This paper sets out:

  1. Purpose
  2. Roles and responsibilities
  3. Membership

The Partnership Board has been set up to make plans about opportunities and support for people with learning disabilities. Its job is to make sure that things get better for people with learning disabilities and their parent/carers.

This will include talking about:

  • Changes that need to be made to services to make them better
  • How the money should be spent to make services better

The Values of the Board

The Board will:

  • Champion the rights, independence, choices and inclusion of people with learning disabilities
  • Work together as a team, sharing information and ideas in order to improve all services and outcomes
  • Communicate clearly and in a timely manner, with information which is accessible to everyone
  • Value the different needs of all people with learning disabilities
  • Ensure the views of service users and their parent/carers are fully considered in our plans

The Work of the Board

The Board will:

  • Help to shape the top priorities for improving services in Hillingdon. This will include recognising that ‘we cannot do everything all at once’ and we have to make changes within the money available to us.
  • Talk about the top priorities for buying services from other organisations. This will involve helping to decide how we spend our money in the future
  • Check out how organisations are spending money on services for people with learning disabilities and then make recommendations to other boards and groups
  • Talk about what the future should look like and identify current and future local need
  • Check that the actions agreed in our plans are being carried out. This will include inviting members of planning groups to attend the Partnership Board to tell the Board what they are doing
  • Learn how other parts of the country are improving their services and outcomes. This will involve taking part in events and hearing about the work carried out in other areas.
  • Report the most important work of the Board to the Local Strategic Partnership.
  • Tell people who are not on the Board about our plans and ask for their views.
  • Set up smaller sub-groups to carry out detailed work. These may be led by any member of the Board.
  • Papers for the Board will be written as clearly as possible. The agenda for meetings will show whether the Board is being asked to make a decision, give views, or receive information.

How the Board will do its work

Annual Plan

At the beginning of the year, the Board should agree what it wants to achieve, and the key priorities for the year. This is called the Partnership Board.

From this, a list of items to be discussed at meetings will be produced. This is called the Forward Plan. Members are invited to suggest topics for this.

At the end of the year, the Board will review its work.

Rules for meetings:

  • Always show respect and consideration for each other
  • Behave politely at meetings by not shouting and by listening to each other
  • Support all members of the Board to contribute
  • Work together as a team
The board will be jointly chaired by a representative with a learning disability and a Service Manager.
The Chairs should:
  • ensure the agenda and minutes are sent to all Board members and other interested groups, and that these are written in plain English
  • help the meeting to run on time and cover the agenda items
  • make sure everyone takes part in meetings and has a fair and equal chance to speak
  • give key points from discussions, ensuring everyone understands what is being said
  • confirm the decisions made at meetings

The Chair will serve for two years.

Joint Chairing Arrangements

There is a Joint Chairing arrangement and chairs will be appointed by the Board.

For this to work well, Joint Chairs need support.

Together they will need to:

  • Support each other.
  • Work together to get ready for meetings and other work.
  • Work out what helps to be good Joint-Chairs. There are lots of different ways of doing this job.
  • Agree how the Board meetings will be chaired.
  • Help people understand what is being talked about at the meetings.
  • Agree who will do what work after and between the meetings
Who should Chair?
Representatives should:
 Bring the views of the group or organisation they are representing to the meeting.
  • Report back recommendations, decisions and ideas of the Board to the group or organisation they are representing.
 Use the formal links with LD User Forum and Parent-Carer Group to do this.
Elections

User and Carer representatives will be elected. The groups they represent, the Users Forum and the Parent/carer Group, will agree a fair process for this. Representatives will serve on the Board for two years.

Observers

Observers are welcome to attend Board meetings as long as space is available so they should check with the administrator before the meeting.

They should be able to ask questions through their representatives but the number of questions will depend on the time available and may be limited. The Chair will decide at meetings.

Representatives will be invited from a broad range of organisations including, Social Care, Health, Education, Housing, Leisure and Voluntary organisations and the business community.

The Board will review the membership periodically.

All these reps must understand their role is to support people with learning disabilities with jobs, education training and leisure opportunities.

When members are unable to attend meetings they should do their best to ensure someone else attends on their behalf and is able to report on outstanding items of work.

Allowance.

It has been agreed in principle that payment for participating in the work of the Board should be made to User and Carer reps.

The Board Members

Lead member of the council for disabilities-

Team Manager – Resources- Jan Major
Service Manager - All Age Disability -Christine Springle
Safeguarding Adults-CNWL-Claire Gallacher
Safeguarding Adults-Hillingdon Hospital-Anna Fernandez
Housing-
Manager Service Adult and Community Learning -Debbie Hunn
Parent Carer Reps x 4-Vaness Edwards. Joan Branford
Nicky Seers. Kevin Bugler.
Service User Rep Co-Chair -To rotate
Service Users x 4-Dean Beach. Elizabeth Austin. Wayne Garrad. Tony Walsh
Senior Staff Representative from Health-
Voluntary sector representative-
Representative Provider Services-Ralph Verlander

In attendance

Marion Finney– Supporter for LD Reps (CET)

Mathew Wilson-Adminstrator taking minutes.

Forward Plan 2015/2016

Date / Topic / Presented By
24/02/15 / TOR/Planning / C. Springle
30/06/15 / Education/Employment / 8/09/15
15/12/15

Christine Springle February 2015

Glossary

Annual Plan: Sets out the key priorities for the Board for the year ahead.

Chair: the person with the authority to oversee and control the meeting

Forward Plan: List of topics to talk about at each meeting, set out month by month.

Observers: people who attend meetings to note what happens, but are not there as members of the Board

Representative: someone who speaks on behalf of others or a group.

Valuing People: the national strategy for learning disabilities

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