Wonder Of Working with people with a learning disability Rose Trustam and Kate Naden

Background –Lancashire Workforce Development Partnership - LWDP  Since 2003/4 Lancashire Social Services has worked in genuine partnership with the voluntary and independent sector  The LWDP formed to administer the LCC government workforce & training grant (sector share approx. £2m)  They’ve maintained the grant since, despite ring-fencing being removed.

Lancashire Learning Disabilities Consortium (LLDC)  The LLDC is 16 Lancashire voluntary organisations working in learning disability services who share values & the benefits of joint work  LLDC represents L/D employers on the LWDP Board who fund an L/D networker/projects officer  Its first LWDP-funded project researched recruitment difficulties, which led to the development of materials including the DVD

The Project’s aim was to raise awareness thro’ developing better recruitment materials.  LWDP gave a £10k grant  3 LLDC Organisations – Integrate, Linkability and Ormerod took it on: They formed a management group Scoped the project & developed the script and players Used previous experience of the group - Linkability had made their own DVD with Keystone Creative Integrate had used PresCap a Community Arts group with service users

DEVELOPING THE MATERIALS? ARTS WORKSHOPS :  PresCAP were commissioned to run workshops to develop the materials and the messages using participating service users and staff  They produced the WOW motif (made from photos of the group), the leaflet, a banner & posters – all totally owned & led by participants.  Materials were used for 3 recruitment events

Making the DVD What helped?  The trust between agencies and shared values – same messages  A lead person who had worked with the film-makers before  Setting up scenes as much as possible before and some contingency plans  Getting permissions from participants – service users & staff & some venues  Total commitment of all – LLDC agency management, participants s/users

Lessons from our experience  Pre-work: Spend time to work out the script & messages wanted – the film-maker can do it.  Service users and staff developing the marketing in the workshops worked well – and was very empowering and creative for them  Contingencies: one staff to be filmed left! Another staff after filming got cold feet!  Be prepared to adapt: The DVD is too long for recruitment event stalls; made a short one It takes much more time than you think!

Using the DVD & Distribution o All Lancashire providers got them to use o We’ve given them schools, Uni’s & colleges for their use o We’ve used the DVD at Job Fairs and Recruitment Events,stalls at conferences  We sent it to Community Living – a learning disabilities magazine - who featured it Autumn 2009

Lancashire Workforce Development Partnership (LWDP)  The opportunity came from the REAL PARTNERSHIP of Lancashire Adult Services’ reps – their Head of Contracts and lead HR/Training manager – working strategically with the sector.

Contact Details For further information see: or  Some copies of the DVD here today for sale £10  Or us at admin.lldc.org but we’ll have to charge postage