1

Swale District Partnership Group District Plan April 2016 – March 2017 Supporting Valuing People Now to happen in Kent

2

Contents Page

Introduction 1-4

Health

1. Promote and educate people with learning disabilities and

their families to make healthy lifestyle choices. 2. Act as a Healthwatch Champion

3. To continue to work with Health Services and Groups to have a voice.

5 6

Employment

Work together with Job Centre Plus and other agencies and

employers to support people with learning disabilities who are working or in supported employment.

7

What I do

Encourage and support people with learning disabilities to get involved in the Community and volunteer

8

Personalisation Gather information on the effectiveness of Personal

Centred Plans

Increase and promote independence by person centrered approaches to care and support.

9

9

Keeping Safe

Support the Roll-out of the Shop-Safe Scheme across Kent.

Raise awareness of Bulling and Hate Crime

11

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 3

Housing Support people with learning disabilities to move into independent living by renting in the private sector .

Citizenship

Promote EU Referendum and encourage people to vote.

Encourage people to have their say in decision making

about Valuing People Now

Establish Local Action Groups across Kent to campaign

See below

Restart a Heart

to train 30 people in emergency Life Saving skills including CPR

13

13

14

. Transition Engage with local schools, colleges and youth groups to make sure that the transition process is clear and carers and parents have access to information

15

4

Introduction

East Kent Mencap manages the District Partnership Group in Ashford Canterbury Dover Shepway Swale

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 in Shepway. The Valuing People District Worker for Swale is Caz White 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)

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 5

Topic : Health

Promote and educate people with learning

disabilities and their families to make healthy

lifestyle choices. Awareness of Health problems

associated with poor healthy lifestyle such as

Diabetes and heart disease

Aim

Work in partnership with other health promotors such as

Health trainers, Diabetes CCG group and Sheppey

Matters to share information and hold 2 information

Hold 2 fun health and wellbeing workshops to:

Educate people with learning disabilities, their families

and carers about the dangers of hidden sugars in Look

at the Traffic Light System of labelling

Look at other health issues and services and help

available

Attend Health Trainers monthly meetings to give

feedback and suggestions such as a Weight Watchers

type group for people with learning disabilities.

Promote and support healthy lifestyle by promoting and

engaging with other groups such as the Friday

discounted or free activities such as the free swim on a

Sunday at Swallows and Sheppey Leisure Centre and

the Disability Football teams such as Swale Spiders.

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 6

Act as a Healthwatch Champion What we aim to do Gather feedback from DPG members on health and social care issues and report them to Healthwatch as necessary. Issues have been raised : Patient Transport problems and feedback Lack of understanding from Doctors/ Doctors receptionists re appointment system

Continue to be involved in shaping Health

services and having a voice.

What we aim to do

Attend Swale CCG and KCHT Patient Engagement

meetings and have a voice on local matters such as:

Confusion over Virgin care Takeover of Minster Hospital Lack of Diabetes training courses and insulin pumps in Swale Bad experiences of Patient Transport Difficulty booking appointments and obtaining Doctor’s

letters from local GP surgeries

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 7

Topic : Employment

Employment Work together with Job Centre

Plus and other agencies and employers to

support people with learning disabilities who

are working or in supported employment.

What we aim to do Work in partnership with Job Centre Plus and other agencies to to ensure easy read resources are available in each Job Centre across Kent ie Work Experience “Guide to Me” and communication cards.

Work with DWP and Job Centre Plus and other agencies to promote and support people in the Work Experience Programme. Explore resources to help people with learning disabilities communicate with staff at Job Centre Plus. Support people with learning disabilities through the process when: Found fit for work or limited work Are found Work Experience by the Job Centre In Supported employment They are having problems at work They have related DWP Benefits issues

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 8

Topic : Encourage and support people with learning disabilities to get involved in the Community and volunteer: By engaging with local groups such as Swale Community Empowering Network, Swale Volunteer Centre and Sheppey Matters Adding value and giving something back by continuing to support people to volunteer in the Community Aim Attend SCEN meetings and share information about projects and opportunities and make contacts. Work with Swale Volunteer Centre and other organisations and employers such as Demelza House,Seashells Children’s Centre, Big Fish Arts, Sheppey FM to support people to volunteer and encourage employers to consider volunteers with a learning disability and other disabilities Work with Sheppey Matters and SCEN to support people to attend training courses and activities to give them more skills and confidence to get involved , contribute to their community and make new friends and contacts.

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 9

Topic: Personalisation (Kent wide target) Gather information on the effectiveness of Personal Centred Plans

What we aim to do

Gather information through DPGs on whether having a plan helps people achieve things they want to do and make choices in their lives. Find out if people:

- Know what their PCP is - If it is reviewed regularly - What people like or dislike about their plan - If people feel their plan is helping them achieve

their goals.

Increase and promote independence by

person centrered approaches to care and support. Aim Visit Care Homes, Day Centres and places where people with learning disabilities go to find out if their PCP is working and encourage use PCP Tools such as Relationship Circle, What’s Working / What’s Not Working ,Important To / Important For etc.

Access and promote other services and activities to increase independence : The Kent Pathways Service Kent Pathways, Occupational Therapy, Independent Living Skills Assessment Access to public transport –encourage uptake on Bus Passes ,travelling on public transport and not relying on lifts and less flexibility.

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 10

Topic: Keeping Safe (Kent wide target)

Support the Roll-out of the Shop-Safe Scheme across Kent. Aim Seek to identify a central point of contact to hold information in Kent. Canvass people with learning disabilities to find out where they would feel comfortable asking for help.

Work with Local Councils, Town Centre Management, Community Safety Units, Kent Police to

- explain how the Shop Safe Scheme works and the benefits.

- Encourage premises to sign up to be part of the scheme

- Distribute window stickers to premises who sign up to the scheme.

Promote the scheme to people with learning disabilities.

Raise awareness of Bulling and Hate Crime

Educate people/schools about people with learning disabilities Work in partnership with organisations such as Skillnet Group,MCCH,East Kent Mencap,local schools and colleges Aim To hold an Anti Bullying workshop covering:

- Internet and mobile phone Safety - Personal Safety - What is abuse

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 11

- What is hate crime - What to do if you think you or someone you know is a victim of abuse , hate crime or being bullied or targeted

Create reporting Hubs in Sheerness, Sittingbourne and Faversham Continue working with MCCH and the Jig Saw project to set up reporting hubs and train people to deal correctly with reports of bullying ,abuse or hate crime

Road and pedestrian Safety

Continue working with Kent Police and Kent Fire and Rescue to promote Road and Pedestrian Safety and show people with learning disabilities how to be safe when they are out in the community Aim – Support people with learning disabilities to attend a workshop on Road Safety at Sheppey Kent Fire and Rescue Get involved in Road Safety Week Attend the Road Safety Experience

Topic : Housing

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 12

Support people with learning disabilities to move into independent living by renting in the private sector . Look into house shares Private rented Supported housing Social Housing Build relationship with landlords and estate agents to increase their likelihood of them renting to someone with learning disabilities Find out people’s experiences of private rented housing Make sure that people feel safe and happy in the private rented sector Explore the financial implications of renting in the Private sector finding out people’s experiences

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 13

Topic: Citizenship Topic: Citizenship Promote EU Referendum and encourage people to vote. What we aim to do Encourage people to use their right to vote following on from the voting workshops held in 2015. Support people to access balanced information (using the resources available such as The Easy Read EU Document, Referendum leaflets etc) to help people understand the arguments for and against and how it might affect them. Educate people about Europe,finances and public spending

Encourage people to have their say in decision making about Valuing People Now

Aim County Council consultation document about the future of Valuing People now. Hold a special meeting and attend care homes,day centres , homes to help people have their say about the future of Valuing People Now

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 14

Topic: Citizenship (Kent wide target) Establish Local Action Groups across Kent What we aim to do Set up a network of Local Action Groups across Kent to campaign on issues that affect people with learning disabilities. Support people with learning disabilities to understand how to campaign including: - What is a campaign

- Planning a campaign

- Who do we need to contact

- Things to avoid doing

- What makes a campaign successful Choose a campaign to work on.

Aim – To attend a Campaign Workshop Set up a Campaign

Use skills to successfully deliver campaign – see below Restart a Heart National campaign by British Heart Foundation

Restart a Heart Aim to obtain resources by applying for a bid from British Heart Foundation for training kits to train 30 people in emergency Life

Saving skills including CPR Work with South East Coast Ambulance Service, Kent Fire and

Rescue Service to deliver workshops in the community and offer resources to share with other organisations and groups

Swale District Partnership Group Annual Plan 2016-17 Page 15

. Transition Engage with local schools, colleges and youth groups to make sure that the transition process is clear and carers and parents have access to information Aim Attend Meadowfield School Moving On event ,promote the DPG ,make contacts and invite to DPG meetings and events

Attend local groups and engage with parents and young people with learning disabilities such as: ADHD group in Sheerness Disability Football group Sheppey Matters Youth Club Seashells Carers Group