About Policy Shapers
Policy Shapers are people with a learning disability and their families who help us by answering surveys each month.
The surveys help us tell the Government and decision makers what life is like for people with a learning disability.
Sign up to be a Policy Shaper
If you would like to become a Policy Shaper to make a difference.
How Policy Shapers help
After you sign up to be a Policy Shaper we will send you short surveys about issues that matter to you each month.
Issues are problems you have, and they will be about things like benefits, healthcare,
employment
Employment means having a job.
, schools and social care.
Your answers will be anonymised.
Anonymised means we will make sure any information which could tell people who you are, will not be made public.
We will use your answers in Mencap reports and in our face-to-face meetings with the Government and other decision makers.
We may also get in touch with you to join
focus groups
Where a group of people meet to talk about a topic, and a researcher asks them some questions.
with other Policy Shapers, or to tell us about your experience so we can make a
case study
A case study is a piece of writing that tells people more information about someone's
experience
Experience is when you have learned or tried something before.
.
.
As a thank you, every time a Policy Shaper answers one of our surveys, we enter them into a prize draw to win a £25 gift card.
How Policy Shapers are making a difference
In March we asked Policy Shapers about social care. We will use those answers when we speak to the government.
In April we want to hear about your experiences with benefits. We want to know what you think of the government's green paper.
Sharing information: Note for families and carers
If you are sharing information about someone with a learning disability, please check with them that they are OK with you sharing their information before you do so.
If the person is not able to
consent
Consent is when you say yes to something, like an operation, or Mencap using your photo for a story. You may have to sign something to say yes. If you can't make your own decisions, someone else can say yes or no for you. They must think about what is right for you.
to sharing their photos/film/story, visit our best interests assessment page.
Find out more
If you would like to find out more about becoming a Policy Shaper, our surveys or the Policy Shaper prize drawer, please email the Mencap Policy Team.