Jack Welch
As Chair of Mencap’s
Voices Council
The Mencap Voices
Council
A council is also called a
local authority
A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools,
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
(support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
are a group of 12 people with a
learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things.
. They share their views and experiences to help Mencap's Board of Trustees make decisions.
, there can be no doubt that the strength of its work and impact in the
organisation
An organisation are a group of people who work together.
is thanks to all the members who use their rich lived experience to inform our conversations whatever is on the
agenda
An agenda is a list of things to talk about at a meeting.
.
I will be giving a closer insight into what life is like for me when I’m not wearing my Chair’s hat; although my chairing experience has been applied elsewhere…
Library Assistant
For those that know me, there are a number of positions that keep my calendar busy. First, and most significantly, is my full-time role as a Library Assistant at my local hospital, Dorset County Hospital, in Dorchester. Starting off as an Apprentice back in September 2021 in a library-focused apprenticeship, I was thrilled to have passed the 18-month course and become a permanent member of staff since February 2023. I'm keen to pursue further qualifications to become a professional librarian, but that will hopefully be planned in the near future.
In the time I have worked at the hospital, there are many opportunities and moments of success. I received recognition by our professional body, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), as one of 125 library employees across the country as a new generation making an impact in our sector. In July last year, I was privileged to have represented my trust at the Westminster Abbey service to mark 75 years since the founding of the NHS.
Jack with his CILIP award
My role as Chair of the Voices Council has also supported me in another chairing capacity for our staff network that offers a space for disabled people, long-term conditions and carers, called ‘Without Limits’. When it comes to planning meetings, ensuring members have their voices heard and working with our Executive Sponsor (the Chief People Officer), the experience from my time at Mencap has contributed enormously to this work. We have already improved
guidance
Guidance means being given clear instructions to be able to do something well.
that is provided about supporting people who need reasonable adjustments for managers and hope to have a hospital-wide staff passport alongside this.
Supporting Causes
Besides my day job and the Voices Council, I have worked across several organisations to champion learning disabilities and
autism
Autism is a disability. Autistic people find it difficult to understand what other people think and feel. They also find it difficult to tell people what they think and feel. Everyone with autism is different.
. Since 2016, I have been a member of the NHS England Learning Disability and
Autism
Autism is a disability. Autistic people find it difficult to understand what other people think and feel. They also find it difficult to tell people what they think and feel. Everyone with autism is different.
Advisory Group, which like the Voices Council is formed of experts by experience.
There have been a wide range of topics on these agendas across campaigns that are important to Mencap, such as the reduction of people in long-stay hospitals and being supported in the
community
A community is the people and places in an area.
again.
Visiting Westminster Abbey for NHS 75th anniversary
I’m also delighted to be serving as a Trustee of Ambitious about Autism, having previously volunteered as a Youth Patron on its Youth Council, and using the personal insight gained from attending the board of trustees meeting at Mencap in this role.
Like the board at Mencap, we are responsible for important decisions about the charity’s spending and issues that may need our expertise. Many of our conversations are about the
education
Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university.
of autistic children, as the charity runs schools across both London and Brighton, as well as a post-16 college.
One of the most exciting things that I’m supporting is including the Youth Council as part of the board’s workings - where the Voices Council has given me plenty of inspiration for this priority.
Research to improve the quality of life of people is also very important to me and I’m using my own lived experience in projects to inform the work being done. The first is investigating the effect of anti-anxiety medication on autistic people and another on better managing multiple long-term conditions.
To find out more about these (be aware though that some of the information may not be fully
accessible
Accessible means something is easy for people to use or join in with. For example: Accessible writing means the writing is easy to read and understand.
), you can visit the websites:
The Voices Council
The Voices Council advise and guide Mencap on their priorities and decisions by sharing their views with the board of trustees at every trustees meeting.
Find out more about who they are, what they do and what they're working on at the moment.