Welcome to Learning Disability Awareness Week 2021
Learning Disability Week which is hosted by Mencap takes place from 14 - 20 June. The theme is around art and creativity! For many people with a learning disability and their families, getting creative has been a way to stay connected and positive through the challenges of last year.
During the week staff from our adult Learning Disability Services (mid-Mersey Division) will be posting useful information that hopefully will be informative and helpful across our teams.
Learning Disability Awareness Week – Day four
Today we want to introduce you to our Specialist Community Learning Disability Teams (CLDTs) across the mid-Mersey Division. In case you didn’t know, the different CLDTs can be contacted on these numbers: Halton - 0151 495 5302, St Helens and Knowsley CLDT – 0151 426 5885 and Warrington - 01744 457278 . Below you can watch Lorraine talk about her professional group. Have a think about how your skills can be used to work alongside our teams and also how we could work alongside the services you support.
Learning Disability Awareness Week – Day three
Today we will be focussing on reasonable adjustments specific to supporting individuals with learning disabilities and mental health difficulties. You can access a range of resources to support sharing of mental health information by visiting our dedicated page on YourSpace.
You can follow this link for broader ideas about reasonable adjustments to health services to support people with a learning disability. Remember it is important to note that reasonable adjustments are to be made proactively to support access to services.
Learning Disability Awareness Week - Day two
Our Halton colleagues host the Learning Disability Training Alliance (LDTA). The LDTA offers a comprehensive programme of specialist training across a mid-Mersey footprint. Training packages include - Communicating effectively with adults with learning disabilities, eating and drinking skills, Makaton beginners workshop, equality, diversity and inclusion also covering Human Rights plus so muchmore! Contact the LDTA team at LDTA
There are some really useful resources for improving your awareness of learning disabilities produced by HEE - check them out!
Lydia who is a learning disability nurse at our Trust supports people with a learning disability to access mainstream services by ensuring that reasonable adjustments are in place. Find out more by watching Lydia's video below.
Learning Disability Awareness Week - Day one
To kickstart the week here you can see a message from Alastair Barrowcliffe, Consultant Clinical Psychologist in the learning disability team.
People with a learning disability are a broad and wonderful bunch of characters, not defined by a diagnostic label. However, there are though three core diagnostic criteria – do you know what these criteria are? Would you know how to support a person who has a Learning Disability? If you are uncertain about this, then contact your local Community Learning Disability Teams and ask about accessing our awareness and reasonable adjustments training.
The Mid Mersey Assessment of Learning Disability Pathway is accessible to you on YourSpace. They also offer online training sessions to take you through the various assessment stages if you would like to know more. Have a look at other pathway guidance whilst you are there and if interested, express your interest in helping the team develop other supportive pathways by contacting the identified leads.