On Thursday 28th September at 11am Midland Mencap will hold its Annual General Meeting at The Enterprise Hub, Bottetourt Road, Weoley Castle.

We would like to invite you to attend what is always a very enjoyable morning. This years meeting will include a special guest speaker followed by a buffet lunch.

To help us with catering arrangements if you are intending to come to the AGM please call us 0121 442 2944 to confirm.

We sincerely hope you are able to come and share with us news from what has been an amazing year at Midland Mencap.

Midland Mencap is delighted to launch a brand new, unique and innovative service for people with a learning disabilities in Birmingham.

The high spec Tenancy Ready Suite, at our Hub in Weoley Castle, offers people the opportunity to learn and use a range of daily living and practical skills in preparation for living independently. The suite has four zones, a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and lounge that will let you experience, in real time, the reality of living in your own home.

The suite, furnished and equipped to the highest standards, will be supported by trained and experienced staff who will offer a range of practical advice and guidance that will allow you to become confident in your ability to manage your own home.

So from keeping your home clean and tidy, to cooking healthy and nutritional meals if you want to learn the skills you will need to live in your home the tenancy ready suite is for you. If you would like to visit the suite, find out more about it, or book a session in the suite then contact us on 0121 442 2944

Midland Mencap are very proud to be working with Inclusion International and Mencap on preparations for Inclusion International’s World Congress in Birmingham 30th May – 1st June 2018.

This will be a global event with many exciting speakers and activities happening across the three days. Watch this space for regular updates about the World Congress in Birmingham Next Year!

If you would like to learn more about the Inclusion International World Congress 2018 see Mencap’s post here.

Also check out the Official website for the Inclusion International World Congress here.

Having a personal budget can transform the way a person can make choices about how they want to lead there life, here’s Naomi’s story.

If you would like to learn more about how you could manage an individual budge contact us on 0121 442 2944 or Click Here.

#StopSleepInCrisis

National Mencap are going to be leading a high profile media campaign about a current funding crisis in the sector relating to sleep in support for housing and social care services for people with a learning disability.

Mencap will be highlighting the government’s need to take action to protect services for the people that need care and support most, by taking responsibility for fully funding these services.

Mencap cannot do this alone and are asking Network Partners like Midland Mencap for support in getting this vital message heard by sharing these important points on our social media, which Mencap will also be sharing throughout the week:

1. Mencap is urging the Government to avert a crisis in the learning disability sector.

2. A change in direction of Government guidance on National Minimum Wage payments payable to support staff who sleep at the workplace, together with the precipitate action of HMRC, demanding six years back pay, has brought the sector to the brink of disaster.

3. There will be a major impact on the 5,500 people we support and some may even end up losing their support all together.

4. High politics, Brexit or the Parliamentary Recess must not be allowed to get in the way. The future of some of the most vulnerable in our society needs to be protected.

5. We are collectively calling on the Government to avert this crisis by;

• Suspending HMRC enforcement action immediately until the law is clarified and a definitive decision is made on back pay, and giving a public undertaking to fund back pay should the Court of Appeal uphold the Tribunal Decision.

There is a long standing arrangement and practice for 24-hour care community based services that are commissioned and funded by Local Authorities is that a member of staff sleeps overnight as part of the working pattern.

This provides a much needed source of reassurance for people and a safety net in the event of any emergency, and is widely used in services for people with a learning disability.

The issue that is concerning Mencap, and partners such as Midland Mencap, is around how sleep in shifts are paid. Sleep in shifts have historically been funded and paid via a flat rate allowance rather than paying per hour and this is how we have managed this across our services for a number of years.

This guidance has been subject to challenge through individual cases being brought to employment tribunal, and has been made worse by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) who are seeking employers to not only pay sleep ins at the minimum wage but to make back dated payments for up to six years to all staff doing sleep in shifts. As such we are raising two issues:

1. We are calling on government to clarify the law. The method of payment has changed but the funding has not been increased to pay for this change and this is what we are challenging.

2. We are challenging the fairness of HMRC because the guidance only changed in 2016. If government do not take action to address this and provide funding for these liabilities, then it places serious financial risks on service provider organisations.

We will of course update you on any developments in relation to this important issue and for those of you who may follow Midland Mencap through social media, you will see growing activity over the coming weeks which we hope you will add your voice to and support.

Show your support and help spread awareness by sharing posts about sleep-ins on social media and use the hashtag #SleepInCrisis.

You can also follow our Facebook and Twitter feeds to keep up to date on this issue.

From Dave Rogers, CEO of Midland Mencap.

See ITV’s article about the the research findings here.

Important research from the Disabled Children’s Partnership, focusing on the experience of families in the Midlands.

If you need advice, help or support in this area contact us on 0121 442 2944

Birmingham City Council are consulting on Birmingham’s new Strategy for SEND (Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities) and Inclusion and the proposed direction of travel, including the Vision, Mission, Objectives, Priorities and their plans so far.

This consultation is running between the 9th June until Monday 31st July.

You can learn more about the consultation on the Birmingham Be Hear website here
or by calling 0121 303 5154 or you can email Education@birmingham.gov.uk.

You can download the Consultation Document here.

If you have any further questions you can call us on 0121 442 2944 .

Birmingham City Council wants to know what you think about some proposals for changes to the way they buy and allocate (also referred to as commissioning) adult social care packages and how independent care providers are managed.

Find out more about the consultation at the Birmingham Be Heard Website Here or by calling
0121 303 5154

The Consultation runs until 4th July.

Download the easy read guide here.

Click to watch our video talking about consultation in more detail here.

Are you looking for fun and exciting opportunities this summer?

The Children and Young Person’ Service are running brand new 3-day Kayaking programme from 17th-19th August 2017 for young people aged 11+. This exciting programme will provide each young person with a recognised qualification from British Canoeing. Young people will have the opportunity to fain experience on an indoor pool, outdoor pool at Sutton Park and a day trip along the canals. The three day course is £120 per person.

Ready, Steady, EAT!

We are really excited to be launching a new 6-week Cooking Programme, where young people aged 14+ will be able to learn and develop new skills and knowledge. We will be learning how to prepare food safely and how to create delicious meals and bakes. This course will be running from 7:45pm to 9pm at the Enterprise Hub starting on the 20th June 2017. By completing the course, the young people will receive a certificate with the skills listed that they have learnt. They will also get to take home their meals at the end of each session to enjoy with their family. The cost of programme will be £48 per person (£8 per session).

If you would like more information about these courses and information on how to book onto them then please get in touch by emailing Deborah.McGarvey@midlandmencap.org.uk or by ringing us in the office on 0121 256 1500.

Cycling days at Clifton Road

Families of adults and children with additional needs have been the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of a family day out cycling in the great outdoors thanks to an innovative new Midland Mencap and Birmingham Wheels for All initiative.

Over the last 18 months, Midland Mencap, in partnership with Birmingham Wheels for All, have hosted a total of 6 cycle days for adults with learning disabilities, children with additional needs, and their parents and siblings. By using specially adapted cycles and Wheels for All trained leaders, the activities are both physically and mentally stimulating, and fun for everyone involved.

Laura Gilmour, Health and Wellbeing Coordinator at Midland Mencap said, “For many families who have a loved one with additional needs, opportunities to take part in an activity together as a family can be few and far between. Our partnership with Birmingham Wheels for All is enabling children and adults with additional needs and all the family to enjoy the benefits of cycling, at any ability, in an inclusive and sociable environment. ”

So far this year, Midland Mencap have hosted 2 open cycling events and more have been scheduled to take place during the summer, giving even more families the opportunity to take part. While this project is primarily Birmingham-based at the moment, there are plans in the pipeline to also make inclusive cycling opportunities available to families further afield in future. Watch this space!

For more information about this exciting new initiative, contact the Midland Mencap Health and Wellbeing team on 0121 427 6404.