Press Release
26th October 2007
United Response at Learning Disability Today
From a service life to a community life
United Response chief executive Su Sayer talks about person-centred approaches at Learning Disability Today conference
How do we support people to move from a service-orientated life to a full and engaging life in the community? This is just one of the questions Su Sayer will be exploring in a panel discussion on the 31st October, at the prestigious Learning Disability Today conference in London. Su – chief executive of the learning disability and mental health charity United Response – will be joining speakers from the Home Far Trust and Helen Sanderson Associates in a seminar session entitled “Person Centred Approaches – What Works.”
The half hour seminar will be chaired by Stewart Wallace of Care Tech and be followed by a Q&A where the audience will be invited to put their own questions and suggestions to the panel. Su will be discussing how a person-centred approach can deliver measurable results, as well as some of the tools United Response used to implement it.
United Response’s own person-centred working methodology has seen people with learning disabilities seize new opportunities in their lives. It has also boosted staff morale and seen an independently measured improvement in services, leading to it being highly commended at this year’s Charity Awards.
“It’s an exciting chance to show that person-centred approaches aren’t just the latest fashionable jargon, but a real and practical way of giving people a new level of support that allows them to live fuller lives,” said Su of the seminar. “It’s also a way of releasing untapped creativity in our staff, so that they feel able to do their jobs better. I’m also looking forward to picking up some useful approaches from the other speakers so that we can all benefit.”
Support the Learning Disability Coalition's campaign to end funding cuts
United Response is a member of the Learning Disability Coalition. The coalition is a group of 10 learning disabilities organisations that have come together to champion the rights of people with learning disabilities to live independent lives with the support they need.
The coalition believes that too many people with a learning disability are not getting the support they need to have a decent quality of life and do things other people take for granted. The coalition is asking people to sign its petition calling on the Government to make sure there is enough public funding available to give people real choice and control. You can sign the petition either by visiting the United Response stand at Learning Disability Today or by signing up online go to www.learningdisabilitycoalition.org.uk
For more information please contact Sarah Bartlett or Jaime Gill in the United Response Press Office on020 8246 5237/ 020 8246 5122 or emailsarah.bartlett@unitedresponse.org.uk or jaime.gill@unitedresponse.org.ukNotes to editors
United Response is a national charity that works with people with learning disabilities or mental health needs – including some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
We provide everything from 24 hour care to a few hours of support a week. United Response is community based, working in many localities across England and Wales.
Our mission is to support people with learning disabilities or mental health needs to take control of their lives. We design our care and support around each person and work with them to achieve real inclusion, independence and citizenship for all. We support people across the whole spectrum of learning disability and mental health and have developed a range of specialisms in working with people with the most complex needs, particularly person-centred active support.
We are working towards a society where people with learning disabilities or mental health needs are equal participants and have access to the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. We have won several awards for our pioneering work and for being a top employer. In 2007 alone, we have been highly commended by the Charity Awards for our “Good To Great” approach to providing support, while the Charity Times named us one of the best six charities to work for in the UK. We are experts in the development of accessible communications.
United Response was founded in 1973 by chief executive Su Sayer. We are a top 100 charity, supporting more than 1,500 people throughout the UK at any one time and employing more than 2,000 staff.
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