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.

#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

As a member of the Save Our Support Alliance we have lobbied Birmingham City Council to not make any cuts to services that support vulnerable citizens in Birmingham. We have supported citizens to participate in the consultation to ensure their voice is heard. We have also written to every Birmingham Councillor explaining why we believe the cuts are discriminatory, unfair and unnecessary and that cuts will cost the Council more in the long term.

Learn more from this BVSC article

This morning thirty people from Midland Mencap took part in a litter pick on Weoley Castle near to our Community Hub in Bottetourt Road. The litter pick was organised to support Birmingham City Council’s #CleanerBrum initiative which encourages local citizens to help the Council by clearing litter and rubbish in their neighbourhood.

Taking part in the litter pick is just one activity from Midland Mencap’s April campaign which is all about promoting good well-being. We wanted to encourage people to think about and better understand that living in safe, clean environments is a very important part of good well-being. We also wanted people with a learning disability to have an opportunity to participate as active citizens within the communities where they live making a positive difference to community life. Everyone who took part saw this as a great opportunity to do something positive for their community, help improve the environment, work together as a team and feel good about what had been achieved.

So armed with litter grabbers, gloves and bin bags we enthusiastically set off in three teams to clear the immediate vicinity of Bottetourt Road. After just one hour we had filled an incredible thirty five refuse sacks of litter which included tin cans, bottles, fast food packaging and some oddities such as boxing gloves, children’s toys and bicycle tyres. We also cleared household refuse and furniture that had been fly-tipped.

By the end of the litter pick we could really notice the difference that had been made but nearly everyone was shocked by the amount of litter collected from a relatively small area. With that in mind nearly everyone said they would like to make the litter pick a regular event to try to keep on top of the litter problem. When we were clearing away a local neighbour came and thanked us for trying to make a difference which was a lovely way for our thirty volunteers to round off a great community activity.

As a consequence of austerity cuts more and more people with a learning disability are becoming socially isolated and risk becoming excluded from society. At Midland Mencap our support services seek to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be included, to be an active citizen, and enjoy good health and well-being.

Learn more in this BBC article

The consequences of cuts to services often go way beyond the obvious, and have devastating affects on families. The loss of community prevention services in Birmingham will only make things worse in the future. That is why Midland Mencap continue to say #SaveOurSupport

Learn More in this BBC article

We recently attended a disability equality event with Birmingham MP for Yardley Jess Phillips. We joined with Jess in saying to the Government unfair and unjust #NoPIPcuts. At Midland Mencap we remain totally opposed to any cuts in services or welfare benefits that undermine the health, well-being and right to a life for people with a learning disability and all vulnerable citizens affected.

Find out more on the twitter hashtag #NoPIPcuts

There are major problems in funding, recruitment and the capacity of care providers to make ends meet, more evidence that the chronic under-funding of social care will only rebound on vulnerable citizens and good providers, we’re no longer shaping a market, we’re watching it implode.

Read more in this BBC article

Midland Mencap can help with all kinds of housing issues, from finding the right place to live to ensuring you get the right care and support to meet your daily needs. For more info contact 0121 442 2944 or email info@midlandmencap.org.uk

Guardian article on disability housing