People First England

Notes
14
th
May 2014
11.00am 3.00pm












What this is about
Local groups and leaders meeting together
and with People First England

Gavin Harding welcomed everyone. He said Inclusion
North are hosting this event so self advocacy groups
have a chance to find out about People First England
and think about how they work together in the north if
they want to.


Gary Bourlet was at the meeting from People First
England and Kaliya Franklin joined us on Skype from
Liverpool.
















What People First England is working on
Gary and Kaliya told us about People First England.

Why it has started and what they are working on first.

Gary has been working with People First since 1984,
but there has never been a People First England.

We believe that the more disabled people can speak
together, the louder our voice will be. To be sure this
is the real voice of disabled people we believe people
should be able to speak out about issues that matter
to us, not campaigns the big charities choose for us.

Our first priority is to support self advocates to attend
Conservative and Labour party conferences. This is a
really important chance to speak to politicians directly.

We held a competition so anyone could enter and
apply for a place. We will be announcing the winners
very soon.







Questions and Worries from everyone

We worked in groups to think about the questions
people have or things they are worried about.

Then we shared the questions and Kaliya & Gary
answered the ones they could from People First
Englands point of view.





















1. How is People First England funded?

Answer: To start People First England we decided
we would need 50,000 for the first year. 50,000
can pay for self advocates to attend party political
conferences, for media training for self advocates
and salaries for two part time workers. So far all our
funding has come from charities or individuals.


2. We are worried a national group will mean less
funding for local groups. Lots of local groups
are losing money.

Will People First England compete with local
groups for funding?

Answer: No. Local groups get their money from
local authorities for supporting advocacy. People
First England wont be applying for that same
money


3. We are worried People First England might take
good ideas or work from local groups. How will
you work not to do that?

Answer: People First England wants to help local
groups get more attention for their great ideas, not
take those ideas away. We will try to help local
groups and self advocates to get the skills to
campaign and speak out more for themselves, not
be spoken for like the big charities do.






















4. We feel like lots of the good work from when we
had Valuing People has been lost.

Will a new government bring Valuing People or
something like that back?

Answer: We dont know. But we do know that this
government have cut lots of the good projects which
supported disabled people. We also know that
whoever wins the next election there will be more
cuts. This is why we think its so important to make
sure the voice of people with learning disabilities is
heard.


5. We think not enough people know about
politics, voting and elections.

How can People First England help with easy
read information or people knowing about
voting or policies of parties?

Answer: We agree! After the meeting we had in
May we worked with Inclusion North to put together
an easy read guide to all the voting information we
could find. We knew that lots of charities and groups
had really good voting projects but that they only tell
people about their own work. We think disabled
people should be able to know about and use ALL
projects not just those a big charity tells us about.
We all hope this will make it easier for local groups
to use the projects that the big charities are already
putting on for free.



























6. How is People First England set up and
managed?

Answer: At the moment Gary and I are working to
set up People First England. We will be a charity by
September 2015.

We set up People First England a year before the
general election. We decided that it would be better
to try and ensure the voice of people with learning
disabilities is as loud as we can all make it in that
election. There are only 2 of us working part time
and were both disabled so we cant do everything
we would like to as quickly as we would like.

If we become a charity now we will have to put most
of our time and energy into that and not getting
things done in time for the election next year.

So we decided it would be best to wait until there is
time to ask People First groups how they think
People First England should be set up and
managed. We will start to do that after the election
in May 2015.


7. Can local groups join People First England if
they want to?

Answer: Yes! The more of us joining together the
better!
















8. How does People First England fit with the
National and regional forums?

Answer: Dr Simon Duffy is helping People First
England to talk to the forums and find a way for
People First England to fit there that everyone is
happy about.


9. Do you have a website?

Answer: Our website is still being built. But we have
a blog where you can find out a bit about us while
were waiting for the website to be ready
http://peoplefirstengland.blogspot.co.uk/


10. How can people get in touch with you and find
out more?

Answer: We are on Facebook the group is called
People First The Movement there are more than
3000 members already.
https://www.facebook.com/People1stEngland


We are on twitter as @People1stEng


or you can email us at

Kaliya.franklin@peoplefirstengland.org.uk or

Gary.Bourlet@peoplefirstengland.org.uk











11. We think people should think about the words
they use like learning impairment not
Learning Disability. What do you think?

Answer: We think so too disabled people use
lots of different words to describe themselves. We
will try to use the describing words that most
disabled people are happy with.


12. We think that when the media want a statement
about people with learning disabilities they
should ask groups like us not Mencap. How
can we make that happen and not lose our
local voice?

Answer: This is why we set up People First
England and exactly what were trying to do! We
will be running media training for self advocates
and supporting them to talk to the media
themselves, not through a big charity like Mencap.


13. The training package for campaigning what
does it include? How will it be delivered? Is it
accessible? How do you know?

Answer: We are still working this out at the
moment.












14. We are worried about housing, travel and day
centres closing. Commissioners do not seem
to be worried about the same things. How can
we get them to understand what is important
to us?

Answer: Commissioners dont often speak to the
disabled people they commission services for.
Writing to your local commissioner and asking
them to visit your group to talk these worries
through is a good place to start.


15. How will you keep in touch with us and tell us
what is going on?

Answer: Once our website is ready it will be a lot
easier for everyone to see what we are doing!
Until then we will update people when we have
news, eg announcing the winners of the
competition to attend Labour and Conservative
party conferences later this year.



































The Justice for LB campaign
Sam told everyone about the Justice for LB campaign.

Connor Sparrowhawk was a fit and healthy young
man, who loved buses, London, Eddie Stobart and
speaking his mind. Known as LB online, short for
Laughing Boy, he also happened to have autism and
epilepsy.
On the 19 March 2013, he was admitted to Slade
House Assessment and Treatment Unit run by a NHS
Trust.
Tragically, after 107days in the unit, he drowned in the
bath on 4 July 2013.
An independent review found his death was
preventable it did not need to happen.

A year later the 107days campaign wants to inspire,
bring together and share positive actions being taken
to support JusticeforLB and all the people with
learning disabilities or autism.
The campaign wants to help change how people are
treated and thought about.
You can read about LB and what happened to him at
http://mydaftlife.wordpress.com/the-report/

























On that page there is information on the review into
why Connor died, what people have said or done
since.
There is Easy Read as well as non Easy Read
information.
You can find out about all the different things that
have happened for the 107 days Justice for LB at
http://107daysofaction.wordpress.com/

Inclusion North on 14
th
May had a day of sharing good
ways of working, stories and ideas from people with
learning disabilities, family members and workers


You can see them all here:

http://bit.ly/1pIbeIg















What are your ideas around what you will do
locally after today?



North Yorkshire

- Tell people about this meeting at the
Partnership in North Yorkshire and local area
groups.
- Tell partnership about LB Campaign
- Build networks with local press
- Give feedback to your groups
- Concentrate on social media
- Training opportunities
- Network further with other/local groups
- Develop sessions around voting and rights
- Building relationships with MPs etc
- More self-advocacy



Doncaster/Stockton
- Picked up info/networking
- Report back to CHAD
- Link with other groups share contacts
- Share information
- Take information to LDPB and commissioning
team
- Using internet/social training networking
- Talk about both at our Board meeting and
other groups we go to
- Report to Valuing People Board about different
ways of working
- #107 days raise awareness on saying it all
website
- Run awareness training about voting


Darlington and Scunthorpe
- Talk to others about today
- Take our ideas to Partnership Board or
Parliament
- Visit Inclusion North Website
- Explore Skype possibilities
- Take ideas
- Go back and talk to Sunderland People First
about everything today
- Make links and send stuff to our regional
neighbours
- Share the easy read of Connors story with
others eg patient forum
- Take it to the Winterbourne View Projects
Group
- We will keep persevering
- Keep our voices being heard
- We will raise our profile with media
- We will keep our training work going
- We will keep being realistic
- We will not set unrealistic goals and say within
our abilities



Rotherham
- Local Partnership Board
- Regional Forums
- Peoples Parliament
- National Forum
- Speak Up Committee





Middlesbrough
- E-mail other people first groups to ask for their
experiences re transport
- Meeting with local MP Tom Blenkinsop
- Invite other politicians to Middlesbrough First
- Encourage Disabled/LD/ people to get on
board
- Feedback the information
- More joint working on same ideas
- Sharing stories for IB 107 days
- Join all People First networks
- Social media (using more training)
- Let group members know what weve found
out ask them what they think of the idea do
they have any questions
- Get training on how to use social; media how
can you use it to influence and get media
attention. How can you use it to campaign.



Gateshead
- Talk to someone in the prison service about
the idea of a liaison officer to work with people
with learning disabilities in prison.
-
Newcastle
- Find out whats happening in Newcastle with
the digital inclusion work that was started
working with care providers to support people
to go online.




What might Inclusion North do after today?


Keep in touch with us and People First England
and keep us updated with a separate newsletter
Speak to people locally (through regional PBs)
Info about training/training providers
#107 days remind people its not just about
hospitals people get sent to live a long way from
home in specialist private units that are not
hospitals
Feedback different ways of working with self
advocates to Partnership Boards and getting info
out beyond groups


Share contact details and help us promote
ourselves and network
Raise awareness and strengthen us and them
Host another day in 6 months time to talk about
development of People First England and give
feedback about justice for LB work
Let people with learning difficulties take the lead
and work together with support
Keep us up to date
Send information to everyone
Help us to get accessible information about voting
and help us to make voting/politics exciting so we
can encourage people who think voting is not for
them to vote!







What messages do you want to send to
People First England?


Tell me how I can get training in campaigning
People First England to write a newsletter and get
Inclusion North to circulate it
Di Lofthouse MBE happy to help
Training opportunities
Newsletter national success
Campaigning/promote local/national to media
More networking events
Develop a programme regarding vote, rights
(develop a training DVD
Accessible formats, support umbrella

















Gather info about worries/concerns to make sure
its representative for everyone
Put together key themes/issues for people to feed
into
Keep people up to date through e-mail/phone
about the work youre doing/membership
Make things better Teamwork!
Think about training and standards for good self
advocacy groups
Meet again
Help raise awareness of voting
Use social media and press to tell others (through
easy read)
Make sure we all understand the values and how
People First work
Keep in touch with everyone
Update on progress
More information about Party Conference Role
Send everyone links to blog and website when up


and running
Send us information about what other people
around the country think
Signpost to funding opportunities including working
in partnership
Get Trustees for this organisation
Get in contact with people in different areas with
learning difficulties
Our understanding of a People First is that it is for
and run by people with learning difficulties and not
for wider groups that is when we lose our voice

Spread the word to everyone more
Dont give up on the work keep going until it is
happening for people all over


Join
Decide which other groups to work together
Spread the work to everyone more
We cant find you on the internet need Facebook
page
Need to come up on a google search
Provide a list of all sub groups so we can work
together on the same things and ask each other
questions (chat rooms, forums) we are working on
. Can anybody help linking together?











Next steps
1. Inclusion North will do the notes from today with
the links to more information
2. We will share the contact details of all the groups
who came today with each other and People first
England
3. People First England and Inclusion North will make
a guide to all the different resources on voting and
easy read information on elections
4. Inclusion North will keep in touch about working
more with self advocacy groups









What People had to Say about the meeting

Meet private groups
Meet new people
Had a great day, very accessible great to meet
other groups, well organised, thank you
Great that self-advocates dominated the day
Got some good ideas from other groups
Meeting new people and having my first
experience of skype good practice for party
political interviews conference
Meeting new people and learning about new
places
It has been very good to meet and share info with
them
Meeting new people and working together
Good meeting other organisations and finding out










what they do
Networking and meeting new people
Needed to be led by people with learning
disabilities
Good to get everyone together
Liked the groupwork
Cup of tea and a chat
Found the article very interesting
Asking questions
Interesting
Good networking opportunity
Travelling was very good getting here
Good dinner
Like meeting new people
Finding out more
Everything networking with people from other
counties
Looks promising
Havent got lot of plans at the moment have a
meeting later
Found the food very nice
A fantastic event thank you
Found the person on Skype very good
I like the food and meeting new people
Like meeting new groups about People First
England
Great day must keep momentum up. People
First England please get facebook account so we
can share
Lunch
I have really enjoyed it and it has been very good
It was really interesting - easy to understand
Seeing familiar faces and chatting to them


Chance to meet new people
Information is very accessible
Buffet very nice
Learning new things
Still a bit confused about People First England are
doing
Car parking
A bit stuffy
More people here
Better if there been a break
Try to sort sound























Who came to the meeting?

Cathy Wintersgill Leeds Connect in the North
Peter Lomas Leeds Connect in the North
Daniel Froment Leeds Connect in the North
Glenn Howe Newcastle Better Day
Billy Richardson Newcastle Better Days
Lisa Clark Sunderland People first
Sharon Bell Sunderland People First
D Binkinsop Sunderland People First
Belinda Croce North Yorkshire
Tom Newton North Yorkshire
Di Lofthouse MBE North Yorkshire
Gary Bourlet People First England
Becca Cooper York People First
Andy Pollin York People First
Kate Hardcastle York People First
Kim Whiting York People First
Sandra Gilpin York People First
Lynne Morrison Middlesbrough People First
Emma Londesbo Middlesbrough People First
Peter Downey Middlesbrough People First
Chris Williamson Middlesbrough People First
Karen Amos Bradford People First
Tommy Redgrift


Gillian Carlin Bradford People First
Louise Darling ChAD
Kay Dickson ChAD
Pat Chojnowski ChAD
Jackie Crawshaw ChAD
Derek Cartwright Talking Lincs Self Advocacy
Network

Steve Martin Talking Lincs Self Advocacy
Network
Karen Rothwell Talking Lincs Self Advocacy
Network
Kate Wadey Talking Lincs Self Advocacy
Network
Alex Tate Your Voice Counts Gateshead
Paul Regan Gateshead People Chair
Christine Bucklet NE Lincs Valuing People Board
Gary Stark NE Lincs Valuing People Board
Andrew Murdoch
Trevor George
Yasmin Johnson Stockton Helps All
Andrew Minster Stockton Borough Council
Robin Flintoff Stockton Borough Council
Keith Cookson
Luke Hardwick Darlington AD
Harrry Langhorn Darlington AD
Nick Darlington AD
Dave Burns
Jake
Joan Robb Stockton
David Donnelly Stockton
Angela Ellis Winterbourne JIP
Lucy Virgo Inclusion North
Scott Cunningham Inclusion North
Samantha Clark Inclusion North
Marie Shrewsbury Inclusion North
ST & WAK Moyn
Sarah Roberts Kirklees Involvement Network
Nicola Cromack Kirklees Involvement Network
Marsha Simpson Kirklees Involvement Network
Virginia Saynor Change
Gavin Harding Voices for People / Inclusion
North
Heather Carter MP-DCC
Shaun Lavery York PF
Michael Scott
Laura Simmons










Apologies


Sara Cole Selby

Dawn Conway Redcar & Cleveland

Karen Graham

Vivienne Trenchard Skills for People