Newsletter

Autumn 2017
If you would like a printed copy of this Newsletter then sights that were now surrounding me….”
please contact us: My ten year old self imagined growing up to be a
Email: james@cambridgeshirealliance.org.uk time-traveller. Alas it was not to be. However, life
Tel: 0300 111 2301 is not too dissimilar.
Newsletter Contents: As a ten year old I didn’t appreciate the
 Great Scott, this is Heavy importance of having a strategy. I didn’t
understand that having objectives and a plan to
 Equalities Partnership meet them would help me achieve my goals and
become a master of time and space travel.
 Partnership Board News

 Voices4Choices – A Series of Fortunate

Events?

 The Transport Focus Group

 Aware that You Care

 New Website & New Information Bulletin!

Great Scott, this is Heavy:

“…..The dust cloud, caused by my landing,

seeped slowly through the Delorean’s door - just
slightly ajar as I tried to push it open above my
head - fighting against the large bramble bush
that softened the fall. After a few minutes the
cloud began to dissipate and reveal the unusual
CAIL does understand this (not the time-travelling
bit). CAIL understands what it wants to achieve
over the next three years; and, has worked up
annual plans of how it is going to get there. By
building on its strengths, optimising its I’m no Marty Mcfly (unless he was a secret
opportunities and developing internal processes it auditor who’s been working in the public sector
should be able to achieve its ambitions. I’d like to for the last decade). I know there are plenty of
help CAIL do this. brambles out there that need to be overcome.
But, I’m looking forward to the clouds clearing
The next step to this journey is to revisit the and viewing the horizon for our next opportunity
strategy that we set last year. Is it still fit for (including more of the same I hope).
purpose? Is it current? Does it exploit our
strengths? Are there other opportunities? The
Trustees will review the Strategy this summer.
We’ll answer these questions but we’ll also look
back on whether we’ve succeeded so far.
Success is good, opportunity is exciting.
Talking of successes……

 CAIL has continued to facilitate the

Cambridge County Council’s Engagement for
Adult Social Care. This vital work has ensured
that users and carers can support the design Justin Oldham - CAIL Trustee
and delivery of services across the county.
Equalities Partnership:

In the last edition of our newsletter I wrote about

how CAIL had signed up to the Equalities Pledge.

We have since been working with other local

charities working in the equalities sector –
including Cambridge Rape Crisis, Cambridge
Ethnic Community Forum and The Kite Trust
(LGBT youth organisation) - to plan and deliver a
training programme for other organisations so
that they can develop a broader understanding of
equalities and develop networks so that we can
 The Model Conversation collected oral work better together.
histories from 20 disabled people, evaluating
the past, and developing the future. This is Cambridge City Council have funded us to deliver
captured in film and is available to view here: this training and they have also been handling all
https://www.youtube.com/watch? the background administration – promoting the
v=S0DImiBe9mk training, taking bookings from people who wish to
attend etc.
 The Voices4Choices project is now in full
swing – encouraging people who successfully On Thursday 6th July, I delivered our Disability
use Direct Payments to mentor others who Awareness training to a group of 15 people at the
are new to the process Meadows Community Centre in Cambridge.
As part of the session we looked at the definition
 We also explored how we could make our
organisations more accessible. Suggestions
included an access audit checklist and how to
make our organisations more Dementia friendly.

Key points that we raised about accessibility

were about asking the people who use services
what they think, but also more importantly we
suggested that we should ask the people who
aren’t using our services.

Graham Lewis - Development Officer

Partnership Boards News:

After taking minutes

for all the
Partnership Boards
for four years I
upped my game
and was appointed
Development
Officer for the
Carers Partnership
Board and the
Older People’s Partnership Board. I know most of
the people on the boards. I’ve followed the issues
of disability – agreed that none of us really liked raised and even know how people take their tea
the word – and looked at the Medical and Social and coffee. It couldn’t be all that hard, could it?
Models of Disability. Participants found looking How wrong could I be?
at the 5 barriers identified in the Social Model of
Disability particularly helpful. The 5 barriers are; What I hadn’t taken into account was all the hard
attitude, economic, institutional, environmental work that goes on behind the scenes before we
and emotional. even get to the meetings. Past
development officers Alena,
One issue was so Beth, Leisha, Graham have
important, and such beavered away making
a big barrier, that it contacts, following up actions
was written twice – and requests for speakers and
Transport! as soon as one meeting is over,
they start again on preparing for
This aspect of the training was popular as it the next. I’m really grateful for
made people think about access and how it is not all their hard work laying down
just about buildings, but covers so many other the foundations. I’m reminded of
aspects of people’s lives. the phrase about standing on
the shoulders of giants.
Carers Partnership Board:
Graham, Leisha and I had a stall at the Carers
Trust and CPFT (jointly hosted) Sharing the
Caring event to celebrate Carers Week. We
talked to quite a few people explaining what the
partnership boards do. It was a well-organised
event with interesting and moving speakers. As
part of Carers Week CAIL invited the Carer
Representatives to come along to our office in
Chesterton for an Aware that you Care event. It
was a celebration of carers and about 12 people
turned up. We had some good relaxed
conversation aided by tea, cake and sausage
rolls (you can read more about our Aware that
you Care event later in this Newsletter!).
The latest Carers Partnership Board took place
on 25 July. This summer meeting always has
extra energy because it particularly focusses on
Young Carers.
Centre 33
introduced a
number of Young
Carers to the
Board. They
proceeded to run a
short presentation and workshop for members
which was much appreciated. Like previous
occasions when Young Carers have come along
it was a stimulating and thought provoking
session.
Elaine Young from CPFT told the Board about
the support for young people who have mental
health issues. Kooth, from XenZone, is an online
counselling and emotional well-being platform for
children and young people, accessible through
mobile, tablet and desktop
and free at the point of use.
Richard Cross has stepped down after a number
of years but fortunately has agreed to update the
Board from time to time on the other work he
does for carers’ issues and has just helped us out
on our Voices4Choices project. The Carers
Partnership Board has recently welcomed a new
member, Mike Smith. It’s great when people step
forward to take part and I’m happy to come out to
meet anyone who thinks they too would like to
contribute. The balance of experience and new
ideas is what gives this Board its particular
flavour and energy.
Just as this newsletter was going to press, we
were pleased to learn that Councillor Kevin
Cuffley of the Adults Committee will cover the
Carers Partnership Board and I’ve written to him
to invite him to the next meeting on 3 October.
Older People’s Partnership Board:
It seems I never listen to the news or read a
newspaper without finding some item about
issues that are important for older people.
Waiting on trolleys at the hospital, difficulties in
finding care beds, isolation and loneliness, the
perennial problem of transport comes up
everywhere. Suitable housing is also an issue the
OPPB has discussed. As I’ve recently joined the
cohort, I’m following all these issues very closely
indeed.
The June meeting of the Older Peoples
Partnership Board welcomed Trish Reed from
Housing who talked about helping people remain
living independently at home. Of course some
homes will need simple adaptations but what if
the work is more complicated? One solution is to
have an early conversation about future plans.
The County has linked up with the Elderly
Accommodation Council which has devised a
questionnaire about Housing Options for Older
People. Have a look at their website and see
what you think:
http://hoop.eac.org.uk/hoop/start.aspx
In addition Silverlinks trains volunteers who have after approval by the Board Amanda Morgan,
already made a move to talk to other older
people :
www.silverlinksprogramme.wordpress.com
cameras. An example would be that the sensor
would show if someone goes upstairs to bed or
sleeps in their lounge or how often they go to the
bathroom or kitchen. It may sound a bit like Big
Brother is watching you, but the system could
also help family members spot if their older
relative needs some extra help.
A new member has joined the Board. David
Bache has been on the Older People’s
Partnership Board in
Peterborough so it will be
interesting to learn how the
two systems compare. In
addition, several third sector
organisations have had a
change of personnel and
Cambridgeshire Hearing Help, Flora Raffai, Cam
Sight and Susie Willis, Care Network are now all
members of the Older Peoples Partnership
Board. Councillor Anna Bailey continues to cover
this Board.

Sally Cleghorn - Partnership Board

Development Officer

Officers from the

Assistive Technology
Team (ATT) have
attended the Board on a
number of occasions.
This time Lucy Forrest
introduced us to a home
assessment system
which can monitor
people’s rooms so that
they gain a better
understanding of what
is happening for the
person. This only
involves sensors, not
Voices4Choices – A Series of Fortunate and over June and
Events? July we visited all
the districts in the
CAIL has just successfully finished delivering four county. We went
Voices4Choice events in conjunction with Purple to Huntingdon
(the new preferred provider for Cambridgeshire Library for
County Council’s Direct Payment Support Huntingdonshire,
Services) across Cambridgeshire, in order to March Community
promote awareness and understanding of Direct Centre for
Payments. Fenland, Sawston
If you Owl Café for
have a South Cambs and
disability Ely Library for
or long East Cambs.
term CAIL would like to
health extend our thanks to each of these venues for
condition allowing us to host our events there. We had a
and are good turnout at all of the events. The feedback
starting we received showed that everyone who attended
to feel enjoyed the day and nearly all of the participants
that you might need some support with your day went away with a greater knowledge of Direct
to day living, then a Direct Payment is one Payments.
possible option for you to get the help you need.
A Direct Payment is an amount of money given to Here’s some of the things people said about our
you by the County Council to arrange and events:
purchase your own care and support putting you
in the driver’s seat of your care package to give “As a Community Development Officer I will
you more flexibility, choice and control. be working within my local community. DPs
are now something that I can pass on &
To find out more about Direct Payments, please promote.”
visit Cambridgeshire County Councils website:
https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/
adults-&-older-people/care-and-support/paying-
“Gave a clear understanding of the Direct
for-care/direct-payment/
Payment process and the group discussion
was very helpful.”
The primary
purpose of our
events was to get
“It was good to get an update on Direct
the message about
Payments from some very helpful advisors.”
what Direct
Payments are out to
the general These events were targeted towards people
community all across Cambridgeshire, how you interested in finding out more about how they
can apply for them and how they can be used in could get the support that they needed in their
order to help you with you day to day living. We day to day living. Although a number of people
held one event in Cambridge City during January who came along fit this description, it was mostly
 professionals who For more information please visit our website -
attended. Professionals https://cail.org.uk/voices-for-choices/share-your-
are the front line staff that voice/
people will go to first when
they need support. Now If you have a story to share or you know
that the professionals who someone who does then please get in touch with
came to our events know a us:
little bit more about Direct James - james@cambridgheshirealliance.org.uk
Payments they will be more able to recommend Tel: 0300 111 2301
that as an option when people come to them
needing extra support. Professionals are a very James Saunders - Project Lead
effective route of getting the message about
Direct Payments out there to the general public. The Transport Focus Group
This is something CAIL talked with
Cambridgeshire County Council about during the Over the years we have talked about this group,
events and there is a potential need for further but, perhaps we need to explain more about what
training for professionals on Direct Payments, it is!
which is something we will be mentioning in our
final report to the County Council. Quite simply, each of the
Partnership Boards has
CAIL is offering to come and deliver our identified issues that relate to
‘Voices4Choices – Learn more about Direct transport being a difficulty for
Payments’ presentation to any organisation that people with disabilities. The Transport Focus
would like it until the end of March 2018. Group allows these issues to be brought together
and then raised with the relevant organisations.
The next steps for Voices4Choices is gathering
stories from people about their experiences with When people talk
Direct Payments. about transport they
talk about many
different things –
trains, buses, taxis,
parking, access to
‘blue badges’, state of
the roads, pavements
and new building
developments.

Recently, people
We want to know the highlights, the benefits, the have told us about
low points and frustrations. The experiences concerns, or simply asked questions, about
shared will be used to help people who are new Cambridge Train Station and the new Cambridge
to or thinking about using Direct Payments. It will North Station.
also be used to feedback to Cambridgeshire
County Council to help them improve their In response to this, I met with the Community
services. Engagement Manager of Greater Anglia railways,
Alan Neville.
 Plaza and how
difficult it is to tell
the difference
between where
the road is for the
taxi drop off and
some of the
surrounding
pavement as they
are the same
brick colours.
There is also a
problem in that
some of the
pavement slopes
into the road – a
very smooth
dropped curb –
but due to the
lack of difference
and no curb, it is
I initially met him to discuss the concerns about not possible for Guide Dogs to understand the
the redevelopment of Cambridge Train Station. difference.
Following this, a public meeting was organised
and we met on the Plaza in front of the train It is quite clear that many of these issues will not
station concourse. be addressed overnight. We do have to be in
this for the ‘long haul’.
It was a lovely day, too lovely! After we had been
talking with Alan for a little while, we suggested So, what is happening now?
that we move indoors. We moved in to the
concourse, which was loud and the echo made it We have presented a report to Greater Anglia,
difficult to hear. A definite lesson was learned for explaining the issues. What we need to do now
the future at this point! is think about the next steps and what we want to
achieve.
People asked interesting questions relating to
passenger announcements and how they are Oh yes! I mentioned the new Cambridge North
unhelpful for people who are Deaf or hard of Station and the concerns that people have
hearing. Examples were given of when there are raised. I met with Alan Neville at the station itself
changes to train platforms and audio and we talked about some of the concerns. We
announcement is made and then people start to are in the process of planning a meeting at the
move to the new platform… well people who can Cambridge North Station so that people can
hear do. It was noted that there needs to be discuss their concerns based on an operational
someway of visibly presenting that information station.
also.
Graham Lewis - Development Officer
There were also many questions about the new
Aware that You Care: meetings and sit alongside professionals, take
part in discussions, give their opinions and then
Here at CAIL we all go home. It would be far too easy for us to forget
have a job that these, and many other people that we work
description. We all with, have caring responsibilities.
know what we
signed up for, what As part of Carers Week 2017
is expected of us, we wanted to take some time to
how long our sit down with our carers, catch
contracts are and up with them and say thank
how much money you. That’s what our Aware
we will get for doing that You Care event was all
what we do. I would imagine that this would also about. It was opened up to anyone that we work
be true of most people in paid or voluntary roles with and to the rest of the staff in the office that
across the county. we work here at Fen House. It was a well-
attended event with plenty of tea, cake and of
According to the Census in 2011 for course sausage rolls for a certain someone. It
approximately 78,000 people in Cambridgeshire
and Peterborough their job, or one of their jobs, is
being a carer. 60,000 people in Cambridgeshire
identified themselves as unpaid carers; 30% of
these carers care for 20 hours or more each.

was really nice

to talk through
with people
about what
their job
description is,
Caring can be a full or part time job, the job how they got
description, were there to be one, would be the role and
totally different for each individual depending on what they think
who they were caring for. The length of contract, would make it
financial impact, impact on health and wellbeing easier for others in their position. We are hoping
are all unknown. Many people end up in caring to do some more work on this theme later in the
roles without actually recognising themselves as year, but in the meantime we want to say that
carers and therefore don’t receive the support CAIL is aware that you care and we thank you all
that they need. for your time and input, not just during carers
week, but all year round.
We have nine carers at the moment on our
Carers Partnership Board. They attend our Alena Taylor - Chief Executive Officer
New Website & New Information Bulletin!
You can find us on social media:
CAIL have launched our brand new website.
Check it out here:

 www.cail.org.uk
Facebook

Twitter

Website

CAIL have also improved our fortnightly
Information Bulletin.
Watch this space for more information and if
you’re not already on our mailing list yet then
sign up by clicking the button below:
YouTube
Copyright © 2017, Cambridgeshire Alliance for
Independent Living, All rights reserved.
Charity no: 1132290
Our mailing address is:
admin@cambridgeshirealliance.org.uk