The Highlands Network is chaired by a person who uses services and has very much focused on promoting person centred working. The network also has large provider organisations, career Scotland, local authority and specialist employment agencies involved. In the last two years this group has met on twenty occasions and sub groups have met as well.
In 2006 the network held two conferences on Person Centred Working in Inverness and Dingwall. This resulted in work being established around supporting transition with the local special school. This work is still on-going.
The network is also part of a UK wide National Project called “Standards We Expect” which is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and is looking at barriers to Person centred working and how to overcome them. This involvement has also resulted in people who use services attending a conference in London, accessing training and also presenting at ARC Scotland's National conference in 2007. The network has also been involved in learning disability awareness training with teachers and person centred working training with learning disability nurses.
This group is currently organizing 2 events. The first is on the 7th November which is an evening event focusing on recruitment of people with learning disabilities. A lot of effort has gone into identifying key people involved in businesses within the Highlands and we have managed to get Chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise to open the event and the local MP, David Alexander, who is an expert on 'Welfare to Work', to support the event.
The next event will be a conference on Transition which will be on the 8th November. Highlands have had a Transition Co-Ordinator in post since June 2006 and the outcome of her initial work which has included two publications called My Journey and It's My Choice will be launched at the conference along with examples of good practice. The conference will focus on the results of her work and ensuring that the tools she has developed are implemented across the relevant departments and external organizations.
Contact Karen Jackson for more information:
Email karen.jackson@arcuk.org.uk
Tel 0131 663 4444
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