March
At Transforming Communities event, Birmingham

8th March
At NAS Professional Conference, Harrogate

9th March
At Yorkshire & Humber Conference, Leeds

13th March
At Learning Disabilities- Fulfilling Potential & Supporting
Better Lives conference, Manchester

11th April
At National Autistic Society Conference, Birmingham

For more information, please email

sarah.bowes1@nhs.net
 Health News

Transforming Communities – Your right to a

good life

This event is about some of the work of the Transforming

Care programme and what it means for people with a
learning disability, autism or both and their families.

It is about people’s rights and empowering people and

families to get a good life in their local communities, for
years to come.

There will be talks, workshops, information and rooms

where you can chill out for a while.

Aims for the day

• Empower people to know about their rights
• Share good examples of projects and people living
better lives
• Help make sure the work keeps happening, even
after the Transforming Care finishes
• Share information and resources.

Its taking place on

Tuesday, 6th March 2018

From 10 am until 3:30 pm

At
The Studio
Cannon Street
Birmingham

For booking your place, please click on the link

http://bit.ly/2FLmkHD

Or Telephone 0113 825 1077

Booking is required, there is a limit of 3 places per

booking.

If you need more places than this, please contact them.

If you need help with the cost of your travel, please

telephone them on
0113 825 1077
or
email
england.improvinghealthquality@nhs.net

You can also ask them to book your train tickets.

If you have any access needs or questions about the

event or venue, please let them know as soon as possible.
 NHS England

This is a NHS England Learning Disability and Autism

Forum event.

They will talk about letting NHS staff know you need
support.

They want to share about how the NHS can share

information about your support needs.

The event is for

• People with a learning disability
• Autistic people
• Families and carers

It will be on Thursday 8th February, 2018.

At Manchester United Football Club

Manchester

You can watch a video of this invitation on

http://bit.ly/2l0lXQf

The venue is accessible.

To book a place, please click on the link

http://bit.ly/2CXw3sq

For an easy read booking form, please email

engage@nhs.net

Or telephone 0113 824 9686.

Please book your place before 24th January 2018.

Feeling Down – Looking After My Mental Health

The Foundation for people with a learning disability aim to

make sure that people with a learning disability continue to
have better lives.

They have a report about the mental health of people with

a learning disability and can offer support and information
to them and to their families about getting help to use mental
health services.

This guide has been made because people with a learning

disability said that they want more support and control over
their own mental health.

This guide talks about why is it important to look after your

mental health.

This guide talks about

1. What is mental health

• What does it feel like to be down, worried or depressed
• Why you might feel down, worried or depressed
• How you feel when you are down, worried or
depressed
• Why sleep is important

2. How to keep yourself feeling well

3. What to do when you are worried about your mental

health and who can you talk to
Some places that might be able to help

• Citizen Advice Bureau

• Mencap
• Community Duty Social worker
• Samaritans
• Your doctor
• IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies)

4. Planning a visit to your GP

• GP Information Pack
• Tips to help you to prepare for your visit to your GP

5. GP Information Pack
• How to communicate
• Questions for your GP
• Medicine and Tablet list
• Questions for your GP to answer
• GP visit record

To view this guide in Easy read please contact

Foundation for people with a Learning Disability

By Telephone 020 7803 1100

Or Email info@fpld.org.uk

Website www.learningdisabilities.org.uk
 Yorkshire And Humber Events
Come and try Mixed Ability Bowls

This is a fun, free and friendly event for people of all ages
and abilities.

Mixed Ability activities aim to help with health and

wellbeing through exercise and making friends. It allows
people who face a range of barriers to take part. To join
clubs, teams and sports and play alongside people without
a disability, promoting physical fitness, belonging and a
sense of wellbeing.

At
York and District Indoor Bowls Club
(Opposite LIDL)
302 Thanet Road
York
YO24 2NW

Players include families, carers and people recovering

from or living with illness or disability, aged 9 to 90.

All equipment will be provided

On
31st January 2018
From 1 pm until 4 pm

For more information, Telephone 01904 704180

Or website http://bit.ly/2EU8y4c
 Mind the Gap

Skip Rap is an angry love song about grit, endurance and

creativity.

Alan Clay delivers the performance about what it’s like to be

treated like trash and how you find your way out of the junk
in his debut solo show Sip Rap.

Skip Rap explores how the experiences clash and merge

and continue to shape art, views and life.

On stage, Alan will be joined by MC, poet and theatre-maker

Testament (Blake Remixed, WOKE)

It will take place

On
Friday 2nd and 3rd February 2018.

From 7:30 pm until 8:30 pm

At
MTG Studios
Silk Warehouse
Patent Street
Bradford
BD9 4SA

This show is suitable for 14+ age

Ticket Price: £10 / £8

For booking tickets, please click on the link

http://bit.ly/2DrmaqO
 Storytelling Event

CHANGE is a human rights organisation led by people with

a learning disability

CHANGE is having a storyline event about decision making.

• Storytelling is an important way of finding out about

peoples lives
• Decision making is important, and it affects our life
• Sometimes we make decisions for ourselves
• Sometimes other people might make decisions for us

This event will take place in Leeds

At

Holiday Inn Express

Leeds City Centre

Leeds

On Wednesday, 31st January 2017

From 10:30 am until 4:00 pm

Refreshments and Lunch will be provided.

They want to hear your stories. Nobody has to tell a story if

they don’t want to.

They will make a film about the day, if you don’t want to be
filmed just tell them. Nobody will ask why.
The film will tell a story about people with a learning
disability and their experiences of decision making. It will be
shared on the internet.

For more information about the film,

please contact Lucy Series

telephone 029 2087 4342

Or

Email SeriesL@cardiff.ac.uk

If you want to bring someone to support you, please tell

them in advance so they can make sure there is space and
food for them.

Please tell them in advance, if you need special food or

there is anything you do not eat.

For more information and if you want to attend,

please contact Shanika

Email shanika@changepeople.org

Or

Telephone 0113 242 6619

 Valentine’s Day Planning Party
Connect in the North

Connect in the North are planning a Valentine’s Day Party.

This is a chance for you to tell them how they can make
people with a learning disability lives better.

This is a chance to have fun.

Lunch will be provided free.

It will take place on:

Wednesday, 14th February 2018

From 10 am until 2:30 pm

To book your place, please contact:

Connect in the North
Bridge House
Balm Road
Leeds LS10 2TP
Or
Telephone
0113 270 3233
 Learning Disability Dance Group

Dance Action Zone Leeds (DAZL) have a new Inclusive

Competitive Dance Team.

The DAZL Diamond Inclusive Dance Team.

Competitive Dance means going to competitions to dance.

The dancing is Cheer and Urban Dance.

The dance team is for people with a learning disability

aged 14 years to 25 years.

The team classes will start on Tuesday 6th February 2018.

The team will meet every Tuesday.

From 5pm until 6.30pm

At Middleton Community Centre

Middleton Park Avenue
Leeds
LS10 3ST

There is a £1 contribution to each session.

The first competition will be in Leeds on the 9th and 10th

June.

For more information

Telephone 0751 9018675

Email community@dazl.org.uk
 North East Events
Mental Health Conference

Sunderland People First are working with an organisation

called Time to Change.

Time to Change help people think and talk about mental

health.

People with a learning disability autism or both may find it

difficult to talk about mental health or find out about support.

They want to listen to people with a learning disability,

autism or both about mental health. They would like to use
people’s experiences to change how others think and talk
about mental health.

There will be lots of activities and ways that people can

share their thoughts and experiences during the day.

This is taking place on:

Friday, 9th March 2018

From 10 am until 3 pm

At
Leechmere Training Centre

Lunch will be provided.

To book your place, please telephone 0191 5214123

 Impact Youth Group

Tree Tops Children’s Occupational Therapy have a group.

This group is about helping people who suffer from
anxiety, low self-esteem, poor social skills and socialising
issues.
Aims of the Group are
• Provide a secret Facebook account where young
adults can talk to other people in a confidential forum.
• To share information and experiences, which allow
support to be given to members.
• Meet regularly so young adults can discuss and pass
information, which will help all members in their daily
lives
• Meet with the members to develop their social skills
through interaction, this will improve their quality of
life.
To join or for more information email
impactyouthgroup18@gmail.com

The Opportunity Café

The Opportunity Café is open during Learning Disability

Week in 2017.
This Café is run by people with a learning disability.
The North East Cumbria Learning Disability along with
NHS England took the opportunity to re-open the café with
a focus on creating much needed jobs for people with a
learning disability.
It is located at
4 The Waterfront, Newburn
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE15 8NY
You can find a small film about the Opportunity Café at the
NHS England website, please click on the link to view this
film http://bit.ly/2FQNNYC
 What is coming up next

26th February until 2nd March Talking Travel Takeover

If you would like to know more about any of these events,

contact Sam on 0113 244 4792

Or

email samta@inclusionnorth.org

If you would like any information on any of our

meetings, training or projects you can contact the
office on:
Tel: 0113 244 4792

E-mail: info@inclusionnorth.org

Or you can write to us at:

Inclusion North CIC
Woodhouse Community Centre
197 Woodhouse Street
Leeds, LS6 2NY

You can visit our website at: www.inclusionnorth.org

Or you can contact any member of the Inclusion North

team:

Karen Parry
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: 07375 034291
Email: karen@inclusionnorth.org
Kellie Woodley
Tel: 07876 145 390
Email: Kellie@inclusionnorth.org

Lucy Virgo
Tel: 07944 185771
Email: Lucyvirgo@inclusionnorth.org

Angela Ellis
Tel: 07487 729237
Email: Angela@inclusionnorth.org

Kirsty Morgan
Tel: 07539 063467
Email: kirsty@inclusionnorth.org

Rebecca Cole
Tel: 07496 229661
Email: rebecca@inclusionnorth.org

Melissa Peacock
Tel: 0113 2444792
Email: melissa@inclusionnorth.org
Sam Dhruv
Tel: 0113 2444792
Email: samta@inclusionnorth.org

Linda Dickinson
Tel: 0113 2444792
Email: linda@inclusionnorth.org

Shain Wells
Tel: 0113 2444792
Email: shain@inclusionnorth.org

Sandy Marshall
Tel: 07767776125
Email: sandy@inclusionnorth.org

Gill Cline
Tel: 0113 2444792
Email: gill@inclusionnorth.org
Inclusion North Member Areas 2017-18

If you live in one of these areas, you can come to our

member events.

Yorkshire and the Humber

Barnsley
Bradford
Calderdale
Doncaster
Leeds
North Lincolnshire
North Yorkshire
Sheffield
Wakefield

North East
Darlington
Durham
Gateshead
Hartlepool
Middlesbrough
Newcastle
North Tyneside
Northumberland
Redcar and Cleveland
South Tyneside
Stockton
Sunderland