Making Communication Better at the Partnership Board.

1. Making Communication Better at the Partnership Board. • At the Partnership Board everybody is equal. We are all important. • It is important that we can all join in and say what we think. • To make sure we do this we all need to use easy words and no jargon Leicestershire Learning Disability Partnership Board

2. I want to speak • Please hold up the yellow card if you want to speak. • Please do not speak until you are asked to do so by the Chair. Leicestershire Learning Disability Partnership Board

3. On the back of the yellow card is the word NOW. • Please hold the card this way if you want to say something about what has just been said. • Please be careful which way you hold up the card. NOW Leicestershire Learning Disability Partnership Board

4. Wait, I don’t understand • Hold up the red card when there is something you don’t understand, or if people are talking too fast. • Anyone can hold up this card at any time. As soon as you see the red card, please stop talking. Leicestershire Learning Disability Partnership Board

5. Word Police • Making things easy to understand is a difficult job. So we have an expert to help us. That is the Word Police. • This is a person whose job at the meeting is to help make it easy for everyone to join in. • Today’s Word Police is... Leicestershire Learning Disability Partnership Board

6. Wait, I don’t understand Word Police • The Word Police is a hard job. Please help them by stopping when they hold up the red card. • Anyone can help by suggesting easier ways to explain difficult words. • Please remember, the Word Police is there to help us all. Leicestershire Learning Disability Partnership Board

7. Action In Melton We are here to talk to you about what we have been doing in Melton and what we are going to do next year.

8. Things that have worked well • Sports, exercise and physical activities • Steven Scales Physical Activities Development Officer, worked with us to set up the Keep On Moving Team. • We wanted to do a fun run but there were none in Melton so we went to Harborough and joined in with the Kibworth fun run instead. • We also joined in with the Football Festival that was organised by Eliza Chanin who works for the police. • This was in Loughborough so we worked together to make sure that we could all get there. Lots of people went and it was a great day.

9. Things that have worked well • Keeping Safe • We had an event about keeping safe. • We gave out Keep Safe Cards and information about keeping safe. The police, ambulance and fire services came along to support the event. • We also launched the Hate Incident Monitoring Project. • The Valuing People Team made the form easier to understand. • We told people about the form and about not putting up with bullying. • We had the event at Venture House in Melton.

10. Things that have worked well • Personalisation • We had an event about Personalisation and what this means for parents and carers. • Lots of people came and Tony Dailade answered lots of questions about what would be happening. • We had the event at Melton Mencap. Parents said it was good to talk to someone who knew about the changes and how it would effect them. • A place for us to meet • Steven Scales helped us to find a place to meet. He booked The Edge Community Centre for us and we have been meeting there ever since. • It is a good venue and easy to use and get into and the staff are very helpful and friendly.

11. Things that have worked well • Getting more people involved in the group • Philip is the new chair person this means he is the person that leads the meetings. David is the vice chair person he helps the chair person. Paula is the person that goes to the Partnership Board. • We have lots of people that come to our meetings now. At our big planning day in March we had 36 people and most of these people still come to our meetings.

12. We are going to have a cinema evening. We are going to hire a screen and projector through a project called Centre Screen. We are going to have a couple of events about doing exercise. We are going to have an event at Waterfield Leisure Centre. We are going to have an event at a boxing gym and work with the staff there. We are going to have events in different places around Melton that have dance and fitness classes. We are going to have an event about personalisation for people with learning disabilities. We are going to try and make it easy to understand. We are going to have a carers event at Melton Museum on 2nd October. These are some of the things we are going to do

13. Action In Melton Thank you for listening. If you want to get involved or know more about any of our work you can call Miranda on 0116 3057983 or email her on miranda.graham@leics.gov.uk

14. Jobcentre PlusMarina DuckmantonExternal Relations ManagerLeicestershire and Northamptonshire

15. What is Jobcentre Plus? We aim to:- • Help more people into paid work • Help employers fill their jobs • Give people of working age the help and support they are entitled to if they cannot work

16. Services for people with disabilities. • Disability Employment Advisors (DEA’s) provide a range of support to help people with Health conditions or disabilities to find and keep a job • Help to find the right job for you • Advice and support in looking for a job • Advice and support on training opportunities • Advice and support on keeping your job • Information on a range of programmes designed to help you achieve your goals

17. Jobcentre Plus programmes to help you with what you could achieve. • Pathways to WorkIf you claim Employment Support Allowance you will automatically be considered for Pathways to Work • Flexible New DealIf you claim Jobseekers Allowance you can have help to find training or work placements in order to find a job.A new Work Programme has been set up for early next this year.

18. WorkPath programmes. • Work Preparationis made to suit each personto help to deal with barriers associated with disability, this may be available even if you are not claiming benefits • Access to Work is advice and practical support to overcome difficulties in the work place, for example, special equipment, travel to work costs, interpreters.

19. More services for people with disabilities. • Workstep • Support for people with more complex barriers to keeping a job • Supported jobs in mainstream business • Can move into employment or enjoy long-term support if this is the right thing for you • Access to Work and Workstep will join into Work Choice from October 2010

20. Additional Help for disadvantaged customers (PSA16). Special services for:- • Adults with moderate and severe learning disabilities • Offenders • Care Leavers • Adults with secondary mental health problems

21. Thank you.

22. The future of Valuing People Now, the Partnership Board and the Valuing People team Sue Disley Assistant Director. Personal care and support Alison Little Valuing People Coordinator

23. About this presentation. • Sue Disley. Assistant Director Personal Care and Support Leicestershire County Council 0116 305 7456 Sue.disley@leics.gov.uk • Alison Little. Valuing People Coordinator Leicestershire County Council 0116 305 7543 Alison.little@leics.gov.uk This presentation is to tell the Partnership Board about the changes in Valuing People. This includes changes in Leicestershire, the East Midlands and across the country. We need to start to think about what is most important and how we can keep the work going in the future.

24. Lots of things are changing • We know that things are going to change a lot in the next few months • A lot of the changes are going to happen, no matter what we say. This is because some really big decisions have already been made about the money available to pay for services to support people. • The Partnership Board need to know what is happening so we can carry on doing the best job we can • The Partnership Board need to talk about the changes and start making plans for the future

25. Changes that are happening across the country • The money we have to help make Valuing People Now happen is called the Learning Disabilities Development Fund. This is the last year for the money. It ends in March 2011. • The money to pay for the Valuing People team who work across the country ends in March 2011. • The new Government have said that Health, Housing and Personalisation for people with learning disabilities are really important. • They have not said if there will be any special support to keep the work going.

26. Changes in the East Midlands • The money to pay for the Valuing People team who work across the East Midlands ends in March 2011. • The Government have not said if there will be any special support to keep any of that work going. • Helen Mycock is talking to each Local Authority about ideas for keeping things working in the East Midlands. • She will let us know what will be happening as soon as possible.

27. Changes in Leicestershire • We already know that the County Council have got to save a lot of money. So there will be less workers and less of some services. • There has been a review of all the staff who run the offices. This included Julie and Keeley. They have both done really well and got jobs in the new teams. • They will still be able to work with us some of the time, but not all the time. • We are sad that this is changing but pleased for Julie and Keeley because they have got jobs. • The changes have to happen because the Council have to save a lot of money.

28. Changes in Leicestershire • All teams in the Adults and Communities Department are being reviewed. There will have to be a review of Valuing People team. This will be before the Learning Disabilities Development Fund money ends. • The Partnership Board need to start thinking about this now. We need to hear your views before the review gets started • The big public organisations in Leicestershire are setting up new ways of working together. Vanessa will be talking more about this later in the meeting. • This includes the County Council, Primary Care Trust, District and Borough Councils and others. • The Partnership Board will be part of the new way of working. We are not sure how this will work yet.

29. Group work • We need to start thinking and planning for the future. • This will help make sure that the things we think are most important will carry on. • In your groups please think about - If there is no money at all for Valuing People and the Partnership Board in future, what should carry on and how could we do this?

30. Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders Ester Vickers The National Autistic Society

31. What is Autism? • Autism is a life long disability • Autism affects the way a person makes sense of the world around them • A term which includes a wide range of different behaviors • Some people have little or no speech and others have good use of speech • Lots of ‘labels’ are used and this includes Asperger Syndrome

32. How common is Autism? • It affects more boys then girls, there are 4 boys to 1 girl it affects • Can affect anyone (all classes and cultures) • 40% of all children wait more than 3 years for a clear diagnosis • Many children with Autism get excluded and bullied at school • Only 15% of adults with Autism work

33. The Triangle of impairments (challenges that people face). Also consider:- Personality Environment (people and things) Intelligence Sensory! (hearing, seeing, touching, tasting and smelling). All people with an autism spectrum disorder have difficulties in three areas Social communication The triangle of impairments Social interaction Social imagination

34. Social communication May not understand words or only seem to hear parts of sentence One sided communication difficulties and taking it in turns. May interrupt Does not understand others facial expressions and other non verbal communication

35. Social communication May have difficulty with understanding words and may understand words as they sound, e.g. ‘pull your socks up’ May not understand the social purpose and enjoyment of conversation Talks all the time about one subject

36. Social interaction Social interaction difficulties include:- • making and keeping friends • understanding the rules of behaviour • not knowing what to do when with other people

37. Social interaction May approach others but not be very socially skilled and so appear ‘odd’ or inappropriate May not know what to do when with other people May find it hard to understand games and turn taking

38. Social imagination Social imagination difficulties include:- • understanding what other people may be thinking and feeling • having strong thoughts and being solid in behaviour • problems with having general feelings

39. Social imagination Difficulties imagining what may happen next Need for routines and difficulty coping with change Often have fascinations or obsessional behaviour about certain objects and subjects

40. Poor awareness of body position may lean on people/objects may have difficulty holding pen/cup Poor balance Not like to be touched or the feel of clothes Sensory sensitivities

41. Sensory sensitivities Could be sensitive to certain sounds Show strong reactions to certain smells Diet may be a problem due to having sensitive taste

42. Sensitive vision or difficulty with judging depth or tracking movement Show an unusual reaction to pain Sensory sensitivities

43. Other difficulties • Although not part of the diagnosis some children have difficulties with :- • Sleep • Diet and eating • Using the toilet • Motivation • Aggression • Irrational fears and phobias These problems are not about parenting!

44. Qualities and strengths • Happy in own company • Do not need to follow the crowd • Different sense of humour • Attention to detail • Fascination in area of interest • More honest and openness

45. Qualities and strengths • Good memory • Ability to concentrate • Can have strong sense of justice • Determination • Fewer social inhibitions • Different way of seeing the world!

46. Tips for Communication… • Use clear and precise language to gain attention first • Allow time for processing, this is the 6 second rule • Be exact with language • Always use the same words • Use visual supports to back up what you say • Remember the ability to communicate may get worse under stress

47. For further information please contact the NAS helpline or website… NAS Autism Helpline - 0845 070 4004 NAS Website – www.autism.org.uk Thanks for listening!

48. Big Health Day Self Assessment UpdateVersion 2 Laura Smith 19/7/2010

49. What we did this year We sent out around 1300 questionnaires. The questionnaires asked people to tell us about the services they have used. We asked people to tell us what things were good and which services could be better.

50. What we did this year We had 531 questionnaires sent back.