Back to Dimensions websiteThursday, January 1, 1970, 01:00 AM
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( 0 / 0 )Friday, August 3, 2007, 04:44 PM
Finding the time to write a blog and having something interesting to share is far from easy, as I have most recently learned. Although the latter proves to be an easier task with so much interest in the treasury’s spending review report, Aiming high for disabled children: better support for families.We now know that the proposal for the Transition Support Programme needs to be identified by October 2007, ready to be piloted in April 2008.
“This Transition Support Programme should include:
• A young person’s information pack, including information on further education, training opportunities and work options;
• Access to an advisor or key worker and advocacy and support;
• Consolidation of the person centred planning process from age 14, with increased information for professionals, and coordinated and timely assessments based on the young person’s aspirations, at key points to assist in the transition to adulthood, including signposting to future appropriate provision; and
• Joint team working across agencies and with adult services to encourage a holistic approach, and choice and control for young people.”
As we make the change from Tony to Gordon, it’s good to know that there are some familiar faces still in place with Ivan Lewis retaining his responsibility for Social Care and the Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, who becomes the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and heads up this new department. I think it’s great that we don’t have to start the EDCM campaign all over again with different MPs and ministers, anyone remember Jamie’s School Dinners and the dilemma he was faced with when the cabinet had a reshuffle?
At Dimensions, we welcome the proposal to embed person centered planning (PCP) into schools for young people from age 14. Being able to live the life you want is very important for the people we support but so often the process of PCP is alien to them and their families. The more people who can have “a say” (and by this I mean all people, including those with profound and complex needs) over the planning for their future the better.
In June I was invited to host a stand at the Valuing People Transforming Children’s Services at Lord’s cricket ground. It was a great day to share good practice from around the regions and I was particularly delighted to share some of the “Aspirations” and “Opportunities” on behalf of the young people we support. As an organisation who works in most regions in England, I was able to share the achievements of some young people since leaving school and college, which is something I know that professionals and families are concerned with; good quality provision post 19. Some of the achievements range from buying their own home to initiating their own “Gap Year” to raising a child whilst continuing to further develop skills at a local college.
It was also the official launch of the DVD, After School What’s Possible. I suppose I am somewhat biased about the brilliance of this tool as my brother (although a small role to play) features on the DVD and explains what his life is like now using direct payments. Each section of the DVD is based upon Simon Duffy’s Keys to Citizenship. A practical tool which goes someway to supporting the Transition Support Programme, as an information pack for young people and their families, although the need for more locally based information packs, in different formats is still required and I know that this is happening in some areas.
Having information about the area you live in has always been a problem, with this in mind, I am planning to make the transitions section on the Dimensions website a little more user friendly with local information about the regions we work in and the type of work we get involved in. For example in Leicester, we support a young woman whose first language is Hindi. Sinead McHugh, transition Lead for the East Midlands, has arranged with a social worker (who doesn't speak any Hindi) about holding the next review in Hindi, and translating it for his benefit, rather than the other way round. This should make it much more productive for the young woman who will be able to express her feelings more freely in her first language and it will fully include her family.
Thinking about local opportunities and networks that are cropping up all over England, there have been 9 Regional Transition Seminars organised by the Transition Information Network, with the Council for Disabled Children. I attended the London regional seminar and was amazed at the various different titles of Transition workers, all helping to coordinate services in many areas. At our Lost in Transition? conference held in April this year, one attendee highlighted the different job titles as an area of confusion for them. I’ve always held the view that I don’t care what people are called, I’ve never been precious about long winded titles (this from the woman who has to take a deep breath every time she says it!) as long as the job gets done and we all work together but I can see the point she raises. If professionals find it difficult contacting the right person, what on earth must it be like for families who do not work in the system? With this in mind, I’m starting to put together a Frequently Asked Questions page for the website, which will hopefully end some (though not all) of the confusion.
More information about the seminars will be posted on the TIN website. www.transitioninfonetwork.org.uk
Another change to our website will be the ongoing blog of Dean Brewer. Dean is a very talented young man who needs no introduction from me. I have to say, I think I have some competition on the blog front but his first hand experience about supported living is very insightful for anyone considering the move and all the delights and despairs that go with it. I know I’ll be looking forward to his next entry.
Before I go, I’d just to say “thank you” to Geoff, Miro and Katie for their comments on my blog, I’ve never written one before but apparently it’s the in thing? I don’t know about that, but it is a useful tool for distributing information and seeing as so many people are relying on the internet these days for their social networks (I have a friend who uses her my space page to keep in touch with her mum!) I might as well be one of them.
Happy blogging.
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( 3 / 1027 )Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 02:18 PM
I have something in common with Ivan Lewis. No, it’s not that the fact I work in the voluntary sector as did he; before he entered the murky waters of Politics and I am sad to say I have never visited Bury, let alone lived or worked there. It is something much more profound than that. Ivan recalled an ancient Chinese proverb that he felt underpinned the work of the parliamentary hearings that took place last summer and has now resulted in a new report, Aiming high for disabled children: better support for families. If you haven’t seen or heard about it, where have you been? As I listened intently to Ivan addressing a group of about 100, (including MPs, parents, professionals and children and young people) at No 11 Downing Street last night, even the sweltering heat couldn’t prevent the shiver running down my spine.
Tell me and I forget
Show me and I remember
Involve me and I understand;
This proverb had been my mantra when I first began teacher training in 2001 and then once again as I developed a transition toolkit with the aid of young disabled people in 2004.
A simple, yet effective piece of advice that has never left me. Nor did it, the young man proudly standing next to me at No 11; whom I had had the pleasure of supporting to give evidence for last summer for transition. Ajay, the young man in question, turned to look at me and said, “you had that on your office wall.” Not much of an achievement, I know, but it grounded me to the spot momentarily, before reaching for another glass of champagne!
Having been trying to improve transition for young people for more years than I care to mention, just knowing that Health, Education and the Treasury are finally working together in this area has renewed my energy and enthusiasm that we can provide better coordinated support at the time of transition, whenever that happens to be.
Ed Balls was equally enigmatic in his speech, and having spoken to him last year, I sensed that he really did want to make a difference for disabled children and their families. However, I don’t think his remark that the £340 million of investment was a “down payment” will ever be forgotten amongst the voluntary sector! Indeed Francine Bates from Contact a Family thanked Ed and his colleagues for their contribution so far and concluded, with a “but . . .”
I whispered to Ajay in the middle of his address to us all, “You’ve made history!”
As Ajay, didn’t fully understand the quip, I later explained that this was the first time the Government had fully listened to parents and their children about what it’s really like to be on the receiving end of services and most of their recommendations would now be delivered through local government.
Of course, the reality is that most people won’t begin to see a real difference until at least another year, but then I don’t think that will be such as a bad thing if we all sit down and properly work out what we are going to do with such a vast sum of money.
The £19m for a Transition Support Programme, modeled on the Early Support programme but focused on young disabled people in transition to adulthood must not be overlooked but it must also be carefully monitored. The last thing we want is a “smash & grab” for the money with more local authority or voluntary “projects & research” popping up all over the country. Far better to plan and work out what we really want to do with the money, as of course it is such a large sum. We could of course invest in the already plentiful good practice pilots out there. Projects that are pioneering new ways of working with people with disabilities (or not so new if you live in Canada or the USA) such as the Person Centered Reviews taking place in schools, led by the Valuing People Support Team and Individual Budgets for young people, led by In-Control.
When I first arrived at Downing street in the early part of the evening, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, was it just a PR exercise? Could things really change? I suppose the man who shouted out “Bloody tourists” as I and others around me stood to have our photograph taken outside No 10, put a bit of a damp squid on my excitable mood, even though I know he was joking, at least I think he was. Going to No 10 was a big deal for me. I, personally don’t know many others who have been or will ever get the opportunity to go. A working class girl from the east end of London, there have been other occasions when I have been ridiculed for my Estuary English, but last night was not one of them. I spoke with the Rt. Hon Tom Clarke CBE MP and we discussed the many problems that currently affect our society. The most prolific of those; being the many people being held in our prison service because of the lack of awareness in public services of people with mental health problems and learning disabilities.
By the end of the evening, I left, feeling completely optimistic about the new report with its actions and proposals but also a little bit wary about the delivery of such a mammoth task, the Transition Support Programme for example. Who can fulfill such a duty? Who will want to fulfill such a duty? And who will be the most appropriate? I guess all will become clear over the forth coming weeks.
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