Transitions- National Stakeholder Meeting Nov 22

[Gwen]

15th November 2022 

 

Meeting Notes: 

 

Josh- overview of AWF and our CCC project: 

Caring Communities of Change is an innovative project putting learning disability family carers and their relatives at the heart of collaboration in service design and delivery across Health and Social Care in Wales. The AWF works in partnership with regional carer-led networks and engages our third sector colleague organisations to co-produce and scale up innovative, practical and different solutions.  

Collectively we will actively target three core areas of change that have been brought to our attention by family carers as areas that have a need for improvement, identifying different solutions by generating innovative pilot schemes.  

These three areas of change are; 

1. Transitions – ‘All Moves Matter’ 

1. Respite – ‘Break from the Routine’ 

1. Doing different things – ‘Creative Carer Communities’ 

 

These co-designed and co-owned initiatives will ultimately enable family carers and their relatives to meet their well-being outcomes more creatively and effectively, both within their local communities, and at a national level, across the whole peer support network. 

https://www.forum.allwalesforum.org.uk/caring-communities-of-change/  

 

‘Home from Home Network’ with Shared Lives Plus-  

Establishing a network to provide a space for families to have peer-to-peer conversations about the transition process. Currently being established in mid Wales due to capacity. Focused on voice & control for families during this process and provision of accessible information. We also welcome professionals to this network with the aim to change traditional working practices. We want to work with families to create a resource pack and co-produce solutions to challenges such as lack of placements, emergency placements and rural barriers.  

 https://sharedlivesplus.org.uk/our-work-and-campaigns/our-work-across-the-uk/wales/  

 

Louise- Co-producing a Transitions Toolkit: 

• Louise is a part of the MAGIC parent carer group that supports families in Monmouthshire, Powys and across South Wales.  
• The toolkit has been a partnership between the AWF, Monmouthshire Local Authority, Louise and parents within Monmouthshire. 
• The idea was born from families needing to think about themselves during this process and how transition will affect them and their entitlements.  

• We have developed a short guide to support parents through the transition process to trigger families to think about certain things at certain points such as finance, legal, health, education etc. This is not meant to be a scary document but something to assist this huge life change.  
• The AWF’s role within this work means we want to develop this guide across other local authorities in Wales to provide this support to families.  
• This document is still in its initial consultation phase but hopefully a first complete draft will be finished within next 6 months.  

 

Claire White- Cwmpas Communities Creating Homes: 

• This project is funded to provide information & assistance to communities  
• Communities to work together to create something new & innovative  
• Working with a group of learning disability families in Swansea who want to explore supported living for their children. They have worked as a group to put together a vision of what they want to achieve. The aim is that this creates more solutions than just ticking a box.  
• This group held 4 workshop events to bring together the families and decide what they want. Both the young people and the parents were involved and have since become their own friendship group who now do other things socially altogether. Within these workshops the group discussed what they want to see in their home, getting them excited about what they want in the future. They also discussed what does a good life to them really look like and who will be involved to provide support.  

• Local authorities, care providers and care partners have all been involved in these initial conversations.  
• The hope is that these examples of community-led approaches will lead to better outcomes for people with a learning disability in Wales and that this type of housing will be seen as a serious “player” in this market and that it should not be underestimated.  
• As a project, Cwmpas will continue to work with policy makers about community-led housing as a viable solution to the housing crisis.  

https://cwmpas.coop/what-we-do/services/co-operative-community-led-housing/  

 

Q&A: 

Would this work on an individual basis as well as working with a group of people who have formed a NFP company? If not, how would you find a group to work with in your own locality?  

This tends to be done in a group situation by those who already know each other or already part of an existing group where parents have links through their own networks. Social media has been a fantastic tool to connect people. Rosie & Cath from the team can work with individuals to connect to any wider groups. This is a long-term solution.  

Would you (Claire) be able to link me to the group or is it too late?  

Absolutely.  

Would you need to be a group or would Cwmpas be able to connect someone to other people in the ‘Area’ who might be interested?  

Cwmpas don’t keep a list but they will work with you to look at ways to connect with like-             minded individuals. 

What would happen if Direct payments or other LA funding put place and one of the groups wants or needs to leave either because of personalities or increased care needs.  

It has to be looked at by a case by case basis. This will come down to the commitments made by the group and what they sign up to.  

Claire (Cwmpas), Would you look at working with mixed groups- ie not just a group of people with LDs working together? It would be good to see a model looking at groups with different support needs,( or no support needs) living together rather than segregating people with LDs into a separate property? Outside the norm but perhaps more inclusive? – 

That’s definitely something that can be looked at  

In Netherlands they put vulnerable people with students who get discounted rent as they are expected to help out https://theconversation.com/heres-why-some-dutch-university-students-are-living-in-nursing-homes-68253  

 

Further discussion points: 

• There is a huge workforce crisis facing families not having a social worker. What happens if you do not have a social worker and want to begin having these conversations.  
• When looking at transition, it is important to acknowledge that peoples need change and also people change their mind. Things won’t be able to stay the same forever.  
• Is there a way for somebody else to explore these conversations so they are not statutory-led and reliant?  
• Transition conversations must start early!  
• Rural counties issues- many families with complex needs being pushed out of county and put into “artificial” friendship groups.  
• It is often hard to move forward your ideas without a social worker 

 

Actions and next steps: 

• Send out dates for next meeting in April.
• Put meeting notes on the digital forum for people to read 
• Reach out to Cwmpas to discuss ‘mixed working groups’ of family carers of people with LD’s and others 
• Share Monmouthshire transitions guide document with network when ready 
• Explore how AWF can facilitate gathering interest and connecting together families who want to explore Cwmpas’ Communities Creating Homes option across Wales. 

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