SIAA E-Bulletin - Friday 4th September
The Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA) weekly e-bulletin
This week’s bulletin contains SIAA news, SIAA training, general news, events, publications and a consultation.
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SIAA News
Independent Advocacy – A Guide for Commissioners
The final draft of the document ‘Independent Advocacy – A Guide for Commissioners’ is now available for consultation. If you have not yet received a copy and would like to take part in this consultation please email mmowat@siaa.org.uk or call us on 0131 260 5380.
FREE SIAA TRAINING
Introduction
to Elder Abuse
Free one day training for
independent advocates working with older people. This activity based training
covers the different types of elder abuse; contributory factors and reasons for
non-disclosure. It should provide a general introduction to elder abuse,
enabling independent advocates to identify actions and behaviours which are
abusive of older people. The dates for this training are 21st October
in Dundee and 28th October in Glasgow. For more information and to
book a place please e-mail enquiry@siaa.org.uk
or telephone 0131 260 5380.
Elder Abuse:
the Scottish Legal Context
Free one day training for
independent advocates working with older people providing an opportunity to
explore in detail key pieces of legislation. This training covers legislation
relating to adult protection; equality and human rights; mental health;
community care and health, and explores how such legislation can be used when
advocating for a person experiencing elder abuse. The dates for this training
are 11th November in Dundee and 18th November in Glasgow. For more information and to book a place please e-mail enquiry@siaa.org.uk or telephone 0131 260
5380.
In house elder
abuse training
Elder abuse training can be delivered in house for free to advocacy
organisations. Both the Introduction to Elder Abuse and Elder Abuse: the
Scottish Legal Context is available to be delivered in house. Alternatively,
elder abuse training can be designed specifically to your requirements. Shorter
training sessions can be delivered at team meetings for example or
presentations at AGMs. Please contact Vincent Finney, Elder Abuse Development
Officer, for more information and to discuss your requirements at vfinney@siaa.org.uk
Misuse of
anti-psychotic medication – free training workshop for advocates working with
older people
Places are going fast for the free workshop for advocates working with older
people exploring issues around the misuse of anti-psychotic medication. This
one day event will be facilitated by an expert in the field on Thursday 26th
November in Glasgow. To book a place please e-mail enquiry@siaa.org.uk
or download a booking form from our website at www.siaa.org.uk
Human Rights and Older People Training
Places are going fast for The British Institute of Human Rights training on human rights and older people for independent advocates. Participants should be experienced advocates who work with older people and have at least some basic knowledge of the Human Rights Act. The training is free and will take place in Glasgow on 15th September from 10am until 4.30pm. To book a place e-mail enquiry@siaa.org.uk or telephone 0131 260 5380 to request a booking form. If you are interested in this training but are unable to travel to Glasgow for it, then please get in touch with Vincent Finney, Elder Abuse Development Officer, at vfinney@siaa.org.uk. If there is sufficient demand, it might be possible to organise this training in other parts of Scotland.
GENERAL NEWS
Improve access to communication
Equal access to service provision for Deaf people is an enormously important equality and human rights issue. Poor awareness and lack of planning leads to poor communication and has the everyday effect of excluding and discriminating against Deaf people. With the right information and advice service providers can plan effectively and build excellent service provision for Deaf people into their everyday activity. Signature is working with other organisations of and for Deaf people to achieve this. So they can identify good practice and build a powerful argument for action to be taken by service providers, they are investigating three key areas: Deaf people’s experiences as customers and service users; providers’ experiences of making services accessible; and registered communication professionals’ experiences of working in public service settings. They have drafted short questionnaires to gather that information and are very grateful to those organisations which are informing their networks and encouraging their members to respond. For further information on this project and ways to get involved please contact Dr. Rachel Mumba rachel.mumba@signature.org.uk on 0191 383 7900.
Leonard Cheshire Disability
Leonard Cheshire Disability is currently compiling research into young disabled people and their ‘life chances’ compared to those of non-disabled young people. The responses to the survey will go some way to form the backbone of a report to be published which we envisage will spark debate both at Parliament and in society as a whole. As a thank you for people taking the time to complete the survey they will be entering people’s names into a draw for 1x £100, 2x £50, 10x £10 Amazon vouchers. Also Leonard Cheshire Disability will ensure that peoples anonymity is protected, we will also acknowledge your organisation in the report. For a copy of the survey please e-mail research@lcdisability.org. They would appreciate completed surveys to be returned by 5th October 2009.
EVENTS
Older People’s Assembly
The Scottish Older People’s Assembly will take place in the Chamber of the Scottish Parliament on Friday 2nd October 2009. This event is timed to occur the day after the International Day for Older People on the 1st October and will coincide with numerous other significant events across the globe. Places for the Assembly will be allocated on a first come, first served basis and priority seating will be given to people who have a disability or mobility issues. The value of the event will be formally assessed and a report given to Ministers and the relevant Parliamentary committees and cross party groups. If you would like to attend this event please telephone 0845 521 2461 or e-mail olderpeoplesassembly@ageconcernandhelptheagedscotland.org.uk
Stress Less Day 2009
Stress Less in St Monans: Stress Less Day (part of Mental Health Week) sees a number of Fife mental health organisations and support services coming together to provide information and advice to the general public - about mental health in general and specifically the services available. Taking place in St Monans Fire Station on 7th October from 11.30 am - 2.30 pm, a free buffet and prize draws will run throughout the day to encourage the general public to come in. There will be various stallholders and entry is free. For more information please contact Duncan on 01592 749 880.
Beyond 2010: Ensuring a Lasting Legacy for the European Year for Combating Poverty & Social Exclusion
Did you know that 2010 has been designated as European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion? This seminar will be an opportunity to hear from the UK and Scottish Governments, the European Commission and the European Anti-Poverty Network about their plans for the year, and how you can be involved. The seminar takes places on Friday 25th September from 9.30am – 1pm in Edinburgh. To register for this free event please visit the Poverty Alliance’s website.
PUBLICATIONS
Carers and
supporting recovery report
This unique report,
commissioned by the Scottish Recovery Network, is the result of a long-standing
project to investigate carers' perspectives on recovery and their experiences
of supporting recovery. SRN plans to do use the information gathered from this
project to influence the continued development of the Scottish Recovery
Indicator (SRI). They are also considering how to share this information with
a wider audience and investigating the option of creating smaller publications
with particular messages aimed at specific audiences. They would welcome any
comments or thoughts about this work and are particularly interested to hear
suggestions about how this information could be disseminated or used to
influence policy and practice developments. Please contact them on 0141 240
7790 or info@scottishrecovery.net
or see their website.
CONSULTATION
Review of the 2003 Act
In January 2008 the Scottish Government appointed a review group to undertake a limited review of the 2003 Mental Health Act to consider its efficiency and patient experiences. This report has been put out for consultation with the aim of seeking views on the recommendations made by the review group, as well as the suggested further options for consideration. The consultation will run for three months, until Friday 6 November 2009. You can participate in the consultation by visiting the consultation section of the Scottish Governments website
FUNDING
People’s Postcode Trust Funding
All funded projects will make a real difference to community groups and charitable organizations all across Scotland. Funding is available for 3 month projects ranging from £500 up to £10,000. Applications are invited from groups with one or more of the following purposes: to prevent poverty, sickness and distress for the benefit of the public; to promote, maintain, improve and advance health; to advance citizenship or community development; to advance public participation in sport; to promote, improve and advance human rights, conflicts resolution or reconciliation; to promote and advance environmental protection or improvement. For more information on the full criteria an application details please see their website.
CONTACT US
Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance, Melrose House, 69a George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2JG. Telephone: 0131 260 5380. Fax: 0131 260 5381. Email: enquiry@siaa.org.uk Website: www.siaa.org.uk
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