Newsletter July 2016 We re Oxfordshire Charity of the Year 2016! We re very excited to have won Oxfordshire s Charity of the Year award for 2016. Here s some pictures of us at the awards ceremony. www.mylifemychoice.org.uk Charity number: 1073247
My Life My Choice News Money from the Local Sustainability Fund My Life My Choice has been awarded 94,458 from a grant called the Local Sustainability Fund. What will we spend the money on? Recruiting and training a new Power Up Coordinator to develop our Power Up training. Training a new Inspections Coordinator to develop work like Quality Checkers and Care and Treatment Reviews. This work involves people with learning disabilities being paid to monitor and check services that they have experience of. Paying somebody to help us check that we are following the law and help us with our policies. Advice from the Foundation for Social Improvement. Training for our trustees. 100 club 100 club committee members went to the train station and asked staff to pick the winners of the June draw. The winners were John Jackson and Yvonne Price. John kindly donated his 100 prize to My Life My Choice thank you John! Next year s 100 Club tickets are now for sale! Buy one for a chance to win 100 first prize and 25 second prize. July 2016 Newsletter Page 1
Staff changes Alex, Patty and Clerence have all left My Life My Choice. We want to thank them for all their hard work for the charity. We will miss them! We also have 6 new members of staff... Jess is our Power Up Coordinator. She works in the office. Lydia is our new Finance and Admin Worker. She works in the office part time. Tina is our new Stingray Coordinator. She also runs the Oxford Group. Ros is the new Group Leader for the Wantage and Henley Groups. Hayley is the new Group Leader for the Didcot and Abingdon Groups. Paula is the new Group Leader for the Oxford Young People s Group. July 2016 Newsletter Page 2
Champion news MLMC Champions campaign, lobby and speak up for people who have a learning disability. This month, Paul and Shaun went to London to have a meeting in Parliament. They met with Suella Fernandes MP and Alistair Burt MP (the Minister for Community and Social Care) to tell them about Connor Sparrowhawk, the Justice for LB Campaign and the problems with Southern Health NHS Services. Afterwards, they watched the parliamentary debate about the failings at Southern Health. Shaun said: It was a good day out. Alistair Burt listened to what we had to say and I hope that will make a difference. It was interesting to watch a debate in Parliament, but it wasn t very easy to understand. Jackie, Shaun, Kate and Michael had a meeting with Tim Smart. Tim Smart is the interim Chair of Southern Health. We asked him about the sale of Slade House, funding for our health checks work, and how he plans to engage with people with learning disabilities. He said I want to make sure that I m meeting with groups of people with learning disabilities and The NHS needs to enable people with learning disabilities to fulfil their potential. Follow @OxChampions on Twitter or read the blog on our website to find out more about what MLMC Champions get up to. July 2016 Newsletter Page 3
Transforming care event In May we held a workshop about the Oxfordshire Transforming Care Plan. The Transforming Care Plan will make services better for people with learning disabilities who display behaviour that challenges. MLMC has been working with Oxfordshire Family Support Network, Autism Oxford, and the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group to write the plan. We asked people with learning disabilities and families what they thought of our ideas so far. Aims of the Transforming Care Plan Overall: To enable people with learning disabilities and / or autism to have a good, meaningful and ordinary life. 1. To improve people s health. 2. To improve the quality of support. 3. To help people stay safe. 4. To enable people to have an active voice and role in their community. 5. To improve support for families and carers. 6. To improve the continuity of care for children and families when preparing and / or moving into adulthood. 7. To improve early intervention and support for children and families. 8. To improve people s housing options and choices about where they live. This is what Dawn thinks needs to happen. July 2016 Newsletter Page 4
Join a MLMC group Abingdon group is 7pm 9pm at 35 Ock Street Wednesday 20 July, Wednesday 21 September, Wednesday 19 October Banbury group is 1.45pm 3.45pm at the Ruscote Community Hall Thursday 28 July, Thursday 25 August, Thursday 22 September Carterton group is 7.15pm 9.15pm at the ICE Centre Tuesday 12 July, Tuesday 13 September, Tuesday 25 October Chipping Norton is 1pm 3pm at The Albion, 1 Market Place Thursday 21 July, Thursday 18 August, Thursday 15 September Didcot group is 10.30am 12.30 pm at Didcot Methodist Church Wednesday 13 July, Wednesday 17 August, Wednesday 21 September Henley group is 7pm-9pm at Henley YMCA Monday 18 July, Monday 15 August, Monday 12 September Oxford group is 2.30pm-2.30pm at Albion Day Time Support Wednesday 27 July, Wednesday 24 August, Wednesday 7 September Oxford Young People s group is 6.30pm 7.30pm at the MLMC Offices Wednesday 27 July, Wednesday 17 August, Wednesday 21 September Wantage group is 7pm 9pm at the Wantage Methodist Church Tuesday 12 July, Tuesday 13 September, Wednesday 12 October Dates and venues sometimes change, so if you re coming to a group for the first time please phone the office to double check. Get in touch My Life My Choice, The Jam Factory, 27 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HU 01865 204214 www.mylifemychoice.org.uk @mylifemychoice1 www.facebook.com/1mlmc