1. Improving services for people from minority ethnic communities: The national survey of Partnership BoardsChris HattonProfessor of Psychology, Health & Social CareInstitute for Health ResearchLancaster University

2. The Survey • Commissioned by Valuing People Support Team (as part of supporting evidence for a report to Stephen Ladyman) • Survey of 161 Partnership Board chairs in England December 2004 – February 2005 (82 replied; 51%) • Asked Partnership Boards about what progress they were making concerning people with learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities

3. The Survey • Results have been written up, and will shortly be publicly available • Want to talk today about some findings of the survey, and my personal thoughts on what they mean • 12 questions for us all to think about

4. Q1: How important is ethnicity to Partnership Boards? • 51% response rate – glass half full/half empty? • Some PBs said strategic planning for people from minority ethnic communities was a low priority • Small numbers, lack of info, reactive response to individuals • Some PBs where issue is not on the agenda • Issue of how to support the development of strong leadership in some PBs

5. Q2: How important is ethnicity vs other aspects of culture? • In many responses, ethnicity used as a synonym for race: • Only non-White communities assumed to be “ethnic” • Other aspects of culture (e.g. religion) bundled into ethnicity & assumed to only apply to particular communities • PBs need to be clear about ethnicity vs other aspects of culture • Ethnicity not about skin colour • Other aspects of culture (e.g. religion) need to be separated out from ethnicity and considered in their own right

6. Q3: What resources are needed? • Some PBs reported needing extra resources • Resources an issue where large numbers of new people from minority ethnic communities are being found • Need to financially support services that do this? • Where people are known to services, improvements should be cost-neutral • Expertise and support often available within general NHS and LA structures – need to tap into these

7. Q4: Are Partnership Boards complying with legislation? • Very few PBs specifically mentioned RRA, DDA and HRA; even though some of these impose requirements on services • Not mentioned because done routinely? • Not mentioned because of lack of awareness? • Need to make sure that PBs are aware of their duties and are given the support to help PBs meet them

8. Q5: How can Partnership Boards work best for people from minority ethnic communities? • Lots of PBs changing the way they work: • Ethnicity champions • Ethnicity sub-groups • Greater representation of users, carers and professionals from minority ethnic communities on PBs • Too soon to know which work best • Over the next few years, PBs to share information and lessons to find out what works best?

9. Q6: What information do Partnership Boards need? • Many PBs said it was hard to get accurate, reliable, comprehensive info… • Especially on people not known to services • Many PBs conducting research projects to get info before starting strategic planning or service change • PBs need to incorporate info on ethnicity, spoken & written language, religion into routine info systems, and train/resource these systems adequately • Health and social care PIs not very useful • Look to change PIs?

10. Q7: How can LDDF money best be used to support people from minority ethnic communities? • LDDF money presenting a dilemma for responding PBs. • Many PBs claimed that there was no specific LDDF allocation, but that ethnicity issues were incorporated into all their LDDF-funded projects • Ideal outcome – mainstreaming issues of ethnicity into all planning and service initiatives • Small number of PBs provided convincing evidence of this • The other PBs making these claims???

11. Q7: How can LDDF money best be used to support people from minority ethnic communities? • Some PBs used LDDF money for specific projects concerning minority ethnic communities • But mostly used the money to set up ethnically separate services for specific ethnic groups • Sometimes without convincing evidence of strategic planning • Recreating short-term specialist projects, with all their problems? • Rather than monitoring LDDF spend on minority ethnic communities, monitor impact of all LDDF spend on minority ethnic communities?

12. Q8: How do we best support asylum seekers and refugees? • Small numbers of PBs specifically mentioned these groups • Challenge to usual ways of working: • Often do not arrive into established communities • Presence can be relatively short-term • Legal issues • Uncertainty about length of stay in area • Lack of existing service resources and expertise • National guidance and expertise needed?

13. Q9: How do we best support Traveller & Gypsy communities? • Small numbers of PBs specifically mentioned these groups • Challenge to usual ways of working: • Well-established communities, but often relatively mobile • Uncertainty about length of stay • Lack of existing service resources and expertise • National guidance and expertise needed?

14. Q10: Are different strategies and supports needed for PBs in different circumstances? • Strategic support to PBs from VPST and others so far working on two levels: • National • Regional • But PBs very diverse re people from minority ethnic communities, have very issues and support needs • Might also be useful to target different types of support to PBs in similar circumstances, even if they are geographically distant

15. Q11: How do we broaden service activities? • From the examples of good practice mentioned by PBs, there is significant activity in: • Making Partnership Boards more effective • Information • Supporting family carers • Advocacy • Day service modernisation • Increasing the diversity of the workforce

16. Q11: How do we broaden service activities? • No PBs mentioned good practice in: • Children Employment • A place to live Benefits • Education and lifelong learning • 5 or less PBs mentioned good practice in: • Health Transition • Compliance with legislation • Person-centred planning • Direct payments • Leisure, friendships and relationships • Need to broaden areas of service activity to comprehensively improve services for people from minority ethnic communities

17. Q12: How to make sure we move from planning to action? • From their responses, most PBs at the start of a cycle of improvement: • Reshaping PB working • Information collection • Developing strategic action plans • Less reporting on actual changes to services as a result of these activities • Need to make sure we don’t get stuck here and move on to change services