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| This flowchart shows how the National Family Carer Network plays a part in making sure the voices of people with learning disabilities and their families are heard at local, regional and national levels. Click here to download a copy of the flow chart and accompanying notes. |
| Local |
| Families |
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At least two family carers sit on your partnership board and many others are on working parties linked to the board. Relatives are encouraged to let their representatives (on the board and in working groups) know about their experiences because feedback about practice is usually helpful. You can tell them what is working well and what is difficult. Most local authority websites give information about partnership board membership, or you could phone social services duty desk for signposting to this. |
| Local Learning Disability Partnership Boards |
Learning Disability Partnership Boards were introduced in the Valuing People White Paper 2001.
Partnership Boards must include people with a learning disability, as well as family members of people with a learning disability plus senior representatives from health, education and social services, housing, leisure, employment and public, private, community and voluntary sector organisations.
Through Valuing People Now every LDPB is responsible for reporting local information to the Regional Programme Board. They are to produce annual reports - the first by 31st March 2010 - which are signed off by the Chair, Co-Chair, someone with a learning disability on behalf of other board members with a learning disability and a family carer on behalf of other family carer members. |
| Regional |
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| Family Carer Regional Networks |
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Family carers who sit on local boards are brought together by a regional family carer co-ordinator. The Regional Family Carer Network nominates two family carers to the Regional Learning Disability Programme Board. The co-ordinator and/or a nominated family carer bring messages from the Regional Family Carer Network to the National Valuing Families Forum. |
| Regional Learning Disability Programme Boards |
Each of the 9 regions has a Regional Learning Disability Programme Board, whose role is to support local partnership boards to deliver and monitor progress to do with Valuing People Now. Each board had to develop a Regional Delivery Plan by November 2009, setting out a summary of regional and local actions. They are to produce annual reports for the National Programme Board.
Two people with learning disabilities and two family carers nominated by their regional forums sit on each of the Regional Programme Boards. They are to be supported and funded for their contributions. For information about your regional board and other regional work you can contact your Regional Valuing People Programme Lead, click here for contact details. |
| National |
| The National Forum of people with learning disabilities |
The National Forum of people with learning disabilities has two people from each of the 9 regions, who have been elected to represent others in their area:
The job of each regional forum member is:
- to support the National Forum to do its job
- to bring issues about services in their area to the National Forum
- to listen to what people are saying in each region and see how the forum could help
- to tell others what is happening at the National Forum
- each region has a slot on the National Forum to report back what is happening
The two Co-Chairs of the National Forum go to the National Learning Disability Programme Board. |
| National Valuing Families Forum |
The National Valuing Families Forum (NVFF) brings family carers together from the 9 regions. This group helps the National Programme Board and the Valuing People Team know what is important for families. It also provides direct links between family members who sit on local Learning Disability Partnership Boards, Regional and National Learning Disability Programme Boards and the Standing Commission on Carers.
Organisations and carers groups working with families nationally are also represented at the NVFF. These include the National Family Carer Network, the National Advisory Group for Learning Disability and Ethnicity, Hft's Family Carer Support Service, Mencap, Partners in Policy Making and the Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Crossroads Care.
Two family carers represent the group on the National Learning Disability Programme Board. |
| National Family Carer Leads |
| Cally Ward leads work for family carers; she sets and shares the work programme with Viv Cooper. Both are family carers themselves. |
| National Learning Disability Programme Board |
The National Learning Disability Programme Board was set up in 2009 when the Government published Valuing People Now. This replaced the Learning Disability Taskforce that was established through Valuing People in 2001. It is chaired by Phil Hope (Minister for Care Services) and David Behan (Director General for Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnerships). The Board meets four times a year to discuss how Valuing People Now is going and to solve any problems.
The Board has on it senior government officals from many departments (health; housing; work and pensions; children; schools and families; business, innovation and skills; communities and local government; home office; cabinet office; office for disability issues) as well as
- people from key organisations (Mencap; Association of Adult Services; Local Government Association)
- National Directors and others from their office
- Family carer representatives from the National Valuing Families Forum
- Self advocates (the two chairs of the National Forum for People with Learning Difficulties)
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| National Directors Office |
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Until March 2011 the Valuing People Team are responsible for making Valuing People Now happen across the country. The whole team meets every few months to discuss how things are going and to share ideas and problems. The rest of the time the team is split into 2 parts:
1. Office of the National Director of Learning Disability
Anne Williams is the national Director of Learning Disability; the Co-National Director is Scott Watkin. Together they oversee the implementation of Valuing People Now by leading a team of people who are responsible for all the national work strands, including health, employment, housing, family carers, workforce and advocacy.
Other work done in the Office of the National Director includes publications, communications and business planning, This team works closely with policy people in the Department of Health and other government departments.
2. Regional Valuing People Now Programme Leads
The Regional Leads are based in the 9 regional Government Offices. Their job is to work with regional Programme Boards and others to help make Valuing People Now happen locally and regionally.
Each Regional Government Office is headed by a Deputy Regional Director (DRD), who is accountable for the delivery of all social care programmes (Valuing People Now, Dementia etc) in their region. |
| Standing Commission on Carers |
The Standing Commission on Carers was set up to provide independent expert advice to Ministers and Government Departments. Since the National Carers Strategy - Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities - was published in 2008, the Commission's role is to advise on how the Carers Strategy is being put into action and to help shape further relevant policy development.
Several members have a relative with learning disabilities and two are Advisors to the NFCN, one of whom attends the National Valuing Families Forum. |