This newsletter lists key highlights of work done in October 2024 and upcoming work in the pipeline for November 2024.

 
Enjoy reading!  

If you are a family carer with experience in caring for someone with a severe learning disability whose behaviour challenges and live in Manchester/Salford or Kent/Medway, the CBF has an exciting opportunity for you.  

As a part of the Forward Together project (a new 3-year project funded by the National Lottery), you will utilise your lived experience to support the project plan to improve services and support for people with severe learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges, and their family carers in the Northwest/ Southeast.   

This role is perfect for someone who is passionate about working together to improve services for families. 

The CBF was recently involved in developing two joint briefings as part of a coalition of organisations who work alongside and support people with a learning disability, autistic people, their families, and the professions that support them. We’re pleased to share that there are now Easy Read versions of the briefings on the Mental Health Act and Community Support. The briefings, including the Easy Read briefings, can be found on our website below. 

A range of training workshops funded by Skills for Care are available for Individual Employers (IEs) and Personal Assistants (PAs). These workshops include Positive Behaviour Support, Pica Awareness, and Communication and Challenging Behaviour. These workshops will help improve the knowledge, learning & development, confidence and skills of Personal Assistants (PAs) and the family carers (Individual Employers) who employ them.

At the CBF, we have been successfully running workshops for family carers, organisations and professionals since 2008. All our workshops have been co-designed, co-developed and co-produced at every stage with family carers of a family member with a severe learning disability whose behaviour challenges. We will be delivering a Pica workshop and a Communications workshops before end of December, dates to be confirmed soon. You can find out more information about the workshops and how to book a place from the link below.

Sign up for free Skills for Care funded CBF workshops

If you are seeking to develop your understanding of learning disability and/or behaviours that challenge our professional development page brings together a range of ways the CBF can support your professional development as well as academic courses which may be of interest. 

A National Audit Office (NAO) report focussed on support for children and young people with special educational needs highlights that the system is in urgent need of reform with declining confidence in the system.

The Video Interaction Guidance –Learning Disability (VIG-LD) study has published a paper describing support available from specialist mental health services for children with learning disabilities who display challenging behaviours. Results show that less than 30% of services made contact with families at the referral or waiting list stage. Additionally, more than 30% of services had not offered any interventions in 12 months. 

Raise FREE funds when you click via @GiveasyouLive this Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday. Shop offers and discounts from over 4,300 retailers and earn donations for us at no cost to you!  

The Family Support Team have been promoting the CQC’s Share for Better Care campaign. Feedback can play an important part in helping health and care providers identify safety issues. It can also allow them to share good practice and help boost staff morale. To give feedback about your experiences visit the link below: 

The CBF Family Forum is the CBF’s closed Facebook Group for family carers of people with severe learning disabilities whose behaviour may be challenging. You can request to join from the link below and connect with other families who get it. 

Carers Catch Ups Join our monthly Zoom meetings for family carers of children, young people and adults with severe learning disabilities. A safe place to talk with others who get it! For more information email Amy at support@thecbf.org.uk the next meeting is Monday 2nd December 2024: 10am – 11.30am

You can get your loved ones a gift for Christmas and support the CBF at the same time! Join the CBF 100 Club for £12 a year and help raise vital funds for us whilst being in with a chance of winning £25 each month. You can also get a chance to win £50 in the upcoming November draw!