Wonder Of Working with people with a learning disability

Rose Trustam and Kate Naden

Background –Lancashire Workforce Development Partnership - LWDP

Since 2003/4 Lancashire Social Services has worked in genuine partnership with the voluntary and independent sector

The LWDP formed to administer the LCC government workforce & training grant (sector share approx. £2m)

They’ve maintained the grant since, despite ring-fencing being removed.

Lancashire Learning Disabilities Consortium (LLDC)

The LLDC is 16 Lancashire voluntary organisations working in learning disability services who share values & the benefits of joint work

LLDC represents L/D employers on the LWDP Board who fund an L/D networker/projects officer

Its first LWDP-funded project researched recruitment difficulties, which led to the development of materials including the DVD

The Project’s aim was to raise awareness thro’ developing better recruitment materials.

LWDP gave a £10k grant 3 LLDC Organisations – Integrate,

Linkability and Ormerod took it on: They formed a management group Scoped the project & developed the script

and players Used previous experience of the group -

Linkability had made their own DVD with Keystone Creative

Integrate had used PresCap a Community Arts group with service users

DEVELOPING THE MATERIALS?

ARTS WORKSHOPS: PresCAP were commissioned to run workshops to

develop the materials and the messages using participating service users and staff

They produced the WOW motif (made from photos of the group), the leaflet, a banner & posters – all totally owned & led by participants.

Materials were used for 3 recruitment events

Making the DVD

What helped? The trust between agencies and shared

values – same messages A lead person who had worked with the

film-makers before Setting up scenes as much as possible

before and some contingency plans Getting permissions from participants –

service users & staff & some venues Total commitment of all – LLDC agency

management, participants s/users

Lessons from our experience Pre-work: Spend time to work out the script &

messages wanted – the film-maker can do it. Service users and staff developing the

marketing in the workshops worked well – and was very empowering and creative for them

Contingencies: one staff to be filmed left! Another staff after filming got cold feet!

Be prepared to adapt: The DVD is too long for recruitment event stalls; made a short one

It takes much more time than you think!

Using the DVD & Distribution

o All Lancashire providers got them to use

o We’ve given them schools, Uni’s & colleges for their use

o We’ve used the DVD at Job Fairs and Recruitment Events,stalls at conferences

We sent it to Community Living – a learning disabilities magazine - who featured it Autumn 2009

Lancashire Workforce Development Partnership (LWDP)

The opportunity came from the REAL PARTNERSHIP of Lancashire Adult Services’ reps – their Head of Contracts and lead HR/Training manager –working strategically with the sector.

Contact Details

For further information see: www.lldc.org or www.lwdp.org.uk

Some copies of the DVD here today for sale £10

Or email us at admin.lldc.org but we’ll have to charge postage