Terms of Reference
The Learning Disability Partnership Board in
Oldham
DRAFT: November 2014
What is a ‘Terms of Reference’?
A ‘terms of reference’ document sets out the rules about the Board. These
rules will tell you what the Partnership Board does and how it does it.
What is the Learning Disability Partnership Board?
The Board is a group of people who get together and meet on a regular basis,
working together to make Oldham a better place to live for people with
learning disabilities.
What is the Learning Disability Partnership Board here to do?
The Board is here to make sure that people with a learning disability who live
in Oldham have the same chances in life as everybody else.
The Board will also:
 Develop a strategy - and through developing the strategy, the Board will
hold professional people to account for improving the design and
delivery of services for people with learning disabilities.
 Make sure that the money that is spent on services for people with a
learning disability and family carers is spent properly and on things that
are good quality
 Be consulted and involved about big plans or changes that will affect
people with learning disabilities and for family carers
Who does the Board report to?
The Learning Disability Partnership Board will report to Oldham’s Health and
Wellbeing Board.
The Health and Wellbeing Board is a meeting of senior leaders from a wide
range of organisations in Oldham, who work together to improve the Health
and Wellbeing of the people of Oldham.
The Learning Disability Partnership Board will present an annual report to the
Health and Wellbeing Board once a year, and will provide regular updates or
reports on other issues when necessary. The report will contain information on
progress in developing the strategy, information on topics and issues the
Board has discussed, and any issues or questions the Learning Disability
Partnership Board would like to ask the Health and Wellbeing Board.
This will help the Learning Disability Partnership Board to:
 Influence and engage senior leaders on issues of concern for people
with learning disabilities in Oldham.
 Make sure senior leaders are aware of these issues, and that they can
get behind the changes needed to make life better for people with
learning disabilities in Oldham.
How often does it meet?
The Learning Disability Partnership Board will meet every 6 weeks, and will
include a summer break in August.
Who will support the running of the Board?
The Head of the All-Age Disability Service will take the overall responsibility for
the Board.
They will be supported by the Planning and Commissioning Manager for
Learning Disabilities, and the Administrative Assistant from the Link Centre.
Who is on the Board and what are their roles?
Role or Organisation
Role on the Board
Representatives from Oldham Council
Head of the All-Age Disability Service
Chair of the Board and responsible manager
Cabinet Member for Public Health and
Social Services
Director of Adult Social Services
Linking to the political leadership
Planning and Commissioning Manager for
Learning Disabilities
Link Centre Manager
Team Manager in the All-Age Disability
Service
Link Centre Administrator
Senior management representative for
council adult social care
Co-ordinating the development and delivery
of the strategy and support for the Board
Responsible for support services for people
with learning disabilities at the Link Centre
Council’s social care services for people with
learning disabilities
Administrative support for the Board
Health Representatives
Clinical Lead for Learning Disabilities in NHS Responsible person for NHS and Health
Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group
Services
Commissioning Manager for Learning
Disabilities in NHS Oldham Clinical
Commissioning Group
Co-ordinating the development and delivery
of the strategy
Representatives from Pennine Care’s
Learning Disability Service
Links to the Learning Disability Health
Service
Strategy Leads
Strategy Leads for:
 Being heard
 Health
 Housing
 Money, work and volunteering
 Being Safe
 Fulfilling lives
 Becoming an adult and ‘life’
transitions
 Carers
 Developing good services
Responsible for delivering the action plans
of the strategy. Will be invited to meetings
which focus on that particular topic area.
Role or Organisation
Role on the Board
Representatives from the Charity, Voluntary and Community Sector
Oldham Personal Advocacy Ltd
Advocacy Services for people with learning
disabilities
Self-advocates, people with learning disabilities and parent and carer
representatives
Carers for Positive Change
Parent and Carer Group
POINT – Parents of Oldham in Touch
Parent and Carer Group
Self-Advocates
People who represent the needs and
experiences of people with learning
disabilities
Representatives from other services and support provided for people
with learning disabilities
Imagine Act and Succeed
Provider services
How are the topics of the meetings decided?
The focus for the meeting will be managed by using a ‘forward plan’. A
‘forward plan’, sets out topics for discussion at each meeting throughout the
year.
Members of the Board are encouraged to suggest topics for discussion. These
will be included on the Forward plan and brought to every meeting for
discussion. The Forward Plan will be an item on every meeting agenda, which
will give people an opportunity to make suggestions for items at future
meetings.
Meetings will have focused discussions on themes of the Learning Disability
Strategy. The strategy aims to change the design and delivery of services in
Oldham so that people with learning disabilities;
 are supported to be fully included in our community
 are treated with dignity and respect
 have choice and control in their lives that enhances independence
and promotes health and positive wellbeing
Meetings will have a focus on themes in the strategy. The Strategy Lead will
introduce the theme, and report on progress being made on the action plan.
This will allow the Learning Disability Partnership Board to suggest other
actions for improvement, raise any issues they have in the theme area, and
make sure people are delivering the actions that have already been agreed.
Themes of the strategy:
 Being heard
 Health
 Housing
 Money, work and volunteering
 Being safe
 Fulfilling lives
 Becoming an adult and ‘life’ transitions
 Carers of people with learning disabilities
 Developing good services
How are papers, agenda’s and minutes planned?
The Agenda, papers and minutes for each meeting will be circulated two
weeks in advance of the meeting. This will enable self-advocates to meet to
discuss the agenda and think of questions well in advance of the meeting.
The agenda, papers and minutes will be produced in an accessible, easy to
read way, and the agenda will contain a description of each agenda item so
people are able to fully prepare before the discussion takes place.
People with responsibility for taking forward “actions” will be reminded two
weeks before the next meeting to ensure they remember to do their action and
are ready to update the group at the next meeting.
How will the work of the Strategy and Partnership Board be advertised?
The Board will develop a website which includes information about what the
Board does, who sits on the Board and the strategy it is developing.
This will link to a wide range of information on the support and services that
are available for people with learning disabilities in Oldham.