Cumbria early intervention pilot
The CBF and the Tizard Centre worked with colleagues leading the Transforming Care workforce strategy in Cumbria to pilot an evidence-based early intervention approach in the county.
Introduction
Getting It Right is a 3 year project (2019-2022) funded by the National Lottery Community fund. The aim is that by the end of the project there are:
- more families feeling empowered and supported to improve the quality of life of their relative and reduce levels of challenging behaviour and
- more people in official and influential positions introducing evidence-based approaches in their areas and knowing where they can find support.
The project can be divided into three interconnected streams:
Strategic local input
In year 1 we worked with West Sussex local area to deliver the strategic local input stream of the project.
Overview
The agreed aim of the Getting It Right project in West Sussex was that children and young people (0-25) with learning disabilities at risk of displaying behaviours that challenge will receive the right support, in the right place and at the right time, from well informed professionals and staff so they can live a happier and more inclusive life in their community.
West Sussex objectives
- To provide specialist training and share best practice with families, professionals and commissioners in West Sussex.
- Support families, professionals and commissioners to develop meaningful plans for sustainable improvements in future support in West Sussex (including a self-fulfilling network reaching out further afield).
- To improve the resilience of families of children and young people with learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges, through improving networks and connections between families.
The West Sussex steering group produced a logic model which can be found here
Family carer focus groups
In February and March 2020 two focus groups were held in West Sussex to gather the views of family carers about existing support and services, and families’ vision for future support in the local area.
Read a summary of the focus groups here
Survey of family carers
During summer 2020 family carers across West Sussex were invited to complete an online survey about their experience of support and services for their relative. 99 families responded to the survey. Some families also participated in more in-depth telephone interviews.
The findings are being written up and will soon be posted here. For a summary of the findings, please watch Gráinne’s presentation video below.
Online behaviour support workshops for families
Due to Covid-19, planned Positive Behaviour Support workshops for family carers were moved online and run jointly by West Sussex professionals and CBF family carer trainers. Three sessions were run between October and November 2020 and were attended by family carers of children and young people with learning disabilities living in West Sussex.
Stakeholder engagement event
In December 2020 we held a virtual West Sussex stakeholder engagement event, bringing together family carers, learning disability professionals and third sector organisations from across West Sussex. The aim of the event was to share learning from the project so far, including initial findings from the online survey of family carers, and to work together to come up with actions.
Videos of Viv Cooper’s and Gráinne Saunders’ presentations from the stakeholder engagement event:
Thank you to all the West Sussex families who contributed their time, thoughts and suggestions over the course of this project.
What next?
In year 2 of the project we’ll be working with the Black Country. We’ll update this page of the website with progress going forward.
If you are interested in finding out more about the local area strand of the project please contact mary@thecbf.org.uk
Strategic national work
This strand of the project is focused on influencing change at a national level. The Getting It Right project is helping us to continue and enhance the work of the Challenging Behaviour – National Strategy Group and its sub groups.
Find out more about the CB-NSG and their latest work
Sharing information and best practice
In order to reach more families and family supporters with our content and information we have developed this new accessible website. We want essential resources to be accessible to families whenever they need them and therefore the new website is easily accessible via mobile and tablets.
To share any feedback on the website, please contact communications@thecbf.org.uk
