‘Let ’s Get Personal’ A Conference on

Self-Directed Support and BME Communities

10am - 4.00 pm, 14th May 2014

Edinburgh First, John McIntyre Conference Centre, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Park Road, Edinburgh

Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project (MECOPP) works in partnership with carers,

the voluntary and statutory sectors to actively challenge and dismantle barriers that deny

Black and Minority Ethnic carers access to health, social work and other social

care services in Edinburgh, the Lothians and further afield.

MECOPP works specifically to:

Support Black and Minority Ethnic carers to access supports and services

appropriate to their caring situation.

Develop a strategic response to identified gaps in service provision.

Assist service providers, both statutory and voluntary, in the development of culturally

competent services.

Develop opportunities for the active involvement of Black and Minority Ethnic carers in

consultation planning.

Raise the profile of Black and Minority Ethnic carers and their needs at a local and

national level.

Support carers in the Gypsy/Traveller community in rural and urban areas of Scotland.

The Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCiL) is a user-led not-for-profit organisation. We work with disabled people regardless of their impairments, people with long-term conditions and older people, parents and carers. We support people in East Lothian, Midlothian, Edinburgh and West Lothian.

The main aims of the Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living are to: Provide a range of services to support Independent Living, developed and managed

by and for disabled people. Support the right for disabled people to live independently and take control of their

own lives. Provide the opportunity for disabled people to further their own personal and professional development. Challenge the attitudes, and the physical and social barriers that create disability.

Presented by MECOPP (Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project) and LCiL (Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living), the day will provide an

opportunity to learn from leading practitioners with a mixture of interactive workshops and real stories and experiences from BME disabled people.

Presentations

Conference Chair

Dr Sally Witcher OBE Chief Executive Officer, Inclusion Scotland

Self - Directed Support in Scotland

Michael Matheson MSP Minister for Public Health

The Minister will launch MECOPP’s Self-Directed Support Translation Guide. An easy to understand glossary of SDS terms and concepts, the Translation Guide

provides consistent, good quality translations from English to Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali and Chinese and will be an invaluable resource for interpreters and those

producing accessible materials. Copies will be available at the conference.

Lived experience as a BME disabled person Michelle Daley

Independent Disability Equalities Trainer and founding member of Sisters of Frida and

Omar Haq Independent Living Officer, Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living

‘On the Margins’ - The experience of BME disabled people Jabeer Butt

Deputy Chief Executive, Race Equality Foundation

‘Challenging Exclusion’ - The social model of disability Professor Alan Roulstone

Professor of Disability Studies, University of Leeds

Workshops

Workshop 1: Challenging Attitudes

Jaspal Dhani, Former Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Disabled People’s Council, will explore how attitudes to disability within different communities can affect the take up of Self-Directed Support.

Workshop 2: Outreach and Awareness

Balraj Purewal, Director of The Asian Health Agency, will share best practice in reaching out to BME communities, challenging common myths and how to overcome barriers in accessing Self-Directed Support.

Workshop 3: Information Provision

Kate Herbert and Lucy Arnot, Self-Directed Support Development Officers at MECOPP, will discuss the importance of developing inclusive information to en-sure it meets the needs of BME communities. Kate will share her experiences of developing information for the South Asian community, while Lucy will discuss some of the barriers faced by Gypsy/Travellers in accessing information.

Workshop 4: Creative Solutions

Dr Ossie Stuart, Equality Legislation Consultant and Trainer and Former Academic at the Universities of Oxford, York and Roehampton, will explore the need for creativity in the commissioning process, barriers to innovation and how to ensure that BME individuals have real choice.

Workshop 5: Supporting Inclusion

Michelle Daley, Independent Disability Equalities Trainer, will explore the role of support organisations within BME communities, including the question of whether there is a need for BME specific organisations, and how to encourage and develop the BME social care workforce.

Programme

10.00 Registration and tea/coffee

10.30 Welcome

10.40 Michael Matheson MSP Minister for Public Health, Scottish Government

11.00 Omar Haq, Independent Living Officer, Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living

11.20 Tea/coffee break

11.45 Jabeer Butt Deputy Chief Executive, Race Equality Foundation

11.55 Professor Alan Roulstone Professor of Disability Studies, University of Leeds

12.05 Q&A

12.25 ‘Making Sense’ - An interactive learning session

12.45 Lunch

13.45 Workshops

15.35 Michelle Daley Independent Disability Equalities Trainer and founding member of Sisters of Frida

15.50 Closing Remarks

16.00 Optional networking reception

17.00 End

We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Scottish Government

Booking Form

Delegate Fee is £30 per person which includes lunch and a conference pack. Please complete a separate

booking form for each delegate attending. Please make all cheques payable to MECOPP.

Name:

Job title:

Organisation:

Address:

Email address:

Telephone number:

Access Requirements:

Dietary Requirements:

Please tick which workshop you would like to attend:

Workshop First choice Second choice

Workshop 1: Challenging Attitudes

Workshop 2: Outreach and Awareness

Workshop 3: Information Provision

Workshop 4: Creative Solutions

Workshop 5: Supporting Inclusion

Name and address of who to invoice: (include delegate name with payment)

Email your booking form to emma-jane@mecopp.org.uk or by post to Emma-Jane Harrington, MECOPP,

172 Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH6 5EA.