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A.I.M. High!
Ayrshire Involvement Matters
December 2018
Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter. We hope it will
give you lots of information about what is going on across
services and communities for people.
We named the newsletter with the help of the Ayrshire branch
of the National Involvement Network (NIN). We got 2 ideas for
the newsletters name:
Ayrshire Involvement Matters
AIM High!
We have decided to use them both! We are very grateful for
the help of the National Involvement Network. We will keep on
working with the NIN and lots of other people, to make this
newsletter better.
Updates from the Health and Social Care
Partnerships
The Health and Social Care Partnerships handle community
health and social care services in each area. There is a
Partnership in North, South and East Ayrshire. In each
newsletter, we will tell you about some things that the 3
Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnerships are doing.
2
North Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership
Learning Disabilities Strategic Plan
North Ayrshire has a plan about how it would like to
change services for people with learning disabilities. The
plan also talks about changes we would like to see in
communities, and in places like colleges. We want people
to have a safe, healthy and active life, and to live close to
family, friends and community. We hope that by working
with the people who use services, we will make North
Ayrshire a better place to live for everyone.
New services at Tarryholme Drive
In 2019 a new day service will be opening up at the site of
the old Red Cross House, in Irvine. Other services are also
being developed near the site, including new supported
living houses for 20 people. We hope the new site will be a
lively place, with lots of links to the community.
Reviewing supports in communities and homes
North Ayrshire is also looking at the ways it supports
people with learning disabilities in their homes and
communities. We want to help people to make best use of
the full range of supports available where they live. We are
putting together a small team who will help us to do this.
South Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership
3
East Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership
Older People and Learning Disability Day Services Review
East Ayrshire has been looking at day services for older people
and people with learning disabilities. Service users, carers, staff
and managers have all taken part in this. People had lots of
ideas about how day services could be better. Some of these
ideas were about transport, staffing, employment and education
opportunities. There are a few ways that East Ayrshire could
change services could to make these possible. East Ayrshire is
asking people to help them make a choice about this.
Transitions Pathway
Work is happening to make things easier for people moving
from Children’s to Adult services. Professionals, parents, carers
and service users talked about this at 2 events. People thought it
would be better if the planning process for these moves began
at the age of 14. They also thought Children and Adult services
should work closer with each other, and families. More events
will be happening over the next few months.
Supporting Over 65’s with a Learning Disability
Heartfelt and the East Ayrshire Quality Checkers have been
looking at how people can have more of a say about services for
older people with a learning disability. They wrote a report
which made eight suggestions, which people are working on.
South Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership
4
South Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership
South Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership Adult
Learning Disability Strategy
South Ayrshire’s Learning Disability Strategy was
launched in 2017. The action plan is framed under the
Keys to life recommendations: A Healthy Life, Choice and
Control, Independence and Active Citizenship.
South Ayrshire Life
A new service providing information has been launched.
South Ayrshire Life will keep people up-to-date with
what’s going on in the towns and villages. A team from
Voluntary Action South Ayrshire (VASA) and partners
have developed a website to inform all South Ayrshire
residents of what is happening in their local area.
South Ayrshire Life is also a new community Information
and Advice Hub. Based in the centre of Ayr, we aim to
signpost people to services, organisations and
community groups that they are in need of.
Active Citizenship Event
South Ayrshire held a successful engagement aimed at
mapping existing community opportunities. The goal is
to increase opportunities within locality areas and remove
potential barriers to integration for people with learning
disabilities.
Introducing... Alice Squire from ARC Scotland
5
Introducing...Alice Squire from ARC Scotland
Hi I’m Alice. I’m the new worker for ARC Scotland in
Ayrshire. I want to help more people to be involved in
their support and in their communities. I feel incredibly
lucky to get this job and am looking forward to getting to
know many of you.
I will be working with people and groups to put the
Charter for Involvement into action. The Charter has 12
Statements saying how people want to be involved.
The Charter was written by people who use services for
service providers to make involvement better for
everyone. You can find out about it here:
https://arcscotland.org.uk/involvement/charter-for-
involvement/
I will be working across all of Ayrshire. North, East and
South Ayrshire have all signed up to the Charter. Many
support organisations in Ayrshire have signed up to the
Charter.
Signing the Charter means people will be more:
involved in how their support is planned and delivered
involved in decisions about their lives
involved in their communities
listened to and respected
6
Some people like to join Speaking-up or Self-advocacy
groups. Speaking-up groups help people to learn more
about their right to be involved. Speaking-up groups give
a chance for people to talk about what matters and share
experiences.
There are speaking-up groups in Ayrshire where folk do
some really good things. I think that everybody in
Ayrshire should have the chance to go to a Speaking-up
group if they want.
Ayrshire Involvement Network brings people from Speak-
up groups together. People who don’t go to Speak-up
groups can also take part. Ayrshire Involvement Network
has meetings where people can come together to have a
say in what happens in Ayrshire.
I am working with Paddy Carstairs from ARC Scotland and
Gemma Stevenson who is the Chair of Ayrshire
Involvement Network to get more people involved.
If you want to find out more about the Charter for
Involvement, Ayrshire Involvement Network, or other
ways to get involved, please drop me line.
You can phone me on 07508 500078
You can send me an email at
Introducing...Gemma Stevenson from the Ayr
7
Introducing...Gemma Stevenson from the Ayrshire
NIN
Hi, my name is Gemma Stevenson. I am chairperson of
the Ayrshire Involvement Network. I have been involved
with The National Involvement Network (NIN) and The
Charter for Involvement for some time now.
I really enjoy being involved in Charter work. I feel that
this has helped me speak up for myself and has given me
lots of confidence and made me a stronger person. I
would help other people to be more confident in
speaking up for themselves. Listening to and helping
others have their say.
I enjoy being part of Compass, the customer group at
Hansel. At Hansel I take part in staff Induction and I am
part of a group writing the Customer Complaints Policy. I
really enjoy telling everyone about the Charter
Statements and what they mean to us.
The Charter is important to me because I feel it helps to
get the message across. I am very pleased the 3 Ayrshire
Joint Integration Boards have all “signed up “to The
Charter and a new Development Worker has been
employed to develop AIN. This should help everyone
understand the Charter Statements.
So get involved and come along to the Ayrshire
Involvement Network, so people can learn more about
the work we do together.
Elizabeth's work story
8
Housing for People with Disabilities across
Ayrshire
Dominic Jarrett and Caroline Gray met with managers from Housing in
the 3 Ayrshires (Laura Penman; Christopher Morton, and Trudi
Fitzsimmons) to talk about their plans.
Where do people get advice about Housing?
Citizens Advice Bureaus will provide information. There are also
other places to get information, like the Housing Options team
in South, East and North Ayrshire.
Is there easy read information about housing?
The 3 localities have leaflets which you can get in different
formats and languages, and they will have been reviewed for
plain language. However, they could maybe be easier to read.
There are staff available who can go through this information
with people. South Ayrshire have made a video of their Tenants
Handbook, which explains things like how to ask for repairs. It
was made with some of the people who act in ‘Still Game’. East
and North thought this sounded like a great idea!
Is there someone in your area who takes the lead for
housing in relation to people with disabilities?
The people round the table were the ones who take the lead for
housing for people with disabilities.
Elizabeth's work story
9
Housing for People with Disabilities across
Ayrshire
Do you have a plan about housing for people with
disabilities?
All of the areas had a plan, or were working on one. These
plans were in relation to all housing needs in their area, not just
people with disabilities. Health and Social Care Partnerships
are really important to this. They have lots of information
about people with disabilities in their area.
Are people with learning disabilities involved in developing
housing strategies?
Everyone tries hard to involve people in planning housing
developments. But they all thought it would be useful to talk
directly to people with disabilities more often. They thought
going to groups like the NIN would be a good way of doing
this. Everybody was very focused on creating housing which
helped people to be happy, and independent. For more
information you can contact:
South Ayrshire: Laura Penman, Housing Co-ordinator
01292 612970; [email protected]
East Ayrshire: Phone the main council Headquarters to get
directed to your local housing office: 01563 576000
North Ayrshire: David Hammond, Senior Manager (Housing
Strategy & Corporate Sustainability): 01294 324764;
Elizabeth's work story
10
Elizabeth’s Work Story
Elizabeth Irving spoke to Dominic Jarrett about her work.
Elizabeth works with Turning Point Scotland. She goes to
their client meetings, called TPS Connects. At one of those
meetings, people were talking about volunteering
opportunities. Elizabeth asked about an opportunity to
work in the reception at the Glasgow office. She was
interviewed for this, and got the position.
Elizabeth has lots to do at her work. She welcomes people
into the building, and helps them find where they need to
go. She answers the phone and keeps a check on the
office supplies. She also does filing, photocopying and
scanning. She has a key role in the Admin team meeting,
arranging the agenda, and typing up the notes. She has
also helped to interview people for jobs with Turning Point
Scotland.
Talking to people and helping them are things that
Elizabeth loves about her work. The experience has given
her more confidence, and she is looking for more
voluntary work. But what she wants is to get a paid job.
Elizabeth is a big part of the National Involvement
Network. She has done presentations about the Network,
and about the Charter for Involvement. Elizabeth's life and
work is a great example of the kind of involvement the
Charter talks about.
Elizabeth's work story
11
East Ayrshire Hate Crime Work
The Things Tae Dae Social Hub is a group for adults with
learning disabilities who meet in Cumnock Juniors Social
Club and are supported by the Local Area Coordinator.
In 2015/16 the group, supported by Police Scotland and
the Adult Protection Committee worked on a script about
hate crime and what help was available to victims. They
visited the SKY TV Academy in Livingston to record a DVD
incorporating their script. This DVD was used during
Learning Disability Awareness Week 2016 and 2017 and
at other events to raise awareness of Hate Crime.
In 2017 the group wrote and produced a live drama on
the subject and were awarded funding through East
Ayrshire Participatory Budgeting to allow them to film a
new DVD which was filmed entirely in Cumnock.
This DVD is incorporated into the live drama and
discussions have taken place with Education bosses and
Campus Police Officers with the aim of performing the
drama within all secondary schools across East Ayrshire.
USeElizabeth's work story
12
Redesigning Overnight Supports – Robert’s Story
The Improvement Hub has done lots of work around helping areas to re-
think how people are supported. This is the story of one young man from
Ayrshire, and how he changed his supports.
Robert’s story describes the journey of a young man, moving
into his first home and how the support he received changed
over time and
redesigned around
what mattered to
him.
In 2016 The
Improvement Hub
(ihub), was asked to
develop an
approach to
support the
redesign of
overnight support services. The process focused on a redesign
process centred around what mattered to people who received
overnight support and new technology developments that
could transform care offered within people’s own homes.
Robert is a young man who enjoys a full and varied life. He has
two jobs and is a big football fan and season ticket holder!
Robert enjoys the freedom of having his own car and money
which allows him to regularly attend football matches, keep in
contact with his family and mange his own budget.
USeElizabeth's work story
13
Redesigning Overnight Supports – Robert’s Story
Robert also enjoys personal time to relax. He has a passion for
American Wrestling and has been to a few tours both in
Scotland and recently went to Wales and Liverpool to follow his
favourite WWE wrestlers.
“as Robert’s independence grew so did his confidence and
as his confidence grew so too did his independence” -
member of Robert's care team staff
In June 2009 for the
first time Robert
moved into his own
home. In the early
stage of this process
Robert did not have a
huge experience of
making decisions and
often found this
process a little tough
and liked to talk issues
through with people
that he knew well.
Throughout the move into his own house Robert’s team
encouraged him to take control and make his own informed
choices about his activities that would promote opportunities
to build relationships, make new friends and ensure that he is a
valued part of his local community.
USeElizabeth's work story
14
Redesigning Overnight Supports – Robert’s Story
When Robert first moved into his house he received 24 hour
support, 7 days a week. In February 2012 Robert started to
indicate that he felt ready to spend overnight without direct
support.
By March 2013 Robert spent his first night without paid
support, with his team members on call for him and over March
Robert increased the amount of unsupported nights he had.
In April 2013 Robert no longer needed support during the
night and was using an on-call service, with his team leaving at
10pm till 2am and during April Robert did not use the on-call
service.
May 2013 was a significant month for Robert and his team as
overnight support was completely withdrawn with an
emergency on call system in place should it be required.
Robert has a full and active life he has recently met up with an
old friend from school and enjoys going to concerts, football,
out for dinner or just staying in and watching a movie with his
friend. This was the one thing missing from Robert’s life a good
friend and peer that he had lots in common with.
Thank you to Robert for letting us tell his story, and to the iHub for letting
us use their words and illustrations. The artwork was done by
MoreThanMinutes. This story was originally posted on the internet, at
https://ihub.scot/improvement-programmes/strategic-planning/overnight-
support/roberts-story/
USeElizabeth's work story
15
Useful Contacts
For more information about the East Ayrshire Hate Crime
Work, you can contact:
Maureen Preston
Local Area Coordinator
Vibrant Communities EAC
01290 428342
For more information about the Charter for Involvement,
and the National Involvement Network, you can contact:
Alice Squire
Policy and Development Worker
ARC Scotland
07508 500078
If you have any questions about this newsletter, or ideas
for future news or stories, you can contact Alice Squire or
Dominic Jarrett
Dominic Jarrett
Learning Disabilities Development Manager
North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership
01294 317833
USeElizabeth's work story
16
The Charter for Involvement
The Charter for Involvement was developed by the National
Involvement Network (the NIN). It is for anyone who receives
support. The people in the NIN wrote the Charter to describe
how they wanted to be involved in their support, and in services
and communities. The Charter has 12 Statements in it. These are
the statements:
1. We must be at the heart of any plans about our lives.
2. We have a right to live our lives independently.
3. We must be involved in our communities.
4. We must be able to speak about how our support is working for us
and what would be better.
5. We want to be involved in choosing the people who support us.
6. We want to give information and training to staff at all levels.
7. We want to be involved in writing policies that affect us and
making them easy to understand.
8. We want t be involved in decisions made by the organisations that
plan and run our support.
9. We want to be involved in events run by the organisations that plan
and run our support.
10. We want to be involved with ‘Speaking-up’ groups.
11. We want to take part in national and local campaigns.
12. We have the right to make formal complaints if we need to.