Kent and Medway Learning Disability and Autism workforce events

Canterbury Christ Church University will be hosting a series of learning disability and autism workforce events in 2024, aimed at:-

  • Care staff and professionals working directly with people with learning disabilities and/autistic people, from education, health and care services.
  • Education, Care and Health managers.
  • Police and community support workers
  • Anyone in Kent and Medway working with this diverse population

The first event will feature a presentation from CCCU MSc student and Makaton Trainer Katie Potts and her practice based research investigating how can Makaton be embedded into schools and their wider community.

To book a free place on this first event, please click here

Talk For Work – East Kent College Canterbury & Speech & Language UK

East Kent College at Canterbury are hosting a communication training event in partnership with Speech and Language UK.

Many people have difficulties with some aspect of communication, this often causes people to become isolated and under achieve.

This training will help to identify some difficulties that people may have with communication in p[articular those with learning disabilities and autism and how best to support them.

The training is on the 13th May at 1030-1230 and will be delivered by students from the College’s Inclusive learning department.

This training is FREE OF CHARGE, tea and coffee etc will be provided; onsite parking is limited.

You will receive a certificate of completion for your CPD

To reserve your place please contact me on ben.mcnally@ekcgroup.ac.uk or call 01227 811336.

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Guest Blog – My Heart Breaks – Professor Sheila Baroness Hollins

Following on from Professor Sheila Baroness Hollins keynote address at the Community event last year, we are pleased to present an extended guest blog developing these themes. 

This work challenges us all to think about our role in public health, the valuable activity we do to prevent people requiring inpatient admissions in mental health settings, and the opportunities to improve this offer through social prescribing and the BELONG manifesto.

Click here to read the full blog. 

Get involved in talking about end-of-life care and funeral planning

Thanks to Sarah Gibson, Research Associate, Victoria and Stuart Project at Kingston University for submitting this extended blog on the Victoria and Stuart Project. 

Preparing well for death is one of the most important things we can get right for the people we support and care for. As one of our advisors pointed out it is only irrelevant for people who are immortal!

Helping people who are facing serious illness to talk about and think through plans for what we want whilst we’re still alive is also vital.

We know it’s not easy for any of us to think & talk about being very ill, death and dying.

But that is what the Victoria and Stuart Project www.victoriaandstuart.com led by Professor Irene Tuffrey-Wijne at Kingston University has been doing for the last couple of years.

To read the full version please click here 

If you’d like to help test our end of life care planning toolkit by:-

  • try out the resources during December 2023 or January 2024
  • give us feedback on what you did and how it went (by end of Jan)

If so, please sign up as a Toolkit Tester in our study

  1. Read our Participant Information sheet here
  2. Sign up as a Victoria and Stuart Project Toolkit Tester here
  3. Contact Sarah Gibson l.gibson@kingston.ac.uk with any questions