dover district partnership group annual report 2013-14 final.pdf · 5 dover district partnership...

Dover District Partnership Group Annual Report 2013-14

1

Dover District Partnership Group – Annual Report 2013-14

Contents

Introduction

3

Summary

4

Health:

� Easy Read Information Packs for opticians and people with a learning disability

� Support people with learning disabilities to have a voice with local Health Service Providers

� Promote awareness of Health Action Plans and Annual Health Checks

7 9

11

Employment:

� Hold a Careers Fair to make sure people have information about preparing for work

� Find out if people are getting the support they need from Job Centre Plus and other employment support organisations

13 14

Housing:

� Raise awareness of the need for people and their families to plan for future housing needs, especially those living with older parents

� Provide information on equipment and technology that can help people to live safely and independently

16 17

2


Personalisation:

� Promote Direct Payments and how these can improve choice and control in people’s lives

� Produce a District Partnership Group Newsletter � Measure impact of changes in benefits system on people with LD.

� Find out if people are able to make use of the changing places toilets when they need to

18 19 20 21

Citizenship:

� Make sure people, including family carers, are being supported well through the changes to day services

� Raise awareness of the issues people with learning disabilities face in the community

22 23

Transition:

� Make sure young people and their families have access to the information and support they need during transition

� Promote the District Partnership Group and Valuing People Now to children aged 16+ and their families/carers

25 27

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Introduction

East Kent Mencap manages the District Partnership

Groups in

� Ashford

� Canterbury

� Dover

� Shepway

� Swale

� Thanet

It is part of the Kent Valuing People Partnership, a group

of organisations who support Kent County Council to

make Valuing People happen.

Each District Partnership has a District Valuing People

Worker who works with people to make the District

Annual Plan happen. Michelle Hosken is the Valuing

People District Worker for Dover.

District Partnership Groups look at the 6 main things

within Valuing People Now:

� Health

� Employment (jobs and getting ready for work)

� Where people live / housing

� Being in control of your life (Personalisation)

� Citizenship

� Young people becoming adults (Transition)

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Summary

The last year was an exciting time for the District

Partnership Group (DPG) with many new people including

school age children, attending events. We have had a lot

of interesting and interactive workshops, games and

presentations from different organisations, which has

brought a new energy to the events.

The DPG has been talking to lots of people to find out

what is working well for people with a learning disability

and their families and what is not working very well. This

information has been used to decide on the projects for

the District Plan.

The District Partnership Group has met 4 times this year.

In-between these meetings a Planning and Checking

Group has been working with people with learning

disabilities, family carers, support providers, community

groups and public services on the District Plan projects.

The DPG Advisory Group has met regularly bringing

together people with learning disabilities and others in the

local community to share information and views. We

have had many issues raised and people have been

supported to give views on a variety of consultations. We

have had more key speakers visit the Group including the

Police, community wardens and Carer’s Support.

Members of the DPG have also been supported to be part

of the Kent County Council Valuing People structure

including Delivery Groups that work on projects for the

whole of Kent.

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The District Partnership Group has been working on a

number of health projects to make sure people have good

information about staying healthy and can use health

services easily.

The DPG is a member of the South Kent Coast Health

Reference Group and is making good links with South Kent

Coast Clinical Commissioning Group.

A careers fair provided people with information on how to

prepare for employment.

A member of the DPG was also supported to present at

the Job Centre Awayday to improve customer service for

people with learning disabilities.

The DPG has been working with the Carers Advisory Group

to raise awareness of the need for people and their

families to plan for future housing needs.

We have also provided information on equipment and

technology that can help people to live safely and

independently.

Members of the DPG have a better understanding that

personalisation means the choices they make about their

lives. Members of the DPG have continued to produce a

Newsletter giving information on social events in Dover as

well as the District Partnership Group and Advisory

Groups.

Kent Police often come to the DPG meeting Advisory

Groups and make sure people know how to keep safe in

the community. The DPG is also a member of the Police

Independent Advisory Group.

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Good links have also been made with Community

Wardens.

The DPG has had regular updates on the Good Day

Programme to make sure people have good information

on changes to the day services.

The DPG has been building links with young people to

make sure they and their families have access to the

information and support they need during transition.

Aspen II Unit supported a group of students to a DPG

about Person Centred Planning so that people understand

the importance of this.

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Health:

Easy Read Information Packs for opticians and people

with a learning disability

Why we did this work

To make sure that the easy read Information Packs

produced by Kent Association for the Blind and the

District Partnership Groups are making it easier for people

to use high street opticians.

What we did

We gave a window sticker to the Opticians who have an

easy read resource pack. This will help people to see that

they have easy read information available.

We have updated the resource packs with more easy read

information. All opticians have been given a new CD with

lots of easy read information for customers.

Details of all Opticians that have received easy read

Information Packs has been shared with DPG members,

on Facebook and websites. We will gather feedback

through the DPG meetings of people’s experiences of

visiting the Opticians now that easy read information is

available.

What has changed as a result of this work

Optician staff are more aware of the needs of people with

learning disabilities.

8


Easy read information is available for people on different

eye conditions, looking after your eyes and wearing

glasses.

People will feel more confident visiting opticians.

9


Support people with learning disabilities to have a voice

with local Health Service Providers


To make sure that Health Service Providers think about

the needs of people with learning disabilities when they

plan health services in the Dover district.

What we did

The DPG has represented the views of people with

learning disability at public meetings of South Kent Coast

Clinical Commissioning Group (SKC CCG). The CCG is the

organisation that plans and buys health services for

people living in the Dover District.

The DPG is also a member of the South Kent Coast CCG

Health Reference Group. This is a patient participation

group and one way that the CCG involves patients in its

plans.

Six DPG members have been supported to be part of Kent

Community Health Trust Patient Experience Network.

DPG members have continued to work with the Kent

Community Health Trust Patient Information Group to

produce easy read information for patients.

Information they have looked at includes: Catheter

Passport, Minor Injury Unit and Tetanus leaflets.

10


The DPG Valuing People Worker attended the East Kent

Hospitals Trust Out-Patient Consultation public meeting.

The event was not easy to understand. This has been

reported back to the Hospitals Trust. People have also

been supported to give their views via paper consultation

questionnaires.


The needs of people with learning disabilities continue to

be highlighted in the planning of health services.

Efforts are being made by South Kent Coast Clinical

Commissioning Group to make the Patient Reference

Group easier to understand. The DPG hopes that someone

with a learning disability will soon be supported to be the

DPG representative on this group.

The need for easy read information has been recognised

by Kent Community Health Trust.

More easy read information is available for people about

health services, treatment and conditions.

Although the East Kent Hospitals Trust Outpatient

Consultation meeting was not easy read they did produce

an easy read version of the questionnaire and people

have given their views this way.

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Promote awareness of Health Action Plans and Annual

Health Checks


To make sure that people know about Health Action Plans

and how these can help people to lead healthy lifestyles.

Lots of people didn’t know if they had been for an Annual

Health Check.

People told us they need encouragement and information

on keeping healthy.

What we did

Using interactive activities at a DPG meeting, people were

given information on the following:

- Personal hygiene showing the areas which need daily

cleansing

- The amount of sugar content in certain foods.

- Oral hygiene and the importance of brushing your

teeth and regular dental check-ups.

- Different eye conditions people can develop and how

regular check-ups at the opticians can help prevent

some by early detection.

Through the DPG we have given people information about

new “apps” that they can use to stay healthy. These

“apps” let people check their symptoms and suggest

where they should go for help. They can be used on

computers and smart phones.

People have been reminded about Annual Health Checks

and that they can ask for one at their GP surgery.

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People have more information about what they can do to

keep themselves healthy including information about

annual health checks.

This topic has also been talked about in smaller advisory

groups and has supported people to realise the

importance of having regular check-ups and personal

hygiene.

13


Employment:

Hold a Careers Fair to make sure people have

information about preparing for work


People told us that they didn’t know what they needed to do to get a job. People did not know who could support them to find work. What we did We held a Careers Fair to give people information on how to prepare for work. We invited organisations to share information on education, training and volunteering, as well as those who offer employment support to tell people how they can help them. We ran workshops at the event on writing a CV and interview skills. People talked about the benefits of having a job. People with learning disabilities who have jobs talked about what it means to them to have a job. What had changed as a result of this work

People know what they need to do to prepare themselves for work. People know who can support them to prepare for work, to find work and what support they can expect once they have found employment.

14


Find out if people are getting the support they need

from Job Centre Plus and other employment support

organisations


Those people that had visited a Job Centre told us that

they did not like going there.

The Security Guards made people feel uncomfortable.

People did not know what support the Job Centre could

give them.

People did not know very much about vocational

opportunities or employment support available locally.

What we did

The DPG District Worker supported someone with a

learning disability to talk at a Job Centre Staff Meeting

about things that people with learning disabilities find

difficult when visiting the Job Centre.

Suggestions were made on changes that could be made

so that people with learning disabilities are better

supported by Job Centre staff.

Job Centre staff said that they found the presentation

“interesting and informative”.

A Directory of Employment Support has been produced

giving information and contact details for all

organisations in the Dover district that provide support to

find employment.

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This Directory includes services offered by the Volunteer

Bureau and organisations who offer vocational

opportunities.


The presentation has now been turned into a short film.

This film will be presented by other DPGs to their local Job

Centres across Kent to raise awareness of the support

people with learning disabilities need from Job Centre

staff.

Job Centre staff will have a better understanding of how

to support people with learning disabilities.

People are more confident about visiting the Job Centre

and know that staff will understand their needs.

People have information about organisations that can

support them to find employment and what support each

can offer.

People have information about vocational opportunities

they may like to try.

People have information about how to contact the

Volunteer Bureau if they are interested in voluntary work.

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Housing:

Raise awareness of the need for people and their

families to plan for future housing needs, especially

those living with older parents.


Family Carers told us that they find it hard to think about

the future and make plans for their sons and daughters.

Carers told us that they often put this off because they

didn’t know where to start.

What we did

Through our DPG Carers Group we gathered information

on what family carers most wanted help with.

We spoke to the Carers Support organisation to find out

the best way to get information to carers.

We have decided to hold a public event for carers across

east Kent to give information on setting up wills and

trusts, person centered planning, support for carers,

housing options and keeping safe.

This event will take place in the Spring of 2014.

17


Provide information on equipment and technology that

can help people to live safely and independently


People in the Advisory Groups asked where they could get

information to help them support people to live more

independently, but safely.

What we did

We held a meeting about ‘Keeping Safe’. Part of this

included supporting people to become more independent.

We invited organisations to come and showcase their

service including :

Shepway Lifeline, Fire safety, Message in a Bottle and the

Independent Living scheme.

What has changed as a result of doing this work

People are now more informed about the support which

is available to them and how they can access the various

services.

Carers paid and unpaid, are more informed and able to

support the person they care for to plan for their future

and become more independent.

18


Personalisation

Promote Direct Payments and how these can improve

choice and control in people’s lives


Lots of people are not accessing Direct Payments.

People wanted more information on how to get Direct

Payments and what they could be used for.

People were worried about what they needed to do once

they had a Direct Payment.

What we did

The Kent DPG Co-ordinator and some DPG Valuing People

Workers met with staff from Kent County Council.

Kent County Council were changing the process for Direct

Payments. We wanted to make sure everyone in Kent got

the same information about these changes.

Kent County Council have new Direct Payment staff

working across Kent. These staff will link with DPGs in the

future to make sure people get good information about

Direct Payments.

Kent County Council will be visiting DPGs to tell people

about the changes in Spring 2014.

The DPGs in South West Kent have been working with

Kent County Council on some easy read information about

Direct Payments. This information will be available when

the DPGs talk about Direct Payments.

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Produce a District Partnership Group Newsletter


The DPG wanted to make sure people had information on

local social events, clubs and organisations supporting

people with learning disabilities.

People told us having this information helped them be

more involved in the local community.

DPG members wanted to share things they had done with

other people to encourage others to try new things or join

similar clubs.

What we did

The DPG Valuing People Worker supported a newsletter

group to produce a quarterly newsletter.

Local organisations are invited to send information about

events and opportunities for people.

People were supported to write articles to share their own

experiences.


More people are writing articles to share their

experiences.

People have information about their local community and

events and clubs they may wish to attend.

The newsletter group is looking to interview local people

for articles and reports on local events.

20


Measure impact of changes in benefits system on

people with LD.


The DPG wanted to find out how people had been affected

by changes in the benefit system and whether their

experience of the process had been good or bad.

We wanted to know if people had been supported with

assessment forms and appeals.

We wanted to raise the need for information from the

DWP to be easy read.

What we did

It has been hard to get feedback from enough people to

have a good view of how this has affected people.

21


Find out if people are able to make use of the changing

places toilets when they need to.


Some people had heard that the Changing Places toilets

were not meeting the needs of those people that need

them.

We wanted to check that the Changing Places toilets in

Kent were meeting people’s needs.

What we did

We asked for feedback from people who had used

Changing Places toilets.

We did this through an on-line survey.

There have been some problems with the survey. Some

people could not access it so we had to repeat this piece

of work.


The results of the survey will be published on our

Facebook page, the Kent Partnership Board website and

reported to the Kent Partnership Board and Kent County

Council.

22


Citizenship

Make sure people, including family carers, are being

supported well through the changes to day services

Why we did this work To check that people at Walmer Centre get all the information and support they need while changes are made to the Day Service. To make sure people know they can speak to an Advocate if they need to. To offer a place that people can talk about any concerns they have about the changes. What we did The DPG has good links with the Day Service and people were supported to attend District Partnership Groups and the DPG Advisory Group where individual concerns were shared and peer support was available. Meetings were held at the Walmer Centre for families and carers of people who attend the Centre. The DPG Valuing People Worker was also kept up to date by the HUB focus group. What has changed as a result of this work People from Shepway Resource Centre shared their positive experience of the changes to their day services to reassure people.

23


Raise awareness of the issues people with learning

disabilities face in the community


People with learning disabilities need to feel safe in their

community.

Feeling safe makes people feel more confident and

independent.

The DPG wanted to make sure people continue to feel

safe when out and about in their community.

What we did

The DPG has continued its good links with Kent Police and

Community Wardens with both regularly attending DPG

meetings.

Community Wardens also link with the DPG Advisory

Group and the DPG Carers Group.

People are regularly reminded about ways to keep safe

and where they can get support on keeping safe.

The DPG is represented at the Kent Police East Division I-

PAG meetings to make sure issues for people with

learning disabilities are raised.


People know about keeping themselves safe.

Carers are re-assured about support available to keep

people safe.

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DPG members have regular updates on information from

Kent Police and community safety issues.

A number of volunteers have been chosen to sit on the

Independent Police Advisory Group (I-PAG) to represent

communities across Kent and help Kent Police in the way

it responds to victims of crime and anti-social behaviour.

The DPG is one of the volunteers on the I-PAG and shares

information and experiences of DPG members.

People are comfortable talking to the Police and

Community Officers.

25


Transition:

Make sure young people and their families have access

to the information and support they need during

transition.


The DPGs across Kent wanted to find out about young

people’s experiences of the Transition process.

To find out what information parents most want, if they

know about carers assessments etc.

We wanted to know if young people were given

information and opportunities for work experience.

We wanted to find out if young people and their families

felt supported to plan for the future.

What we did

Working with the special schools in each area, DPGs

collected feedback from young people about their

Transition reviews.

We did this through an on-line survey.

The results of this survey will be available in Spring 2014.

We will also share the results with the Becoming an Adult

Delivery Group.

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What will change as a result of this work

Once the survey results have been collected we will

produce a report to show what young people in Kent think

of their transition reviews.

This will help schools to see what things work well and

where changes might be made.

We hope that the Becoming an Adult Delivery Group will

use the results to produce some good practice guidelines

for transition reviews.

27


Promote the District Partnership Group and Valuing

People Now to children aged 16+ and their

families/carers


To raise awareness of Valuing People Now and Person

Centred Planning so that people understand the

importance of these.

To let young people and their parents know about the

District Partnership Group and Carers Advisory Group.

What we did

The Valuing People District Worker shares information

with Aspen II Unit at Christchurch Academy.

A District Partnership Group meeting focusing on person

centred planning was held with interactive group work

and activities.

17 young people and 3 members of teaching support staff

attended.


The District Partnership Group has an improving

relationship with Aspen II Unit.

Information about the District Partnership Group is

reaching young people and their families.

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Who we have worked with over the past year

Community Nursing Learning Disability Team

St Mary’s Parish Centre

Carers

Kenneth Bird Opticians

Walmer Centre

Local Residential Homes

Baileys Opticians

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