Learning Disability Partnership Board
2nd February 2017, 10.30-1.30
The Barn, Field Place, Durrington
Co-Chairs Graham Tyler and Liz Munnion.
1. Introductions
Guests welcomed to the meeting:
Chris Downton – West Sussex Trading Standards
Anusree Biswas – Sasidharan Safeguarding Team
Madeline Denny – Impact
Trish Duffy West Sussex Parent Carer Forum
Alison Duggin – Carers Support
2. Previous Minutes:
The previous minutes were agreed.
3. Self-advocates:
The Hate Crime Awareness film by ‘People Come First’
and Worthing SpeakAbout was shown.
Sargeant Allen said that the Police use language which
is not particularly helpful. Films like this made by
people and delivered to the appropriate audience is
really good because you cannot play a good message
too often.
Question: Have all the self-advocates seen the film.
Answer: Yes I believe they have.
Action: Mike Smith to circulate the link to the video.
https://vimeo.com/169360151/39223b0535
4. County Council update Top Ten
Philip Pragnell said that the new Commissioning
Manager, Lisa Loveman, is starting on the 8th of
March. Lisa currently works for the council and in the
past worked for the local advocacy service.
Money:
The budget for 2016/17 was higher than the year
before. The budget this year will overspend although
we do not know exactly how much by yet. There are
meetings going on between the County Council and
the NHS about next years budget. The local NHS has
some problems with their budgets.
Health Checks and Self-Assessment:
We do not have information on health checks for
2016/17 yet. We hope to have this by May. The Big
Health Day this year will be about supporting people
to access health services that help people spot cancer
early on. There is a group making plans for the day.
Jobs (Including WSCC)
It was felt that Children’s Services were best placed to
address employment for people with learning
difficulties.
Improving day services:
Customers and staff are involved in developing the
Burnside service. There is a focus on the local
community and developing skills and independence.
WSCC is still looking at the options for a building. The
costs of building something new and of refurbishing
Burnside are very high. It is important that any
building will be good for the future and fit in with
other planned developments in the area..
Autism:
We link in with the Autism Partnership Board and it
was decided that their priority was around housing,
health and diversity.
Quality Checking:
We have two quality checks a year led by selfadvocates. Self-advocates are now doing some follow
up work to the healthy eating Quality Check.
Feeling Safe:
Today’s meeting is focused on safety. So far 66 hate
crimes were recorded as opposed to 76 all last year,
however hate crime incidents have gone down to 25
as opposed to 53.
Transport
The self-advocates have done survey about travel
training which is very good. Phil is sending a survey
to providers of services this year.
Things to do (Art and Leisure)
This is a key these for the Partnership Board. At a
meeting last year we heard about a range of services
supporting people to access leisure and sports.
My home and what action to take.
Phil said that the last Partnership Board meeting was
about Housing. It is a big area of work that the Board
will keep coming back to.
Question: Are there any new homes for people with
learning disabilities?
Answer: We heard about the Alinora Crescent
Service at the last Partnership Board. This service will
open this month.
Graham Tyler said that Arun District Council is just
setting up their own company to build council houses
and some will be available to people with learning
disabilities.
Question: Are there courses to help people live
independently?
Answer: Two courses are going to be run, Aspire are
running a basic cookery course on the 1st of March in
Burgess Hill and the other one is the Mid Sussex
Wellbeing Team running a weight management course
from the end of May in Burgess Hill. Action: Harriett
will email Mike Smith all the details.
Question: There is a a factory estate near Burnside
in Burgess Hill which is empty. Could this an option
for a new centre and why it is taking so long ?
Answer: It is important the right building is found
and it must be one that the council can afford. In the
meantime improvements are being made to
Burnside’s existing building.
5. Staying safe from scammers
Chris Downton from Trading Standards explained that
he has worked for Trading Standards for thirty years
and that Trading Standards are part of the County
Council. They visit shops and investigate complaints.
They investigate scams and provide support to victims
noting that the police also do this.
A scam is when Somebody tries to get you to pay
them money by misleading you
Scams start with something unexpected reaching you
in various ways, a letter, email, phone call or even
someone knocking at your door. Typically they will
have a very convincing story why they want your
money, they are very clever and we are all vulnerable
and targeted. They do not want us to take advice
from anyone else usually saying that you need to act
now.
Often they say something nice is happening, perhaps
you have won money but you need to send them an
administration fee. Sometimes they know where you
live or know part of your credit card number, they
pretend to be someone they are not. They try to get
you off guard. They will rush you and pressure you.
Common scams are letters saying you have won a
prize. Another will be a phone call offering you
something valuable. Some scams indicate that you
have a virus on your computer and they need to
access your details. Scams can also offer romance,
posting very attractive pictures of someone who then
asks for money using a heartfelt sob story or that
they would like to visit you but need the train/air fare.
A common scam is people pretending to be a police
officer or from trading standards. All reputable
agencies would not mind if you say you want to check
them out and phone them back using a phone number
you independently find and not using the call back
facility on your phone.
Lots of scams are from people overseas trying to get
you to part with your personal information. If you are
being offered something too good to be true it
probably is. If they ask you to act quickly or keep it a
secret, ask you for private information, or ask you to
hand over money, do not do it. The challenge is to try
and spot if things are a scam.
Doorstep traders are people who may say that they
have noticed something is wrong with your home and
pressure you to trade with them. Trading Standard’s
advice is to say no as they may do a poor job or not
do a job at all. They may quote one price but insist on
another once the work is finished. Some people may
try and sell you unsuitable things or even broken
items. Some ask you if you have any valuables and
will not give you what they are worth.
To avoid scams it is important to be aware of the
possibility that something could be a scam. If you
have any doubts get advice from someone you trust,
or ring the Citizens Advise Bureau. If you think you
have lost money you can report it to the police,
Trading Standards or Citizens Advise. Mr Downton
said that he will go to the self-advocate meeting.
Question: Someone said they were pestered with
telephone calls such as PPI.
Answer: You can register with the Telephone
Preference Service to stop scammers from the UK.
6. Adult safeguarding and mate crime
Anusree Biswas-Sasidharan said that she is from the
Adult Safeguarding Board explaining that
safeguarding is about keeping you safe from abuse or
neglect. There are ten different types of abuse and it
is when someone is hurting you or treating you badly.
Mate Crime is about staying safe from people who are
pretending to be your friend. A true friend should
always be kind and if someone is treating you badly
and making you feel bad you must tell someone you
trust. An example of mate crime is when someone
calls you nasty names. Nicola said that it is cruel and
when people bully you, you should report it. Anusree
continued saying that another description of mate
crime is taking your money, or indirectly by using all
your phone credit. Another can be sexual abuse when
someone does something to any part of your body
that you do not want.
Mate Crime needs to be reported and can be reported
to the police on 999, 101 if it is not an emergency, or
phone victim support on 0808 168 9111.
Question: Why is institutional abuse not in the
booklet.
Answer: This is a gap and will be looked into for the
next edition.
Action: Mike Smith to email the link to order more
booklets. Action: Mike Smith to email a copy of the
slides.
7. Sussex Police Hate Crime update
Sargeant Peter Allen said that the effect of hate crime
can be serious and that hate crime is any behaviour
that the victim feels is targeted against them, hostility
based on a characteristic. There are five strands of
hate crime; disabilities, race, faith, sexuality and
transgender.
You should report hate crime even if it doesn’t bother
you because the perpetrator might do it to someone
else. There is a reporting network which you can do
online called ‘True Vision’ and there is also a recording
App for recording evidence. When you report a crime
the police record it and see it as a success if reported
figures go up because it means that the word is
getting across. In Horsham only five recorded
incidents were recorded last year which he does not
think is accurate. Numbers tell the police how much
progress they and other agencies are making.
Once you report a crime the victim will be supported.
There are different ways of giving evidence in court,
behind a screen and even in a building faraway using
video link; the victim will be supported the whole
time.
Question: School children can be mean and follow
transgender people with learning difficulties’ calling
them names.
Answer: Sargeant Allen said that we want people to
report this. If it is always in the same area and from
people in the same school the police could get a
policeperson to go to the school and would hope the
school does something. Sargeant Allen said that he is
part of a transgender group and a disability group and
one of the things they wanted Sussex Police to do is a
Mate Crime pact. We have a working group to develop
a mate crime pact and will send it to Mike Smith when
it is completed.
Question: Some victims are scared about reporting
crimes in case they get hurt again by the same
perpetrator.
Answer: Sargeant Allen said that the court take
breaches of bail conditions seriously however they
cannot promise that the perpetrator won’t come back.
Sargeant Allen said the police have a pot of money
which we can offer groups up to £500 over three
years to do work about hate crime.
8. Group Discussion
How can we help people with Learning
Difficulties feel safer in West Sussex?
Tell people how to avoid scams
Having my own privacy
Being with people
Talking to an advocate
Educating children in school about disabilities
Having communication with different authorities,
police, NHS, emergency services, victim support
See police out and about more
Carrying a mobile phone
Travel training
Name and shame businesses on social media
Educate school children that it is wrong to take the
mick
Self-advocacy groups to come and talk to schools
Check with all schools that they do something to
lower hate crime
Liaise with Sencos that children with learning
disabilities know who they can turn to
Help people to keep evidence eg on a phone
Humans on transport including conductors on trains
Make people clear that there are consequences if
people cause hate crime, or don’t show people respect
Raise awareness of disabilities and difference
Raise awareness of Pegasus
Simple information on keeping safe
More PCSO’s
More police officers on the beat
Safety training as part of travel training
Safety zone stickers
Street Lighting
Updates on what sort of crimes are trending in areas
Shopwatch
Personal alarms
Bells on bags/wallets
Knowing to knock on people’s door to ask them to call
police
Are the right partners who can help us involved?
Keep our links with Victim Support
Police
District Borough Councils
Community Safety Police
Schools, colleges, home and groups
9. Anything else we would like to talk about?
The Oak Community Project in Rustington said that
they have started hate crime work and are doing a lot
more travel training. There is an active programme
working at Oak Grove College and the Oaks is having
to put in a waiting service. People like that we go out
into the community each day and getting work
placements. We support the Empty Plate Café which
uses the recycled food from supermarkets and we
support the Council Rangers.
10.
Date of the next meeting
6th April 2017 10-1.30
People who came to the meeting
Graham Tyler
Mike Smith
Liz Munnion
Philip Pragnell
Kevin Taylor
Chris Button
Derek Deedman
Harriet Wilson
Ellie Bebb
Sergeant Peter Allen
Wendy Byrne
Ronnie Little
Martina Oseibobie
Chris Downton
Anusree Biswas-Sasidharan
Madeline Denny
Trish Duffy
Alison Duggan
Claire Russel
Julie Wilson
Paul Niner
Sarah Shipway
Chris Hughes
James Grubb
Evelyne Peacock
Shazjed Miah
Sophie Williams
Niki Websdale
James Parmentor
Nicola Worsley
Alistair Evans
Pam Willcox (Minutes)