Fulfilling Lives - Leaflet - Click Here
Community Connecting Presentation - Click Here
Never Watch Alone Campaign - Click Here

Minutes - 2nd April 2008 - Click Here
Minutes - 16th May 2008 - Click Here
Minutes - 3rd July 2008 - Click Here
Minutes - 14th August 2008 - Click Here

Valuing People Objective:

To enable people with learning disabilities to lead full and purposeful lives in their communities and to develop a range of friendships, activities and relationships.

Community Connecting Success Stories

Never Watch Alone

What we have done so far...

A Participation Co-ordinator has been successfully recruited
Key organisations identified & working in partnership to secure voluntary work & community connections.
Following consultations with self-advocates, champions & keyworkers, self advocates are now engaged in community groups & voluntary placements.

Community connecting training has been delivered to champions & managers
The Participation Co-ordinator & champions are now qualified community connecting trainers
A training programme for all day service staff to be trained in community connecting has been devised and delivered
Employment training events facilitated by John Clarke ( IAS) have taken place in the four main day service points for self advocates, family members, champions & managers.

Each day service has been allocated one days consultation with John Clarke to be structured according to the employment needs within that particular day service. The day is intended to involve as many self advocates and staff with a view to driving this initiative forward
Examples of self advocates accessing mainstream groups, activities,events and engaging in voluntary work placements can be seen throughout this website and the employment website.

For further details of the Community Connecting Project see Active Projects section

As part of the completion of the Day Service Modernisation Strategy the group continues to support existing social enterprises in producing long term sustainability strategies whilst supporting the development of new social enterprises.

Transport issues are one of the priority areas that the group have been addressing on an ongoing basis and as a result have forged strong links with GMPTE to work in patnership to tackle the issue collectively.
Successful travel programmes and pilot travel buddy schemes are being developed across the borough

Family Members in the group have pioneered the campaign to ensure that 'new builds' across the borough are fully accessible which includes adequate and appropriate changing facilities

The group are in continuous negotiation with the Learning Skills Council, CYPS, Wigan and Leigh College and Mencap to ensure that school leavers are enabled to make a smooth transition into an inclusive further education system which will meet their individual needs and aspirations. This process will be aided by the introduction of a person centred review pilot scheme due to be launched.

The Community Connecting champions devised and are currently delivering training to advocates, service users, staff, family members, carers, circle of support etc. The Participation Co-ordinator is currently following up the action plans and is collating and monitoring outcomes.