No Limits Hertfordshire Helping people with multiple and complex long term conditions and/or physical disabilities make the most of their lives January 23 rd 2014

Our aims To help people with long term conditions and or physical disabilities make the most of their lives by facilitating easy access to employment, training, volunteering or other opportunities that promote health and wellbeing, and by giving them the skills and ability to live as independently as possible.

Introduction In June 2012, a number of private, voluntary and statutory organisations in Hertfordshire, got together, supported by Hertfordshire County Council, to look at ways in which they could develop sustainable services that people with physical disabilities (including sensory impairment) and LTCs needed and wished for.

Canvassing service users’ needs People with LTCs and/or physical disabilities, living in Hertfordshire, told us they wanted: More choice about what they can do, when they can do it and where they can go, More support to access opportunities and activities available to them, To be included and not to be discriminated against, particularly by employers, To take control of their lives and live independently, Peer support and the ability to self-advocate, Opportunities to make the most of their lives and support to overcome barriers to accessing those opportunities.

Wider research In May 2013 the MOST steering group held an information gathering and sharing event. Attendees were keen to share their ideas and concerns. Over 70% of attendees (92 people with long term conditions and or disabilities) said they wanted to work, volunteer, help others, and/or undertake training. And their needs and wishes agreed with those already canvassed.

What next? At our last meeting in September 2013, we, the steering group, decided that we needed to change our name to No Limits, develop a brand and identify the aims of No Limits and how these aims could realistically be achieved. A working group was set up to take this work forward.

Five aims for No Limits Aim One: To make information easily available to people with LTCs and or physical disabilities about the opportunities there are in Hertfordshire to access work, training, volunteering or activities that can improve individuals’ health and or wellbeing. We will do this by providing: Web based information, self-help materials and an online booking facility, for people who seek and book opportunities, once found, independently, Telephone information, advice and signposting to local opportunity providers, for people who need a little support, 1:1 support for people who would not be able to access opportunities without it.

Five aims for No Limits Aim Two: To make opportunities accessible by identifying the barriers to taking up opportunities and finding ways to overcome them. Barriers may include: Funding, e.g. issues relating to direct payments, Individual training budgets, self-funding, benefits, Lack of transport, Language/communication difficulties, Training requirements prior to employment, or to help manage their own finances and care for example, Lack of learning tools for individuals and perspective employers, The need for supported access.

Five aims for No Limits Aim Three: To ensure the sustainability of opportunity providers by facilitating and supporting capacity building, resource sharing, development of pricing strategies (full cost recovery and unit costs), and charging policies. Aim Four: We aim to tackle workplace discrimination, prevent the exclusion of disabled people in the workforce, promote positive inclusion and support the education of employers in Hertfordshire.

Five aims for No Limits Aim Five: To work closely with people in Hertfordshire who have long term conditions and/or physical disabilities to shape future service development and delivery throughout the county.

First steps to meeting our aims Vision of a peer led service The vision for NO LIMITS is that it will be a Peer led service. Peers supporting peers, Fulfilling individual potential : Making it Happen. How will this be achieved? We need you! We need you to identify one or two people from your services who are interested in volunteering their time to be part of various working groups.

Funding and support for individuals… NO LIMITS currently has funding towards supporting people who wish to be part of this group. NO LIMITS is able to support individual training costs and travel expenses. We will also consider, on an individual basis, other support needs e.g. 1:1 support to attend training or technology to aid communication. NO LIMITS is unable to fund support which is already in place for an individual, i.e. a personal assistant who has been identified to support someone's day opportunities.

WEB SITE… Developing our website NO LIMITS has already bought the Domain name. We are looking for a working party to build the website, full training will be given for individuals who wish to be part of this group. The web site will contain all partnership information, your logos and services provided. Direct links to HertsHelp.

Questions For You… Who in your service do you think would like to be involved? Perhaps retrain? Do names come to mind? How can we present this to your service users? Telephone contact, meeting, letters/ , presentations? As partners of No Limits how can your organisation help people, who utilise your services, get involved?

How we propose to meet our aims Map existing provision across the county Herts Help will: Look at the information we and the HertsHelp network (250 organisations) already holds around potential providers of training, non and pre work activities, volunteer opportunities and work opportunities; Design a survey for the HertsHelp network members to complete about what they offer; Support the HertsHelp volunteers and POhWER Reference Group to research and survey providers currently outside of the HertsHelp network active in Hertfordshire; Create a database of opportunities which HertsHelp will maintain; Become the free information, advice and support hub for No Limits.

How we propose to meet our aims Provide a single point of contact for people seeking meaningful occupations, by working in partnership with HertsHelp: Part of the existing HertsHelp offer – free to users and providers; Accessible – telephone, letter, , webform, text, minicom, skype etc; Taking a ‘no wrong door’ and ‘whole person’ approach; and Outcomes focused with check-in calls to users.

How we propose to meet our aims What do you think?