Helping young people reach their goals.
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Mencap training workshops sell out within 24 hours
Thursday 29 November 2012
Mencap launches further training on working with those with PMLD at Learning Disability Today conference
Today (Thursday 29 November), Mencap has launched a second series of its Involve Me training at the Learning Disability Today exhibition in London, after places on initial courses sold out in just 24 hours.
Mencap has received strong demand from social care professionals for the training on how to give a voice to one of society’s most excluded groups – people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).
Involve Me gives front-line staff, service providers and commissioners the tools they need to communicate with people who have PMLD, and to involve them in decision-making and consultations by using a range of creative techniques.
For example, Mencap research has shown that story sharing through film, photography, art and props, can help those with PMLD to make active decisions about their lives. These include what they would like to wear, how they would prefer to spend their time, and where they may want to live.
Julie Shaw, Head of Learning Exchange at Mencap said: “Many people with profound and multiple learning disabilities are unable to use words or symbols to express themselves, which can isolate them and mean that they are not involved in important decisions about their care and support.
“We have experienced huge demand for our Involve Me training which outlines creative techniques that give professionals with the skills they need to meaningfully involve the people who they work with.”
Visitors to the Mencap Zone at Learning Disability Today this year benefited from free expert information and advice on a range of topics, including personal budgets, housing and employment.
Mencap chief executive Mark Goldring presented a seminar called Reasons to be cheerful – a discussion on the future of services for people with a learning disability. Joining Mark Goldring was Ciara Evans, who works at Mencap and who has a learning disability. She described how getting the right support has been crucial to her successes in life, but said not everyone is so lucky, and that more must be done to improve services for those who have a learning disability.
