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1 – 10 of over 47000Linda Ward, Rachel Fyson and Debby Watson
Valuing People outlined ambitious plans for improving services for people with learning disabilities in England. Strategies to realise these goals were to be taken forward through…
Abstract
Valuing People outlined ambitious plans for improving services for people with learning disabilities in England. Strategies to realise these goals were to be taken forward through the new structure of learning disability partnership boards, based in the first instance on local joint investment plans (JIPs). This article reports findings from an analysis of the first round of learning disability JIPs, compiled as the implementation of the White Paper began, and reviews the implications for the development of robust local strategies and action plans.
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Julie Beadle‐Brown, Jim Mansell, Paul Cambridge and Rachel Forrester‐Jones
This article focuses on the development and current situation of services for people with learning disabilities in England. Deinstitutionalisation started in the 1960s, when a…
Abstract
This article focuses on the development and current situation of services for people with learning disabilities in England. Deinstitutionalisation started in the 1960s, when a series of scandals in hospitals were brought to public attention. In response, the 1971 government White Paper Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped was published, and the first community‐based services were introduced. Further policy papers attempted to modernise social services in the following period. The 2001 White paper Valuing People is the most recent policy framework specific to people with intellectual disabilities. It identifies rights, independence, choice and inclusion as the four leading principles for services and support, and will be of primary importance for future development. However, at present implementation is in the very early stages. Not least, the intense implementation of market mechanisms by the Thatcher Government in the 1980s and 1990s has led to a situation that is hard to grasp, the organisation of care and support varying from authority to authority.
Gordon Grant and Paul Ramcharan
Prior to the launch of Valuing People, Gordon Grant and Paul Ramcharan were appointed by the Department of Health as co‐ordinators of the learning disability research initiative…
Abstract
Prior to the launch of Valuing People, Gordon Grant and Paul Ramcharan were appointed by the Department of Health as co‐ordinators of the learning disability research initiative People with Learning Disabilities: Services, Inclusion and Partnership, which was intended to inform the implementation and outcome of the White Paper Valuing People during its crucial early years. In this paper they describe the genesis of the research initiative, the research commissioning process and intentions for a research communication strategy.
Margaret Flynn, Kirsty Keywood and Sara Fovargue
The White Paper Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century, is shaped by the principles of Legal and Civil Rights, Independence, Choice and…
Abstract
The White Paper Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century, is shaped by the principles of Legal and Civil Rights, Independence, Choice and Inclusion. These principles are laudable, but this paper argues that in matters of health that are not within the experiences of adults with learning disabilities, a duty of care should override the elusive mantra of ‘choice’.
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The new White Paper, Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century, is the first for 30 years. It is important, first, as an indication that people…
Abstract
The new White Paper, Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century, is the first for 30 years. It is important, first, as an indication that people with learning disabilities are not forgotten ‐ as it might sometimes seem. A government paper has been produced with care and following consultation to enshrine the approach that can be expected for the years ahead. It is important, second, for the attitudes it contains ‐ the aims and principles that should guide services are stated formally or implied in the text ‐ and third, because it is the first guidance on learning disability services to recognise the importance of ‘a place to live’, with a section on housing, not just references to residential care.
The paper uses a case study to illustrate the difficulties experienced by those trying to access direct payments for people with learning disabilities, and considers the reasons…
Abstract
The paper uses a case study to illustrate the difficulties experienced by those trying to access direct payments for people with learning disabilities, and considers the reasons why such difficulties exist. It proposes measures needed to ensure that people with learning disabilities have equal access to this form of funding.
This paper seeks to provide a commentary on the previous paper in this issue “A qualitative exploration of the life experiences of adults diagnosed with mild learning disabilities…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to provide a commentary on the previous paper in this issue “A qualitative exploration of the life experiences of adults diagnosed with mild learning disabilities from minority ethnic communities”.
Design/methodology/approach
The commentary outlines the Valuing People White Paper and The Health Care Commission report Tackling the Challenge: Promoting Race Equality in the NHS in England, among others, as they relate to the author's research.
Findings
Developing cultural knowledge is of fundamental importance in working towards race equality in mental health services for children and young people with learning disabilities
Originality/value
Cultural competence refers to the ability to work effectively with individuals from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, or in settings where several cultures co‐exist. It includes the ability to understand the language, culture and behaviours of other individuals and groups, and to make appropriate recommendations.
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This response agrees with Stuart Cumella that it is reasonable to challenge the priority accorded by government to people with learning disabilities and to question the power of…
Abstract
This response agrees with Stuart Cumella that it is reasonable to challenge the priority accorded by government to people with learning disabilities and to question the power of the mechanisms for implementation of Valuing People. At the same time, however, it argues for a mature political approach, encouraging the taking of opportunities that are available and the shaping of structures and initiatives which are part of the implementation arrangements. Finally, it challenges Cumella's interpretation of person‐centred planning and seeks to offer some clarity on best use of person‐centred approaches.
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Valuing People Now (DH, 2009) recognises that some people, particularly those with complex needs, have been missing out. It has made ‘including everyone’ a priority for the next…
Abstract
Valuing People Now (DH, 2009) recognises that some people, particularly those with complex needs, have been missing out. It has made ‘including everyone’ a priority for the next three years. With reference to Tom's story, this paper will consider the reasons why people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) remain among the most marginalised people in society today, what has changed since Valuing People (DH, 2001) and what needs to change in the next three years of delivering Valuing People Now (DH, 2009) if we are to rise to the challenge of ‘enabling extraordinary people to live ordinary lives’ (McConkey, 1998).
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Rachel Fyson, Gordon McBride and Brian Myers
The aim of the research described was to gather information about both the objective and the subjective experiences of self‐advocates who had attended learning disability…
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The aim of the research described was to gather information about both the objective and the subjective experiences of self‐advocates who had attended learning disability partnership boards, in order to promote effective practices. Findings show that, although people with learning disabilities were present at meetings, a variety of barriers limited their ability to participate actively. Problems included lack of financial and practical help as well as the limited availability of accessible information. There were also, however, examples of good practice, and many self‐advocates were pleased at how their local authorities were beginning to implement effective partnership working practices. Ways of supporting self‐advocates and other people with learning disabilities to fulfil a truly representative, rather than a merely symbolic, function at partnership board meetings are discussed.An accessible summary of these findings is available to download from the project website: www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/NorahFry/Strategy/papers.htm