Our new Draft Strategy: Real Challenges: Real Change (2013 – 2016) is now in the final stage of consultation and we’d like you to tell us what you think.

To give you a little history, our final draft, which we commend to you, marks the culmination of a process of consultation we began nearly a year ago. During that time we’ve worked hard to make sure we have listened to everyone who has a stake and role to play in the ongoing effectiveness of Association for Real Change as an organisation, including our members, stakeholders, partners, staff and the people whose lives we ultimately hope to improve.

• In May 2012 our newly appointed CEO, Jacqueline Bell, set herself the task of speaking to 100 members in 100 days.
• We followed in August with a survey and focus groups for our members asking about the issues that really matter to them, and we asked what worked and what didn’t work, about everything we do.
• In September, we brought together the board of trustees and all Association for Real Change staff from across the four nation countries for a strategic planning away day so that together we could digest the results of our findings and address some of the issues and concerns that had been raised.
• During the autumn our strategic leadership team used the away day results to forge a consolidated vision for the organisation based on what we learned, and the values that underpin all that we believe and all that we do.

As a member, partner, and stakeholder, your feedback on the Strategy Document – in which our vision, our aims and the outcomes we want to see, are outlined – will initiate the final act of ratification. We are determined to learn by listening and to have a strategy for the future that will not only present a true reflection of where we are at, but a vision of where we aim to go. Despite real challenges, we will support you to make a real change in the lives of people with a learning disability.

• View the Draft Strategy here
• Download a printer-friendly version

How to Feedback:

We are always happy to receive feedback or ideas on an ongoing basis about the work that we do, so please do contact us. If you wish to comment directly on the strategy itself the CEO of Association for Real Change, Jacqueline Bell, will be happy to receive your feedback. Consultation on the strategy will close 14 March 2013.

• To submit your views please contact: Jacqueline.Bell@arcuk.org.uk

We thank you for your time.

Jacqueline Bell
Chief Executive Officer, Association for Real Change 

The Court of Appeal’s judgment has been temporarily suspended pending the Supreme Court’s decision on the appeal application.

While this suspension is in force, it is still business as usual for the Disclosure and Barring Service and they will continue to issue Standard and Enhanced certificates and these will show all convictions and cautions as normal.

We will update you as soon as we have more information from the DBS.

• For details of the Association for Real Change Disclosure Service please see our website www.arcdisclosure.org.uk
• Or telephone: 01246 541 660

The main elements of the Bill were the subject of a major consultation in 2012 and following this process, the Welsh Government has decided to separate out issues surrounding inspection and regulation.

Inspection and regulation will now be the subject of further legislation and will be taken forward by a White Paper due later in 2013.

If legislation from the draft bill is passed, it aims to provide the legal framework for improving the well-being of people who need care and support. It will change the way social services are delivered, promoting people’s independence by moving towards a person-centred model where users and carers have a stronger voice and control.

• For details about the Draft Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Bill see the Welsh Government website and the National Assembly for Wales website
• You can also read about new legislation for Domiciliary Care Agencies due to become effective on 28 February 2013 in the CSSIW Care and Share Issue 6 – February 2013

Civil liberties campaigners have called for an urgent reform of laws obliging people to disclose all previous convictions to certain employers following a court case of a 21-year-old man who had to disclose information about a conviction from when he was 11 years old, when he applied for a part-time job at a football club and for a university course.

On 29 January 2013 the Court of Appeal ruled that the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 infringes Article 8 of the Convention for Human Rights – the right to a private and family life.

Delivering the ruling, the Master of the Rolls, Lord Dyson, said the disclosure of old convictions and cautions was designed to protect children and vulnerable adults but he said, “requiring the disclosure of all convictions and cautions relating to recordable offences is disproportionate to that legitimate aim.”

However, it is ‘business as usual’ at the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) until they know the outcome of the government’s appeal. The DBS has said that they will provide more information as they know it on their website.

• Visit the Association for Real Change Disclosure Service website 

Although there are also new DBS application forms from 1 December the existing CRB applications will still be valid and can continued to be used until February 2013. This gives the Disclosure and Barring Service time to send out new application forms to Registered Bodies within the next couple of months to distribute to their organisations.

• For further information regarding the changes to CRB please click here to go to the Association for Real Change Disclosure Service website.

What is Mate Crime?

Many people with learning disabilities have so called ‘friends’ who go on to abuse them. This has led to people losing their independence, financial, physical and sexual abuse…even murder.

The Safety Net Project helped to raise awareness of these topics for people with a learning disability, carers, professionals and the wider community. Visit the Safety Net website to see Examples of Mate Crime and how to spot when it might be happening.

Are people really friends or fakes?

Some people pretend to be friends with people who have a learning disability but go on to exploit them. The project found out, through talking to pilot groups in North Devon and Calderdale, that people with a learning disability sometimes struggle to recognise when they are being exploited. There have been cases where the person is convinced that the exploiter is their friend.

The project has produced the Friend or Fake? Easy Read Booklet, as well as a trainer’s CD resource, details of which can be found on the new Safety Net website.

Safety Net Project

The original Safety Net project finished in April 2012, but additional funding has been secured from the Home Office (CIF), Devon and Cornwall Police, Devon County Council and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital to help continue to raise awareness of hate and mate crime.

Visit the Safety Net website to access up-to-date project information, help, advice and further resources.

If you would like more information about the Safety Net project contact:

• Rod Landman, Project Officer
• Telephone: 01237 441 786
• Email: Rod.Landman@arcuk.org.uk

In May 2010 the Vetting and Barring Scheme was suspended and the criminal records and barring system review was initiated. The review aimed to scale back the system to more manageable levels whilst still safeguarding vulnerable groups and children.

We will now see some of the changes that are included in the new Protection of Freedom Act 2012 come into effect on 10 September 2012.

These key changes are:

1. New definition of regulated activity
   A summary of the new definition of regulated activity has been included in the leaflet Changes to Disclosure and Barring: What you need to Know, which can be read or downloaded from the Home Office website.
2. Repeal of controlled activity
3. Repeal of registration and continuous monitoring
4. Repeal of additional information
5. Minimum age: Someone under the age of 16 will no longer be able to apply for a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check.
6. More rigorous ‘relevancy’ testing
   The police will now apply a more rigorous test before deciding whether to disclose information and will only do so if they “reasonably believe [it] to be relevant” and consider that it ought to be disclosed.

It is important to understand how these changes may affect you. Further information can be found by emailing HOSPPUEnquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk or on the following websites:

• CRB: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crb
• ISA: www.isa.homeoffice.gov.uk
• Business Link: www.businesslink.gov.uk
• DirectGov: www.direct.gov.uk

Not everything is changing and you are still required to:

• Not engage anyone who has been barred from working with children or vulnerable groups
• Refer anyone to the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) who has been dismissed because they have harmed or posed a risk of harm to a child or vulnerable adult.
• Continue with CRB checks under the current definition of regulated activity until the new definition takes effect in September.

Disclosure and Barring Service

The functions of the Independent Safeguarding Authority and the Criminal Records Bureau will be merged into one unit called the Disclosure and Barring Service. This will occur on the first of  December 2012.  Early in 2013 further developments will include a new update service, the portability of CRB Disclosures when working with the same vulnerable group and the introduction of a single certificate.

ARC Safety Net

The Safety Net project is about raising awareness around Hate Crime and Mate Crime. Our aim is to prevent the exploitation of people with learning disabilities by those claiming to be their friends. We want to help people with a learning disability and their families and supporters to identify who really is a Friend and who is a Fake.

Launched at the Learning Disability Today conference in November 2011 was the new ‘Friend or Fake?’ Trainer’s Resource CD containing useful information, training sessions and video clips.

With the financial assistance of North Devon District Council and Katharine Quarmby (author of the award winning book Scapegoat) we have the CD resource available for interested organisations.

ARC Members are entitled to one free copy of this CD for a limited time only.

The CD is also available to non-members at a charge of £5.00 each.

To order your copy please telephone Liz Soames on 01246 555 043 or visit the ARC Shop.

• Visit the Safety Net website for resources and information or see the details of Safety Net’s new projects.

Hi, my name is John Gilkes and I have been appointed as the new Director of ARC Cymru. I took up the post on 6 April 2012. Although only funded for one day a week ARC UK have shown a strong commitment to building a presence in Wales despite serious cuts to its core funding.

The sector faces significant financial pressures, and provider organisations are increasingly being asked to deliver more for less. The commissioning culture in Wales is still dominated by competitive, cost driven, approaches. This has tended to drive provider organisations apart, rather than bring them together to use their considerable expertise, experience and talents to deliver cost effective quality driven services.

It is my belief that the need for provider co-operation and representation is at its highest. I have already organised a South Wales members meeting and will be organising a North Wales event in the very near future. The meeting in South Wales highlighted the need for ARC Cymru to:

• Build its membership
• Create strong partnerships with other provider organisations
• Represent providers on key policy/decision making bodies
• Develop other income sources to supplement membership fees.

To date ARC Cymru has developed a working relationship with Learning Disability Wales to share office resources and developed working links with Cymorth Cymru.

We are helping to facilitate an employment focused initiative in the Bridgend area involving Remploy, OHT, Cartrefi Cymru, Drive and Elite employment services.

We have had discussions with The Care Council for Wales to take a lead role in a stakeholder group that will be able to consult on CCW initiatives.

I hope to get around and meet you all soon. Please take an active part in ARC Cymru’s development and encourage others to join. United we can put Wales at the forefront in the provision of innovative quality led services.

John Gilkes

• Email: john.gilkes@arcuk.org.uk

Last year a team of three service users from Southdown’s Learning Disability services worked on a project called It’s My Life, which involved working with four residential services in the city to improve residents’ meetings. The team working on this project were inspired by visiting services and talking to other service users and they started to think about other ways to involve people in improving quality and wellbeing – thus the idea for creating a quality assessment toolkit was born!

The project is service user designed and led, and currently involves four people with Learning Disabilities working as volunteers on the ‘Q Team’. The team have not only designed the toolkit but also work as Quality Checkers, visiting services across Sussex to implement the Q-Kit and carry out quality checks.

The aim of the Q-Kit is to encourage people with Learning Disabilities to talk about what is important to them and identify how their service can be developed and improved to meet their needs, ideas and dreams.

The Q Team spoke to lots of people about what is important in their lives and from this they produced a set of nine categories by which to assess a service.

The Q-Kit is designed so that anyone can use it, so where people do not have verbal communication the Q-Kit suggests alternatives, including a questionnaire for family members, friends or advocates and ways in which a team of Quality Checkers can assess a service.

Accompanying a Guidebook and Workbook in the Q-Kit is a DVD which can be used to help service users see what other people are saying about why good support is important to them and how it makes them feel. They are hoping that the DVD will inspire people and help them to think about new things they may want to try.

For further information please contact Kate Withers, Quality Consultant Coordinator at k.withers@southdownhousing.org

Southdown Housing Association are an ARC Member.  Visit their website here