January 2012

Monthly Bulletin 32
Dear Members, Welcome to the first email bulletin of 2012. 2011 was a busy and challenging year for ecdp. However, our members and clients have remained central to our work. Through our unique lived experience approach, which was the biggest driver in everything we did, members were able to influence our priorities and contribute to our work. This included significant work on topics such as; Access to Work, Welfare reform (Disability Living Allowance and the Personal Independence Payment), Disability hate crime and HealthWatch. For more information about the successes of our lived experience approach and ecdps work last year, please see ecdps annual report (2010-11) on our website. The next 12 months are likely to be more challenging still given the general climate being experienced by all organisations, however, we will continue working with disabled and older people in Essex to ensure their voice is heard and they continue to receive high quality services. During the first part of the year, we will be doing some significant lived experience work with members to enable us to contribute to the

This update includes articles on the following topics:

ecdp news
1. 2. 3. Former ecdp Chair honoured with MBE ecdp response to Caring for our Future Your lived experience of employment needed by ecdp member

local news
4. 5. 6. 7. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service Activ8 Volunteers Update on the Walk Colchester BOMA project Volunteers wanted to support mental health newsletter Local NHS Health Trainer Service

January 2012 Monthly Update 32

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Monthly Bulletin 32 January 2012

disability strategy being drawn up by the Government. You can read more about this, and how you can contribute, on page 11. It was great to start the year with the news that Brian Mister, ecdps former Chair and long-term volunteer has been awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours. All at ecdp are pleased to see Brians work for ecdp and for disabled people in Essex more widely being recognised and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him. You can read more about Brians award on page 3. We look forward to working with all our members, clients and stakeholders in the coming year. Best wishes, Rich Watts Director of Policy and Development

national news
8. Fulfilling potential: Working together to empower disabled people Personal Assistants needed for research

9.

If you want to get in touch with us about any of the articles included in this bulletin: Telephone: 01245 392 300 Email: info@ecdp.org.uk Post: Ivan Peck House, 1 Russell Way, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 3AA.
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ecdp news

Former ecdp Chair honoured with MBE

Brian Mister, former ecdp Chair, has been awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours, recognising his work representing disabled people in Essex. Brian was ecdp Chair during a pivotal time in ecdps history, including the organisations move to its current premises in Chelmsford. Following his role as Chair, Brian has continued to contribute his time as a volunteer, working with disabled peoples groups to communicate their lived experience to ecdp, as well as mentoring young disabled people to increase their confidence and support them to achieve their goals. Following the announcement, ecdps current Chair, Steve Carey said: Brians recognition is a well deserved honour for someone who has worked tirelessly and for many years to strengthen the rights of disabled people in Essex. He has boundless energy and is always willing to get involved and create positive change. Brians tireless work across Essex has ensured that the voice of disabled people has been listened to by those who make decisions which affect them. Brians many roles across the county are reflected by Mike Adams, ecdps CEO (pictured above, with Brian): We are delighted to hear that Brians excellent work representing disabled people in Essex has been formally recognised. Brian has worked tirelessly for many years to ensure the voice of disabled people is heard and informs decision making across the county. Brian has become extremely adept at wearing many hats and balancing many roles, including Chairing the OIL group which works to ensure public transport is accessible for all disabled

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ecdp news

and older people, the Participation Network Forum and LINks, to increase participation of disabled people in shaping health and social care services. Brian has provided a strong legacy for ecdp with his leadership of the organisation as Chair, which included securing our current premises in Chelmsford. He continues to offer his time and expertise to support younger disabled people through ecdps mentoring programme. ecdp is proud to have worked with Brian as our former Chair and currently as a volunteer.

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ecdp news

ecdp response to Caring for our Future

In our last email bulletin we shared details of our Annual General Meeting (AGM), where we held a consultation with members around the future of care and support. ecdps response to the Caring for our Future engagement exercise about the future of adult social care was informed by this consultation and is now available on our website, via the link below. Members we consulted with were clear that the personalisation agenda was the future of social care and felt that personal budgets worked well as a vehicle for providing this to individuals. It was recognised that personal budgets are not available to everyone, and key barriers included a lack of information for potential users and the attitudes of those in a position to offer them. Similarly, in order to ensure all people entitled have access to the goods, services, benefits and support they need, it was suggested there needs to be a much clearer process for obtaining support and this need to be better communicated by the organisations disabled people are in contact with. This includes engaging with disabled peoples user-led organisations. You can download a copy of our response here: ecdps response to the Caring for our Future engagement exercise.

Find ecdp online For up-to-date news on the work we are doing at ecdp, find us online
Our website: www.ecdp.co.uk 2012 Monthly page: http://on.fb.me/ecdpfacebook JanuaryOur FacebookUpdate 32 Our Twitter page: http://twitter.com/ecdp Page 5 of 14

ecdp news

Your lived experience of employment needed by ecdp member

My name is Chris Parkinson and I am a postgraduate student studying for a Masters Degree at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford. I have also been involved with ecdp for over five years. I am currently doing a research project into the day-today employment experiences of disabled people with a mobility or visual impairment who are in employment in Essex. This will form the basis for my dissertation for part of my Masters Degree. We are really interested in talking to Essex based disabled people and I need to recruit disabled people with either a mobility or visual impairment who have been in paid employment for some of the last two years. If you agree to take part you will be interviewed for between 45 to 60 minutes about yourself, the effects of your impairment and your experiences of work. The interviews will take place by telephone or Skype in December 2011 and January 2012. It is hoped the knowledge we gain, may help to raise awareness of the issues disabled people face in employment and may be used to inform other employers of ways they may improve the employment situation for their disabled employees. We really value your experience. If you are interested taking in the research please contact Christopher.parkinson@student.anglia.ac.uk or 07967 654570.

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Local News

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service Activ8 Volunteers

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) are actively recruiting for this exciting people power initiative, which aims to make communities better educated and better informed and to build on ECFRS consultation and engagement with the public. he scheme will help get the services messages across to the public and ensure that they connect with seldom heard groups. The first meeting has already taken place and further meetings throughout the county have been planned. Volunteers will be briefed on current initiatives, campaigns and safety news, which they will then be able to share with their peer groups, noting any feedback and comments and reporting these back to the group at the next meeting. Activ8 volunteers may also be asked to lend a hand to Community Wheels, a road safety reduction initiative that ECFRS takes the lead in. Duties could include providing assistance running the Community Wheels interactive road safety reduction demonstrations at community fayres, fetes, open days and other public events. The Activ8 newsletter, which gives more information about the volunteering role, is available on the ecdp website: Activ8 Newsletter.

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Local News

Update on the Walk Colchester BOMA project

Last month, we shared some information about a local project, Walk Colchester, looking to win 6000 from the NatWest Community Fund, which makes awards to organisations all over the country based on the votes of support from local people. Walk Colchester bid to fund an all terrain chair, to enable disabled and older people to access the Essex countryside. We have now received this update from Walk Colchester: We are delighted to be able to announce that thanks to your votes and support Walk Colchester have won a NatWest Community Force award of 6,275 towards purchase of a Boma all-terrain chair enabling disabled and older walkers to enjoy access to our beautiful local countryside on an equal basis with other walkers and cyclists. For more information about progress or getting involved with the BOMA project, please see the Walk Colchester website: The BOMA project.

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Local News

Volunteers wanted to support mental health newsletter

North Essex Partnership Foundation Trust (NEPFT) have launched a new member newsletter called Because Theres no health without mental health. They are looking for two service users or carers to join three Governors on their editorial group. For more information, or to express an interest in volunteering, please contact Mike Waddington by 01245 546465 or email: mike.waddington@nepft.nhs.uk. The most recent version of the newsletter is embedded on the ecdp website, or available as a PDF here: Because Theres no health without mental health.

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Local News

Local NHS Health Trainer Service

Do you need to adopt a healthier lifestyle but dont know what to do or where to go Do you want some extra motivation to try a new activity such as a Health Walk or to stop smoking? Could you do with some encouragement to best look after yourself in order to continue your caring role? Your local Health Trainer service can help you for free. Whether its to control weight, get fitter, have a healthier diet, quit smoking or reduce stress levels its often hard to make a change without support. Health Trainers offers one to one support and information to adults who want to improve their health and prevent future ill-health, through simple lifestyle changes. A unique benefit of this service is that the fully trained Health Trainers live locally and have made lifestyle changes themselves so understand problems, concerns and difficulties people may have on a local level. They are well-informed about, and can signpost to local community-based services. Whats on offer? A one to one look at health and lifestyle to see what areas could be improved; A tailor made health plan to help people achieve realistic goals Support, encouragement and motivation with follow up sessions information on local activities and groups to help people achieve their goals Help with accessing other local services To find out more please contact your local Health Trainer Service: South East Essex 01702 461377 or email
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Local News
michelle.Livett@parkwoodhealthcare.co.uk South West Essex 01708 805084 or email tina.lincoln@swessex.nhs.uk Mid Essex 01621 727343 or email healthyliving.cecs@nhs.net

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National News

Fulfilling potential: Working together to empower disabled people

In the last email bulletin, we reported the Government had launched a discussion with disabled people to gather suggestions for a new cross-government disability strategy. The Governments ambition is to enable disabled people to fulfil their potential and have opportunities to play a full role in society. To realise this ambition, they want to tackle barriers to realising aspirations and individual control, as well as change attitudes and behaviour towards disabled people. This new strategy will build on previous discussions with disabled people, including the Independent Living Strategy, the Roadmap and the UKs report to the UN on implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Disabled People. The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) has worked with disability organisations to create a discussion document which is available on our website: Fulfilling Potential Working together to empower disable people. They would like to hear from disabled people, and the people and organisations that support them. Responses are due by 5pm, 9 March 2012 and information about submitting a response, is available on the ODI website: ODI Contributing to a new disability strategy. ecdp see this as an excellent opportunity for ecdp and its members to set out what type of society we think should exist for disabled people and how we can work together to achieve it. To this end, we are launching an online survey, where you can share your lived experience and tell us how the government can improve the lives of disabled people. The survey is available on our website, here: Fulfilling potential Lived experience survey. We will also be holding two discussion groups, the first of which
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National News
will be on 24 January. If you are interested in taking part, please contact Faye Savage by email fsavage@ecdp.co.uk or phone 01245 214 023.

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National News

Personal Assistants needed for research

Ipsos MORI is currently conducting research on behalf of the Department of Health. As part of this work they would like to speak to personal assistants (PAs) in England who mainly work with adults. They would like PAs to take part in an informal face-to-face interview where theyll be asked about their experiences and views of working as a PA. The interviews will last around 60 minutes and as a thank you for their time, PAs will be paid 20. Interviews will be taking place through January at a time and location that suits the PAs. For further details, please see this letter: Ipsos MORI/ Department of Health: talking to personal assistants If you or a PA you employ know of anybody that may be interested in this piece of research, please contact Lauren Bridges, Research Executive at Ipsos MORI on: 020 7347 3345 or by email at: social-care-workforcemonitor@ipsos.com

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