Learning Disability Partnership Boards in the North West March 2012

What did we do? We sent a short questionnaire to all NWADASS colleagues. We wanted to find out how Learning Disability Partnership Boards were developing. We especially wanted to know how the voices of people with a learning disability and their families were being heard in the North West 24/ 24 areas responded.

Do you still have a Learning Disability Partnership Board? Yes/ No When was the last time it met? Date - When is the next meeting?Date - Who is the chair person? Name – Contact details Who facilitates your Partnership Board. Name- Contact details Has the Learning Disability Partnership Board expanded its remit outside Learning Disability? Yes/ No How do you ensure that the voices of people with learning disabilities and their families are heard and able to influence locally? What plans do you have to link the issues affecting people with learning disabilities and their families to your Health and Well Being Board? What did we ask?

Do you still have a Learning Disability Partnership Board? All areas said they did still have a Learning Disability Partnership Board.

When was the last time you met? All areas had had a Learning Disability Partnership Board meeting in the last 2 months.

When is the next meeting? All areas had a Learning Disability Partnership Board meeting planned in the first quarter of 2012 and dates were being planned for the year.

Who is the chair person? 12 areas had an Local Authority Officer as Chair. 8 areas had a Councillor as Chair. 1 area had joint Local Authority/ PCT joint chairs. 1 area had a PCT chairs. 2 areas did not answer the question In addition 7 areas said they supported self-advocates and families as co-chairs.

Who facilitates your Partnership Board? 23 shared contact information of the person who facilitates the Learning Disability Partnership Board. 1 area did not answer the question.

Has the Learning Disability Partnership Board expanded its remit outside Learning Disability? 15 said they had not expanded their remit outside of Learning Disability. 1 said plans we being developed. 1 said they had expanded 1 said they had developed a Disability Partnership Board 3 said they had expanded to include Autism 3 said no although wider citizen user groups on issues of wellbeing and prevention, hate crime, housing and employment.

How do you ensure that the voices of the people with learning disabilities and their families are heard and able to influence locally? All 24 areas said they supported self-advocates and families sit on the Learning Disability Partnership Board. All 24 areas also reported that self-advocates and families were encouraged to be involved in work groups and consultations outside the Partnership Board too.

North West Valuing People Now Group Housing Sub Group Employment Sub Group Health Equalities Group Relationships/ Friendships and Citizenship Sub Group Finance Sub Group National Forum & NVFF Self Advocates Regional Forum Families Regional Forum Lead Officers Regional Forum Self-Advocates and Families meet together regionally and nationally. Lead Officers meet regionally all feedback to Partnership Boards

What plans do you have to link the issues affecting people with learning disabilities and their families to your Health and Wellbeing board? 7 reported that the Partnership Board Chair is a member of Health and Wellbeing Board. 2 said that the Executive Director was the link. 8 said they were still working on the link from Partnership Boards. 5 said through the work that was being put into the JSNA to make sure the needs of people with a learning disability were properly identified. 1 area has set up ‘listening groups’ for families and individuals 1 area’s Partnership Board is linked through self- advocates being member of LINK and Health Watch developments.

Conclusion – Good News The fact the all 24 areas responded positively to all of the questions in the questionnaire shows us the level of commitment there is to maintaining the voice of people with a learning disability and their families in this region. The priorities of Valuing People Now are still important in the North West.

Conclusion – need to pay attention As Health and Wellbeing Boards develop the NW needs to make sure that they do not become ‘professional’ bodies made up solely of public servants with a ‘token’ member of the community represented by Health Watch. Unless Health and Wellbeing Boards are representative of the people they serve and have a good understanding of the barriers that society presents and the way society can exclude people the chance of them ‘forgetting’ their role in serving all members of the public may be lost.

Recommendations Equality Action Training should be considered as part of establishment of Health and Wellbeing Boards to try to ensure all members have a good understanding of the barriers that society presents and the way society can exclude people Equality Impact Assessments completed by Health and Wellbeing Boards must be real and more than a ‘process to be completed’, real consideration must be given by Boards to their role on behalf of all members of their community. Redo the questionnaire in 12 months.

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