Resources

I have 17 years’ experience of supporting people with learning disabilities, older people and people with mental health problems, working both within private and statutory organisations.  I am a highly motivated, strongminded person with recognised work experience within and around successful corporate structures and an excellent blend of qualifications. I have vast knowledge of Person- Centred practices and have worked to create Person -Centred teams using team planning and training.  I have skills in graphic facilitation and have designed and delivered training to professionals from both statutory and voluntary organisations.  In my current role I am involved in the development and creation of a registered housing association, incorporating a  person -centred ethos in tenant support.

I can help you with supported housing advice, personalised care, services for people who challenge services, staff training, person centred planning.

Sarah Maguire BA (Hons), M.A, CIPD, Fellow of Centre for Welfare Reform

Sarah has worked with people with learning disabilities for almost 30 years. Her work began supported people with challenging needs to move out of long stay institutions in the 1980’s.  Sarah has worked as a training manager where she pioneered new initiatives to take training into the work place. Following completion of her MA in Applied Psychology of Learning Disability Services, Sarah worked as an Operations Director of a large national learning disability charity developing direct payments and supported living services for adults with learning disabilities. Sarah currently works as the Director of Quality and Safeguarding for Choice Support where she continues to support people to take control of their lives.  Sarah is part of the steering committee for the Driving up Quality Alliance and is a founder member of the Association of Quality Checkers which will launch in 2015.

Gav and Karen,  experts in nothing but experience of lots. Gav and Karen have both previously worked in Adult Social Care and have tried to change the system from the inside.  We have experience in negotiating and managing the journey through adult care to health including continuing health care. This includes using and managing a direct payment using a personal budget within adult social care and we now manage a personal health budget with a staff team creatively support planning to get the best health and well being outcomes for a good life from our perspective. We have some knowledge of the legal frameworks around assessment including the care act and positive risk management and the right to take risks.  We also have a great support network and connections to lots of like minded people who want to change the system pro actively rather than reactively.

Les has a son with a learning disability and has been involved in developing support mechanisms since 2000 when his family and three others first received Direct Payments. At that time the local authority offered no support, so the four families decided to design their own support system. Since then Les has been involved in assisting others to form their own groups in the UK, where he has worked on Direct Payments and Peer Support. He has also spent 4 weeks per annum for the last 8 years in Australia, where he assisted in setting up the first Direct Payments system. Following this Les has worked with families in Australia assisting and advising those in need of support services. Les served on the National Task Force, he has also served on the National Valuing Families Forum, and is a graduate of Partners in Policymaking. Les has given presentations on Direct Payments and Peer Support nationally and in Australia.

Jane Byford has worked all her working life in the care sector. She started in residential and nursing care and eventually qualified as a manager with a registered 5 qualification with Ling Trust. Since those days she has been one of the major hands on managers with many people coming out of assessment and treatment units, providing hands on help and support and getting people back into the community. Jane is highly respected by many of the people who receive services, professional practitioners and families/carers as a very knowledgeable and practical " doer" with a passion to see people receiving the most effective and genuinely person centred services.

Jane lives in Colchester in Essex. Her own family situation has taught her the values of good care and support. Jane is passionate about her work and will assist you on line in anyway that she can. She may also be able to offer some telephone advice. 

Julie is one of the founding members and chief executive of In Control. In Control is a national charity working for an inclusive society where everyone has the support they need to live a good life and make a valued contribution.

Julie has over 25years experience in the health and social care sectors. Julie studied at Huddersfield university business, management and leadership with a strong particular focus on managing change. She was able to put theory into practice, managing considerable change in social and health care commissioning and provider arrangements, covering a variety of disability and health sectors and organisations.

Julie is rooted in her passion for inclusion and enabling people to have the support they need to lead an ordinary life.

In 2003 she was the co founder of the national charity “In Control Partnerships” which instigated self directed support and the personalisation agenda in health and social care policy and practice. This enabled people with disabilities and their families to be more in control of their health and social care provision. 

I can provide on line advice either as an individual or signpost you to others or services through In Control. 

Jayne Knight is the founder of the You Know site. This was set up following her despair in constantly seeing the lack of available, practical information for people who need care, their families, other carers, and professionals  leading often to poor decision making and services. She has had a history of working in the public and voluntary sector for the last 35 years. Following an early career in the Department of Employment Jayne moved on into Local Government. She eventually managed a large welfare rights service also covering employment and housing law. She became a Chief Officer managing a range of responsibilities covering general needs,supported and extra care housing, welfare benefits, social care, day services, general amenities, local planning, parks and recreation. She was the chief officer at local council meetings to conduct the business of two large geographical areas. This all gave her a more general, holisitic approach to planning and delivering services rather than the specialist areas that many other managers in local government.

Jayne moved after 12 years in the Local Authority to run a charity which eventually became one of the of the leading supported living charities, Ling Trust, in the UK. She has worked nationally as a consultant for many years and has been influential in getting people the right help and advice to get a decent life. Jayne is very proud of everyone involved in the services for Ling, tenants who were "written off" who have made good lives for themselves, families who have been listened to and heard and staff who always went the extra mile.

Jayne has represented several people as a family advocate and is known well nationally for this work. Jayne can give informed opinion and practical help on welfare rights, personal care and health budgets across all sectors, housing and housing with support, running micro enterprises, grant and funding applications, housing law, creative solutions for people with complex support needs and employment matters.

She can broker and advocate for people who need services, carers and/or families at the highest levels. Jayne is approachable, hard working,practical and has good all round knowledge including a good academic background leading to a Masters in Communty Mental Health which assists in any requirements for reports or representation.

Sam is a registered social worker with 25 years of extensive experience working in regulation, health and social care as a field worker, commissioner and provider. She has an MSc in the regulation of health & social care. Sam is currently doing consultancy work for In Control, NHS England, NDTi and NEW Devon CCG. She spent the previous four years working with NEW Devon CCG on a project carrying out person-centred planning with people with learning disabilities detained in Assessment & Treatment Units and then providing bespoke services for them on return to their local communities. This also involved transforming commissioning processes. This project has gained national recognition. Before this Sam was part of the Change team in Cornwall who transformed health and social care services for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour post the Budock Hospital scandal. She also managed the NHS campus re-provision in Bournemouth for B&P PCT. Sam has extensive knowledge and skills in the provision of community based services for people who have labels of mental health needs and challenging behaviour. Sam has extensive experience of quality assurance systems development. She is also very passionate about involving people and families in developing their services. Sam is an advisor to Cornwall People First, a Director of the Association for Quality Checkers, a Fellow of the Centre for Welfare Reform, a columnist for Learning Disability Today, writes for several journals and is a Trustee for a small local housing charity for people with learning disabilities.