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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

alice.squire@arcuk.org.uk

Introducing...Gemma Stevenson from the Ayr

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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

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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

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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; laura.penman@south-ayrshire.gov.uk

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;

DHammond@north-ayrshire.gov.uk

Elizabeth's work story

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Maureen.Preston@east-ayrshire.gov.uk

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

alice.squire@arcuk.org.uk

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

Dominic.jarrett@aapct.scot.nhs.uk

USeElizabeth's work story

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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.