Author: George Matuska

Development of a Kent, Surrey & Sussex Learning Disability Community of Practice

/ George Matuska / 1 Comment

You may be aware that the Kent and Medway Learning Disability Community of Practice (K&MLDCoP) is three years old this year and during the last six months has been reviewing its goals and aspirations.

Click here to review an overview of major events over the last three years

It’s model up to this point has been to enable and encourage local membership to contribute to activities based around the three main purposes, those of:-

  1. Eradicate health inequalities for people with learning disabilities
  1. To promote person centred care and support
  1. To encourage equality and access.

This has led to three well attended and evaluated conferences, engagement via social media and IT, and a growing number of clinical and academic projects.

As a result of a review over the last few months, the K&MLDCoP has been considering ways of building on its firm foundations, which has led to a successful bid for resources from Health Education England in Kent, Surrey and Sussex (HEE KSS) to allow them to open up this resource to a wider community.

With this in mind the K&MLDCoP will become the Kent, Surrey and Sussex learning disability Community of Practice over the next six months which will culminate in a 2016 launch Conference.

The CoP are looking for volunteers from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex to get involved in the Conference planning and the continued development of the CoP.

Outline for the conference:

  • A free one day event open to anyone with an interest or working in Learning Disability
  • The day will be made up of a number of short workshops/ presentation provided by community members to showcase the work they are currently doing in field of Learning disability across KSS. This will be videoed and shared via social media (click here to see the 2015 conference details: https://goo.gl/uF0pDp )
  • During the conference the CoP will also host the first meeting of ID Workforce stakeholder group, the information shared at this meeting will guide the future ID workforce development plan for HEE KSS, and is crucial to our work as we move it forward.

We would like as many of you as possible to either attend this event, or put forward someone else in your organisation who can, in order that we can continue to help you make a positive difference. If you would like to know more or would like to be involved in this exciting new start for the CoP, please contact them at kandmldcop@gmail.com

Please feel free to forward this information to any other groups or individuals in your area you think would like to be part of this exciting development.

We look forward to hearing from you soon

Best regards

George Matuska on behalf of

Kent and Medway Learning Disability Community of Practice,
email: kandmldcop@gmail.com
Website: https://kentlivewell.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @kandmldcop

Planning the #LDworkforce Now and in the Future #IDHEKSS @SkillforCare event: Book your space now

/ George Matuska / 1 Comment

SkillsForCareLogoLg

Date: Tuesday 1st December 2015
Time: 10:30am – 3pm. Registration and refreshments from 10am
Venue: Mercure London Bridge

Health Education Kent Surrey and Sussex (HEKSS) is undertaking a workforce development project for people working with clients and patients with intellectual disabilities. The aim is to create a sustainable and secure workforce supply, for people that have intellectual disabilities, who require support from and / or access to services across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

HEKSS has commissioned Skills for Care to help facilitate some of this important work, and we would jointly like to invite you to attend a one day conference which will look at planning for the learning disabilities workforce across the full range of adult services including residential, supported living and specialist. Transformation, personalisation and the development of community based services are at the heart of quality. The learning disabilities workforce needs to have access to the right education and training, that acknowledges the skills and values that are required, in the right place at the right time.

As part of this work, Skills for Care are undertaking research on the current state of the learning disabilities workforce for HEKSS. During this conference we will be presenting our findings from the research and finding out from you what your issues and challenges are for the workforce. We will also be discussing how we can best maintain contact in the future, and how to move this work forward.

We will be covering the needs of both the registered and unregistered workforce including PAs and we will be looking at the following issues:

  • Recruitment and retention
  • continuing professional development requirements
  • the availability of progression routes for training and development.
  • listening to the perspectives of those who use services and their families

Target Audience: Those who should consider registering are people who have responsibility for the learning disabilities workforce whether it is in the NHS, or other environments including independent, private and charitable organisations e.g. Registered Managers, Workforce Leads, Service Managers, Learning and Development Leads, Occupational Therapists. People who conduct care assessments and those responsible for the workforce for clinical or specialist services

If you would like to attend the event, click here to book your organisations space

Learning Disability Community of Practice Survey CLOSING SOON!!!!

/ George Matuska / Leave a comment

 

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If you have not yet had the opportunity to share your thoughts on how the community should evolve do it now:

The evaluation form can be accessed by clicking on the following link: https://goo.gl/clMPe1

It will only take 5 minutes and we need to hear what you have to say

The closing date will be the 13th of November 2015, after this point your views and opinions will be analysed and the finding along with the future direction of the CoP will be posted here.

Thank you all in advance for taking the time to share

Click on the green button below to have your say

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