Putting the pieces together
So what is going on nationally to
improve the lives of people
with learning disabilities from
black and minority ethnic
communities?
North West
• Liverpool City Council - All staff receive diversity training
• Sefton - Wide ranging community participation work
• Wirral - Race Equality Impact Assessment in LD Services
• Merseyside - ”Separate or Different” Event 2007
• Rochdale – Aashiyana Asian Carers Group AACG have monthly meetings
attended by around 40 people from a community base of 160 carers.
• Bolton – Working with young people from ethnic communities to develop
Person Centred Plans and school reviews
North East
North East
• Gateshead – have made good contact with neighbouring authorities
and regional ethnicity group. They have set up a SADA ethnicity group
to develop their work and ensure that carers have a say in planning,
developing and delivering services inclusively.
• Northumberland – now have a sub-group on ethnicity on their LDPB and
are sharing information and resources on ethnicity in their locality. They
have representation on the Regional Ethnicity Network.
Yorkshire and
Humberside
• Leeds - The Leeds LDPB used the Learning Disability Development Fund to
employ an Ethnicity Manager. Under this leadership they are developing key
areas of work around ethnicity including accessibility of information, training
in cultural awareness, community engagement and community consultation.
Yorkshire and
Humberside
• Leeds - Shakti will support people with learning difficulties from south Asian
communities – who face disadvantages because of their impairment and
ethnicity - to change their lives. Run by Connect in the North, Shakti will
raise self-esteem, confidence, knowledge and life skills through 30 weeks’
training that will cover subjects including personal rights, accessing help and
managing support.
• Leeds - People in Action – People’s Place a multicultural centre for people with
learning difficulties and disabilities. This is a collaboration between several
groups including Skin Deep (a Black & Asian People First group), Pride of Leeds
(a South Asian social firm of trainers) and ROOOOTS.
• Sheffield – Sheffield Case Register and Insight Systems now enable proper
planning of services and can link ethnicity to the level of people’s disabilities
• Sheffield - Asian Family Carers Group, established in 2001, supports families
from local Pakistani community including signposting people to services.
Yorkshire and
Humberside
continued
• Sheffield - Apni Awaaz day services based at Sheffield’s Pakistan Muslim
Centre from 2003
• Wakefield – Now have a BME development worker for family services who has
been supporting advocacy through targeting people from BME communities and
distributing specially designed posters in suitable locations. Cultural competence
training is now being given and in particular workshops on Islamic awareness.
• Rotherham – Have developed an Ethnicity Framework to increase communication
and awareness across the service. Since it’s introduction there has been an
increase from 18 to 29 peopl from BME communities know to their services.
they have a designated BME worker working with the Asian Women’s Day Care
group and their families. A newsletter called ‘Moving Together’ is sent out in
different languages and formats to other groups to ensure good support.
West Midlands
• Dudley – the Healthy You project supports people with
learning disabilities and their carers from BME groups.
The LDPB Ethnicity Sub Group meets bi-monthly with family
carer and self-advocates from minority communities on the
sub group and PB.
• Dudley - Ehsas Carers support children with special needs
and adults with learning disabilities. They plan a training
programme for family carers in a community language.
• Dudley - APNA Group has a part-time development worker
supporting a dozen self-advocates and providing educational
courses.
West Midlands
• Walsall – Ethnic Advocacy Black Country is a partnership
between two BME advocacy groups in Walsall and Dudley
• Wolverhampton – Completion of audit of BME needs of
people from BME communities now influencing services.
• Stoke – Developed a PATH from taking part in Valuing All
People to improve services for BME communities and
appointed a transition facilitator for BME young people
• Telford - An initial meeting is being planned on April 17th
to bring together adults with learning disabilities from BME
communities across Shropshire, Telford and The Wrekin.
• Birmingham – Development of an Asian women’s day centre to
help them access community resources of interest in a culturally
appropriate environment. Recent appointment of two carer’s
assessors specifically for carers from BME communities
• Solihull - Care Trust training for LD staff on cultural competency
West Midlands
continued
• Coventry – Grapevine are organising a summer holiday event which
has a BME focus but is also an inclusive event. Also the
Culture Speak Out Group for people from BME backgrounds to
take part in sub group and LDPB. The PB has an accessible website
at www.ldpb.info. They have had several events for family carers
from BME communities to share information & increase awareness
East Midlands
• Leicester City – an advocacy group called We Think Too for BME women feeds
feeds into PB as does a group for Asian carers.
Carers Action Group have been using interpreters to facilitate their training
and working groups. Almost 50% of carers stating their ethnicity in response to
a recent questionnaire came from ethnic communities.
East Midlands
• Leicester City - An accessible Transition Pack has been completed with a focus
on the needs of people with learning disabilities. Groups promoting this will
support those from ethnic minority communities.
Developing materials, including interactive CDs on going to opticians and have a
hearing test in easy read, photo symbol and video clip form with the aim of voice
overs in community languages. Also now have a subgroup to ensure the BME
groups are able to develop Health Action Plans and access resources.
• Derby City – An Asian carers group has been established and is thriving. Plans
are for an African Caribbean carers Forum too.
A project targeted at South Asian children, previously under-represented for
short-break provision, has expanded significantly as the number of South Asian
and other BME children being supported has increased. Around 40% of children
receiving a service from the Integrated Disabled Children’s Service are from
BME communities in Derby
East Midlands
continued
Derbyshire - Derbyshire Advocacy Service are looking at producing their publicit
Material in different languages as those done previously are now out of date.
Eastern
Region
• Hertfordshire - The County Council have worked hard to make information
accessible to different communities, including a DVD about it’s services also
BME sub group of LDPB set up with BME reps for carers & service users on
the board itself.
• Norfolk - Learning Difficulty Service has identified changing needs and
services for different communities, in particular the developing Portuguese
and East European communities.
• Suffolk – The Suffolk Family Carers does research in to experiences of
family carers and service users from BME communities and how LD services
address diversity needs. Referals can be made to Suffolk Family Carers BME
support worker
• Bedfordshire and Luton - undertook a major project to
identify their ethnic minority populations to enable them
to focus their services for these different communities
Eastern
Region
• Southend on sea - have also been identifying their different communities
and talking to organisations that represent them to improve communication
and information about services.
A new initiative to set up an
Eastern Regional network is planned for this summer
South West
• Devon – Work being done to help communications about
emotions and mental health in five community languages.
Also, paying people from BME communities to talk with
people with learning disabilities within their communities
• Plymouth – Holding a ‘Respect Festival’ and increasing the
awareness of BME issues as part of Person-Centred Planning
• South Gloucestershire - has just set up a Learning Difficulties
Programme Board responsible for changes to LD services.
The project and reference groups will ensure that people
from BME communities are involved in any changes to
services as well as getting BME members on partnership
boards. There are also now two funded posts working with
both the Afro Carribean and Asian communities.
South West
• Swindon - building on work done by it’s community
development workers.
• Devon – Hikmat project being funded by LDDF to see how
they could include people with learning disabilities from
minority ethnic communities in what they do.
• Bristol University – Research by Martin Partridge into
Chinese adults with learning disabilities in Britain.
• Bournemouth – Development officer in place to support Forum
Speaking Up Group, also part of PB subgroup engaging with
people with learning disabilities from BME groups.
Assisting people from BME communities to access Direct
Payments for support services including their choice of
language for information.
• Torbay – A large day centre in Torbay has started making good
links with local minority ethnic communities including a staff
organising a fund-raising event with a local Indian restaurant
which was very successful. This year another Indian restaurant
are taking part along with and African drummer and Chinese
dancers. It is planned to make this an annual event to bring the
different cultures in Torbay close together.
South West
• Portsmouth – the Learning Disability Team produced a mainly
pictorial leaflet aimed at BME communities with learning
disabilities translated into Bengali, Cantonese, Arabic &
Kurdish and are working alongside other BME groups locally.
South East
• Buckinghamshire – BME sub group of PB has been formed. They had a
workshop for family carers from BME communities looking at depression in
carers. Also had 2 conferences for people with LD and their carers from
BME communities in last 3 years. There is also a transition service in place
with good co-working with BME workers and use of interpreters and
translated materials
• Windsor & Maidenhead – Now working with their respite services to
make it more welcoming for people from diverse communities – e.g.
providing suitable food and entertainment for a wider range of cultures.
They have a BME worker who has built good links with on local specialist
school and to referring schools. Also support from the LDDF to identify
young people in transition and provide support for them
South East
• Hampshire - Hampshire Ethnic Minority Learning Disability Project is a
major initiative providing a link to learning disability services for ethnic
minority people and their families. See their presentation for more info!
• Hertfordshire – Have been made a Beacon Authority and have used this
to fund two videos. One covers 10 key words in a number of community
Languages to help staff communicate with BME communities. The other is
A video about accessing ‘Getting in Touch’ a language line service for BME
Communities to access services.
• Slough – Development of employment opportunities through a successful
employment workshop attended by over 100 people. Working party set up
after to further develop opportunities for people from BME communities.
• Kent – BME awareness training for existing ‘Voice for Kent’ self-advocacy
group
South East
continued
London
• Camden – Now developing effective ways of working closely with members of
BME communities after a consultation through a local carer’s organisation to
review services. Also agreed a local Advocacy Development Plan to enable
members of BME community groups to support member of their communities who
have learning disabilities.
• Enfield – Developing their PCP approach by translating their ‘Listen to Me’
document into Turkish & Greek and to make facilitators aware of any other
Community languages that people would like translated. PCP documentation also
Made available .in picture/graphic format. Ensure that all facilitators consider
people’s religion, culture and beliefs in their planning
• Croydon – A more adequate advocacy service has been set up through extra
funding which will enable bi-lingual advocacy and facilitate the BME development
officer’s work.
London
• Westminster – Following advice from the DRC, the local PCT has introduced
systems to record the ethnicity of people with a learning disability within GP
records. This can then be used to offer an annual health check and devise a
Health Action Plan
• Brent – Diversity training is now compulsory within the local council and takes
into account the culturally diverse population there.
• Sutton – The whole borough workforce have received diversity training although
not specific to people with learning disabilities.
London
continued
Phew!
Tell me about any missing pieces
you know about!
Simon Nieder
BME Worker
ARC UK
simon.nieder@arcuk.org.uk