What’s new
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Resource for Family Carers
The primary aim of PBS is to improve the quality of life for people with learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges, and that of the people around them. This includes children, young people, adults as well as older people. PBS provides support for a person, their family and friends to help people lead a meaningful life […]
My daughter’s experience of an Assessment and Treatment Unit
When my daughter, Mia, is doing well she is happy and fun-loving. She loves theme parks, water parks and socialising. Mia has a learning disability and autism. When someone has a learning disability and autism, mental health problems are often overlooked or dismissed by professionals. This is what happened with Mia. “Diagnostic overshadowing” meant that […]
Ian and family
How special schools should meet children’s needs: a family- carer perspective
When I saw the recent reports of restraint and seclusion I was horrified. How could this happen to these vulnerable young people? Children who may challenge those around them due to their disability require compassionate support and education by skilled staff having the right attitudes and values within a safe environment. I have been a […]
Ella
Reducing Restrictive Intervention of Children and Young People
Reducing Restrictive Intervention of Children and Young People The Challenging Behaviour Foundation (CBF) and Positive and Active Behaviour Support Scotland (PABSS) both support families of children who have experienced restrictive intervention. We took forward this piece of work, driven and supported by family-carers (including Elly who has written today’s blog) to gather data to better […]
FRIENDS for Life: Promoting emotional resilience
It remains a sobering fact that children and young people with learning disabilities are more likely to face emotional and behavioural difficulties than other children, but less likely to receive appropriate care. The Green Paper ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision’ (available here) prioritises earlier intervention, prevention and the role of schools and […]
Valuing the Views of Children with Learning Disabilities
Children and young people with learning disabilities are often left out of decisions and processes that impact their lives, from every day decisions about what to eat or wear, through choices about their education or care, to life changing decisions such as whether to move away from home. Families report shockingly dismissive attitudes towards consulting […]
Our experience of a residential college
Rachael, my daughter, is the middle child between two brothers. She has a rare genetic condition which presents as a severe learning disability, autism, an eating disorder and mild self-harm. As a child, Rachael lived at home, attended the local special school and went on family holidays abroad without incident. When her brothers both went to […]
Alder Hey Hospital
Improving Services for People with Learning Disabilities and Autism at Alder Hey
The recent Confidential Inquiry into Premature Deaths of People with Learning Disabilities (CIPOLD) and the introduction of Learning Disability Mortality Reviews (LeDeR) are both aimed at trying to understand why the inequalities in access to healthcare faced by people with learning disabilities and/or autism exist. It is clearly a multitude of factors that contribute to […]
What You Said About the Paving the Way Website
Thank you to everyone who filled in the survey about the Paving the Way website. We have produced a report of the findings which will help to inform the future development of the website. When Daniel was little, we were desperate for information – and it was really hard to find. We wanted to know […]
Members of the Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group
Cumbria’s New Challenging Behaviour Early Intervention Service
The inception of our new Challenging Behaviour Early Intervention Service followed the transfer of a Children’s Respite home from the Health Service back under Local Authority jurisdiction. The transfer freed up £300k that the Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Children and Families Team, in partnership with the Local Authority, decided to reinvest in the provision […]
Norman Lamb MP meeting Josh for the first time since he left the ATU
Meeting Josh after the Assessment and Treatment Unit
Many of you who supported the petition will know why and how we campaigned to get Josh home. By now, you will also probably know from updates and pictures of Josh that it was the right thing to do and that home is the best possible treatment, care and use of money. Josh has settled into […]
Mary Busk, family carer, with her son Alex
The Education, Health and Care Plan Process
As a parent carer who had lived and breathed special educational needs and disability reform for years, and enthusiastically shared my input, personally and through the National Network of Parent Carer Forums, to the Bercow and Lamb reviews, I had great expectations as the day for starting my son’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan […]