Southampton Centre for Independent Living

NCIL are looking to recruit Mental Health Experts by Experience for  the next stage of this exciting project. This project is funded through the Commission for Social Care Inspection. The Commission is the body that inspects and regulates social care provision for England. The project is working with a range of Centres for Independent Living and user led organisations in order to develop a diverse pool of Experts.

We are particularly looking for people who use Mental Health Services, across the following regions in England which will support the Commission’s inspection processes.

·         South East

·         South West

·         London

·         Eastern

·         East Midlands

·         West Midlands

·         Yorkshire & Humberside

·         North West

·         North East

As a Mental Health Expert you will be linked to a Centre for Independent Living or user led organisation in one of the above regions, you will be provided with training and support to develop your skills for this role and you will be paid an hourly fee of £15.00.  The amount of hours will vary.  All other associated costs will be met, including travel, access costs and personal assistance costs.

Experts by Experience will be part of the Inspection process and will be required to undertake inspections in different regions.

You will need to be a person who uses services, or has used services or is likely to use services, you will need to be willing to travel across your particular region and occasionally into other regions, and you will need to be willing to attend training and briefing days in your region.

The closing date for this role is Friday 2 May 2008

If you would like to have an informal discussion please contact Sandy Marshall, Projects Manager at NCIL offices.

For an application pack please contact: Karen Earl at

The National Centre for Independent Living

Fourth Floor, Hampton House

20 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TJ

Telephone 020 7587 1663     Fax:  020 7582 2469

Minicom: 020 7587 1177

e-mail:  projectassistant@ncil.org.uk

The news that SCOPE, along with six other ‘Disability’ organisations have been awarded 4.2 million pounds by the Big Lottery Fund, has angered many people within user led organisations. According to the press release, Disability Lib is aimed at helping ‘Disability’ organisations boost their performance by improving their management and organisational systems. 

Hazel Peasley, a member of SCIL and chair of HCODP commented ‘Yet again, CILs and ULOs are just left with the crumbs off the table….  We don’t need bits of training, we need money to pay the rent, pay people to do the hard work supporting Disabled People who are suffering greater and greater barriers rather than fewer…

it is very patronising when 25 years ago we were forging the path for the liberation of Disabled People and setting up our own organisations that have stood the tests we’ve faced. People with huge talent and commitment…

Southampton CIL & Derbyshire CIL – 2 of the first CILS to set up have been designated as unworthy to mentor other CILS/ULOs. Sadly, the balance of power remains the same as it was then, except for the few who have made it big time. ‘

With SCIL’s AGM just around the corner, SCIL are pleased to release their annual report for 2006/2007. As you will see, it has been yet another rollercoaster of a year with some low points but also some real signs of optimism for the future.

We are just about to start phase 2 of our redevelopment of Unity 12. Once completed, we will have fully accessible conference room facilities, in addition to extra office space that will be let to like-minded organisations.

Anyway, I don’t want to reveal all the hidden gems you will find in the annual report. Give it a read, you might find it more interesting than you thought - just click the link below.

SCIL’s Annual Report 2006 - 2007

The above file is a PDF file so you will need Adobe Acrobat on your computer and it may take a few seconds to download.

DOVE is a showroom hosting aids and adaptations for Disabled People. We are a charity located in Cosham and aim to provide impartial information on equipment as well as provide a free peer advocacy service. 

After 11 years, DOVE has had a management change and has shifted its focus to follow the Social Model of Disability.  We believe Disabled People have a right to live independently and should make their own choices. Independent living is having control over your life and a say over what happens. 

The showroom displays stairlifts, walk in showers and baths and various bath lifts. Two accessible kitchens are on display and within these, kitchen aids for people with a sensory impairment along with equipment for people with mobility impairments.  Later in the year we will be reopening our sensory room. Watch this space!

Our resource library contains information from an extensive array of suppliers and manufacturers of most aids and adaptations. We are looking at extending our database of approved and experienced fitters/builders of adaptations. All referrals are welcome please. 

Our peer advocacy service, which commenced in February this year, is already proving to be a huge success. Appointments are necessary and are available on Mondays and Tuesdays 11am – 3pm.

Many suppliers are selling over the internet, or via catalogues and simply do not have a showroom. One of our objectives at DOVE is to encourage and invite people to visit the showroom with the purpose to view and try equipment before they purchase the product elsewhere, or before installation by your local authority. 

As we are part funded by Local Authorities, one of our remits is to offer equipment training to occupational therapists.  OTs request the type of training they require and we organise it. We have hosted several successful training days to OTs on stair lifts, walk in showers and baths. This also is a free service and enables OTs to keep up to date on the latest products available on the market. 

Other services we provide are: Educational days to students of health and social care, OT undergraduates and college students;Training on Disability Equality and Disability Discrimination Act; Presentations on the Social Model of Disability.

Our staff and volunteers would be happy to help you, so if you require any aids, equipment or an adaptation in your home, why not come to D.O.V.E. Our opening hours are Monday – Thursday 11am – 3pm Alternatively, we can be contacted on 02392 787 788 or admin@d-o-v-e.org 

We look forward to welcoming you to D.O.V.E  

The Disability Equality Duty (DED) is an important new duty aimed at promoting disability equality across the public sector. The DED, also referred to as the general duty, sets out what public bodies must have due regard to in order to promote equality of opportunity.Most public bodies are also covered by specific duties, which set out a framework to assist public bodies in meeting their general duty. All public bodies covered by the specific duties must:

Publish a Disability Equality Scheme (including within it an Action Plan)

Involve disabled people in producing the Scheme and Action Plan

Demonstrate they have taken actions in the Scheme and achieved appropriate outcomes

Report on progress and review and revise the Scheme regularly. 

In direct response to this new Disability Equality Duty which comes into force in December 2006, organisations of Disabled People from across the South East are joining forces to launch South East Disability Equality Council (SEDEC), a regional one-stop-shop for public bodies to be able to get informed, consistent advice and guidance around Disability Equality.

The new Duty gives rise to new challenges for public bodies, in particular the continuing involvement of Disabled People and for the first time ever, public bodies will have to take responsibility for tackling the institutional discrimination that Disabled People face.

SEDEC can offer public bodies information, advice and support in order for them to fully understand their responsibilities regarding the new Duty. SEDEC can also assist organisations to draw up their Disability Equality Scheme and monitor their progress. 

Through SEDEC, subscribing public bodies will have access to relevant, up to date information gathered through consultation and audit processes as well as professional advice and guidance to enable them to meet the standards through publications, events and an ongoing dialogue.  

SEDEC will be made up of Disabled People from across the South East who are well informed about the issues and the Social Model and will be setting the standard for Disability Equality in the South East. SEDEC also offers an opportunity for Disabled People to become involved by offering Disability Equality Training and a chance to be part of the council. Ian Loynes, Chief Executive of Southampton Centre for Independent Living said ‘ SEDEC will be an opportunity for Disabled People to lead the way in achieving true Disability Equality’.

There is still time to register to attend SEDEC’s launch event ‘Ten Years On’ at The HG Wells Conference Centre in Woking, on December 4th, giving public bodies and Disabled People a chance to reflect upon what has been gained since the implementation of the DDA and what we hope to achieve in the future with the new duty.

The keynote speaker will be Caroline Gooding who is Director of Legislative Change at the Disability Rights Commission. Caroline is responsible for advising on key long term cross cutting disability issues, as well as the overall impact of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Conference participants will also hear froim Disabled People across the region about the impact that the DDA has had on their lives and what they hope to see happen in the next 10 years.It will also be an opportunity for public bodies to share best practice.

Whether you are a Disabled Person interested in getting involved with SEDEC or you work for a public body and want to find out how SEDEC can help you, it will well worth attending.  You can register on the SEDEC website or for more information, you can call Amanda on 023 8020 2650.  

December 2006 offers Disabled People a unique opportunity to ‘up the ante’ in regard to Disability Equality. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) will be ten years old on the 3rd December and the next phase (part 6) of the DDA, The Disability Equality Duty, comes into force.

This new Duty applies to all public bodies and is enacted on the 5th December. All of them have to comply with the general duty, the goals of which are:

• Promote equality of opportunity between Disabled People and other people.
• Eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Disability Discrimination Act
• Eliminate the harassment of Disabled People that is related to their impairment
• Promote positive attitudes towards Disabled People
• Encourage participation by Disabled People in public life
• Take steps to meet Disabled People’s needs, even if this requires more favourable treatment 

Most bodies also have to comply with the specific duty which includes publishing a Disability Equality Scheme. This has to be published on 4th December and must include an action plan setting out how they will achieve the goals set out in the general duty. This plan has to be put together ‘involving Disabled People’ and showing how they have done that. 

We recognise that many bodies are struggling to do this effectively and so SCIL & HCODP along with other organisations of Disabled People across the South East have come together to form SEDEC – The South East Disability Equality Council. This will be a ‘one-stop-shop’ for public bodies to be able to get informed, consistent advice and guidance around Disability Equality.

SEDEC will be made up of Disabled People from across the South East who are well informed about the issues and the Social Model and will be setting the standard for Disability Equality in the South East.SEDEC also offers an opportunity for Disabled People to become involved by offering Disability Equality Training and a chance to be part of the council.

To launch SEDEC we will be hosting an event ‘Ten Years On’ at The HG Wells Conference Centre in Woking, on the 4th December, giving public bodies and Disabled People a chance to reflect upon what has been gained since the implementation of the DDA and what we hope to achieve in the future with the new duty.

If you are interested to know more about SEDEC then email info@sedec.co.uk or phone Ian or Hazel on 023 8033 0982.

For nine years, the Consumer Audit Project at SCIL has provided an innovative service where community care services could be assessed by whether they actually delivered positive outcomes for users rather than merely measuring meaningless numbers. 

Consumer Audit trained and supported disabled people to develop the skills that were needed in order to engage with the users of the services being audited to discover whether the service was actually meeting these outcomes.   Many auditors like myself developed the confidence and skills that enabled them to secure paid employment both at SCIL and in other organisations.

Consumer Audits were not just tokenistic ‘consultation’ exercises, they were a truly different way to provide services with information about how to improve and develop. This new way of auditing garnered press and publicity not just in Hampshire but across the country. Hampshire County Council were rightly very proud of the project, as they were the main funder.

And then the letter came…… ‘We regret to inform you……blah blah’. Hampshire County Council were withdrawing the funding from the end of September 2006.

It seems particularly ironic that just two months before the introduction of the Disability Equality Duty, which require public authorities to engage with Disabled People, Hampshire County Council were withdrawing funding.

Chris Hunt, who has been with Consumer Audit virtually since it began, left SCIL this week and we wish her well in the future. Despite losing the funding, SCIL has built up a great deal of expertise in this field in nine years, and we have proven that true involvement of Disabled People can reap rewards. We hope that other organisations will continue to see the benefit of Consumer Audit and will be willing to purchase the service. The core funding of Consumer Audit may have gone but our expertise and our belief in the methodology continues at SCIL.

How often have you felt frustrated when your local public authorities don’t take Disability Equality seriously and discriminate without even realising?
The new Disability Equality Duty (DED) offers a chance to rectify this situation. Under the DED public authorities must involve Disabled People in helping to eradicate disability discrimination.The Disability Rights Commission and HCODP are running a conference to educate Disabled People about the new Disability Equality Duty.  This event is designed to prepare Disabled Peoples and their organisations for Involvement with public authorities to assist them to meet their obligations under the duty, and to make services and employment opportunities accessible to Disabled People. 

The event is being held on Monday 11th September 2006 at the Novotel Hotel in Southampton.  The event is free to attend (reasonable travelling expenses will be paid) and will involve a full day commitment. If you require more details please contact HCODP or alternatively complete the registration form which is available on their website at www.hcodp.co.uk.  They will then send you event details and a map by return.

This is a real chance for you to get involved but places are limited so book now!