Voice UK http://www.voiceuk.org.uk60<![CDATA[ VOICE UK nominated for Charity Award 2012 ]]>VOICE UK shortlisted for national award.

 Among The Charity Awards shortlist announced today (3 May) is VOICE UK, a national charity based in Derby that promotes justice and wellbeing for vulnerable victims of crime. The Charity Awards is the sector’s most prestigious excellence recognition scheme and the 2012 winners will be announced on 14 June. 

 VOICE UK has been shortlisted from hundreds of entries in the Disability category alongside just two other charities.  It has been selected for The Equal Access to Justice (EAJ) Project which provided workshops and training for both people with learning disabilities and professional workers and attended seminars, events and conferences throughout the country to promote the awareness of issues such as ‘Keeping Safe’, ‘Abuse and Bullying’ and ‘Hate Crime’.

 Chief Executive of VOICE UK, Kathryn Stone said: &... ]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 15:56:03 GMT<![CDATA[ Disabled children socially excluded through bullying ]]>In this article the Press Association provides information on a new research report for the Children's Commisioner that considers the barriers faced by children.

 It states that bullying of disabled children remains "prevalent" and "acts as a major barrier to their social inclusion". Notably, the article draws attention to issues in education and the negative experiences of transition from children's to adult services.

 You can read the full article here: http://tinyurl.com/cftzlad



 

]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 15:37:04 GMT<![CDATA[ Nurses fear the impact of spending cuts on people with learning diasbilities ]]>
The article, which references a Royal College of Nursing report into the subject states that:


"With increasing caseloads and complexity of care, alongside decreasing staffing levels, it is hardly surprising that nurses are voicing concerns about the safety and welfare of their patients. Our worry now is that in this tough economic climate, the NHS could end up forgetting people with learning disabilities."

For more information, click here to read the full story: http://tinyurl.com/cdyuk37

 

]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:30 GMT<![CDATA[ ALL PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP MEETING ]]> VOICE UK ALL PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP FOR EQUALITY AND ACCESS TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM FOR DISABLED PEOPLE Chair Ian Mearns MP


The next meeting of our All Party Parliamentary Group will be introduced by

Julie Lyon, Director, Prison Reform Trust. 
Lord Keith Bradley and Jenny Talbot, Prison Reform Trust will speak on the topic of ‘Fair Access to Justice?  Availability of intermediaries for vulnerable defendants’.   Antony Fletcher, Working for Justice Group, will reflect on his own personal experiences as a defendant.

I hope you will be able to join us in Committee Room 9, House of Commons, on 

26th of JUNE, 2012, from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm. 
  
    

Kathryn Stone OBE C.Dir FIoD

Chief Executive

 

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:38:59 GMT<![CDATA[ Family of Fiona Pilkington settle claim against police ]]>Relatives of a woman who killed herself and her disabled daughter after repeated harassment have settled a claim against Leicestershire
Police.

An action brought by Fiona Pilkington's mother and Francecca Hardwick's brother, himself a vulnerable adult, has been settled by a five-figure sum. The mother and daughter died in 2007 when Ms Pilkington set fire to her car.

They had complained to police 33 times after being harassed by youths in their home near Hinckley.

The family's solicitor, Jocelyn Cockburn, said: "It was important for the family to achieve justice after going through a horrendous few years following the deaths of Fiona Pilkington and Francecca and it has given them a modicum of financial security going forward.

"The case also had enormous public interest because of public concern about the treatment of vulnerable and disabled people in society and the case dealt with what duties the police have to protect peopl... ]]>Tue, 15 May 2012 10:54:38 GMT<![CDATA[ Safe Places ]]>  
What is the Safe Places scheme?

Safe Places scheme helps people with learning disabilities feel confident and safe when accessing the community, knowing that assistance is available if required.

How does the scheme work?

Window stickers are issued to establishments (shops, restaurants, pubs, libraries etc) that sign up to the scheme and people with learning disabilities carry a ‘Keep Safe’ card that holds their emergency contact details.  If a person needs help, all they have to do is show the card to staff member in the Safe Place who will either call the emergency contact on the card (usually a carer), or the police if it is a more serious matter.

What does the ‘Keep Safe’ card and window sticker look like?

The Safe Places logo is recognised natio... ]]>Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:48:44 GMT<![CDATA[ A heartfelt salute to Stephen and legacy of justice: Doreen Lawrence makes poignant plea for race equality ]]>The mother of Stephen Lawrence made a poignant plea for a renewed drive towards race equality yesterday.

Doreen Lawrence urged people not to forget that her ‘struggle’ since  her son was murdered by racist  thugs has been for everyone to have opportunity and justice regardless of their background.

The journey in the last 18½ years has not been about me,’ she said. ‘It’s been a vehicle for change and not accepting the negative stereotyping that has blighted people of colour.’

At the inaugural Criminal Justice Lecture held by the trust set up in Stephen’s memory, Mrs Lawrence said the recent convictions of two of the five men she believes are responsible for Stephen’s
murder was ‘partial justice’.

Three staff from a private hospital near Bristol have pleaded guilty to the ill treatment of residents.

The case follows secret filming by the BBC's Panorama TV programme at the Castlebeck-owned Winterbourne View hospital near Hambrook.

Wayne Rogers, 31, and Allison Dove, 24, both of Kingswood, admitted to nine and seven charges each and Holly Draper, 23, pleaded guilty to two charges.

The programme showed patients allegedly being physically and verbally abused.

Both Rogers and Dove pleaded not guilty to one charge each under the Mental Capacity Act, which was accepted by the Crown with the charges resting on file.

The court heard the offences were committed between February and March 2011.

Judge Michael Longman released all three on bail to await sentencing at a later date.

At the same hearing, Michael Ezenagu, 28, of Malabar Court, India Way, London, pleaded not guilty to three coun... ]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 20:48:26 GMT<![CDATA[ Was this boy beaten senseless because he's white? Teenager fighting for his sight after 'hate attack' by Asian gang ]]>A teenager was left for dead after being
chased and savagely beaten by a gang of Asians in a suspected racist attack.

Daniel Stringer, 17, was pursued through a busy town centre by up to eight men and then repeatedly kicked and punched in the head. He was left in the road, bleeding and barely conscious, as the gang melted away into the night.

Police say there is no evidence of provocation and are treating the attack as a serious hate crime.

Daniel’s family issued pictures of the teenager lying seriously ill in hospital with a fractured skull and fractured
eye socket. They say the nerves behind his eyes have been damaged and he could be left with impaired vision.

I wish someone would tell me why they left my ... ]]>Thu, 17 May 2012 02:14:00 GMT<![CDATA[ Disabled people abuse soars due to cuts ]]>major disabilities charities say resentment as well as abuse towards disabled people has risen due to the Government’s position on cutting benefits. The groups say allegations made over fraudulent claims have led to many disabled people being seen in the public eye as scroungers.


 Guardian front page story reports that six of the country's biggest disability charities are warning that the Government's focus on alleged fraud and over-claiming to justify cuts in disability benefits has caused an increase in resentment and abuse directed at disabled people. Some of the charities say they are now regularly contacted by people who have been taunted on the street about supposedly faking their disability and are concerned the climate of suspicion could spill over into violence or other hate crimes.

Commenting on the issue, Richard Hawkes, chief executive of disability charity Scope, said:

"If the Government's aim is to get people off of benefit... ]]>Sun, 13 May 2012 21:45:55 GMT<![CDATA[ Public anger mounting over disabled girl's school ordeal ]]>FURTHER calls have been made for a council to fully investigate a teacher who forced a five-year-old brain tumour survivor to wipe up her own urine.

Councillor Gill Farrington says people angry at the treatment of Liberty Rose Finn have contacted her because of her role as chairman of Derbyshire County Council’s improvement and scrutiny for people committee.

The chairman of the committee which deals with child welfare, Councillor Farrington said she had passed the comments in the form of emails and phone calls, to cabinet member for education Mike Longden.

Liberty was eight months old when she was diagnosed with optic chiasm glioma, a tumour around her optical nerve which meant it could never be operated on due to its size and location.

However, after chemotherapy, the growth vanished, making Liberty the first person on record to beat such a tumour.

However, her plight has left her with a range of disabilities which often result in her w... ]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 20:14:36 GMT<![CDATA[ Teenager who attacked disabled man said 'he deserves everything he gets' ]]>A TEENAGER launched an unprovoked attack on a man in the street, saying: "He's disabled, he deserves everything he gets."

Gary Thurman was walking along Oxford Street, Ripley, with friends when three youths approached and one began pushing him.

Mr Thurman, 20, who has two hearing aids, tried to get away from drunken Ross Graham but was punched three times, Chesterfield magistrates heard.

"I was holding on to a fence and he hit me from behind and I was knocked to the ground. I kept trying to get up but he kept punching me in the face," Mr Thurman told police.

Peter Bettney, prosecuting, said a female witness told Graham to stop hitting him because he was disabled.

"The defendant said, 'He's disabled, he deserves everything he gets,' and continued hitting him," said Mr Bettney.

Jamie Rackham stood between them, only to be punched by Graham, causing a lump on his forehead.

Police were called and both victims were taken around Ripl... ]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 20:56:06 GMT<![CDATA[ My daughter is mentally handicapped, Mr Gervais. Would you think it was funny to call HER a 'mong'? ]]>Ricky Gervais may often act like a ten-year-old, but he’s lucky he isn’t one. If he were, there’s no way he would have escaped punishment for calling someone a ‘mong’ — the word he used to describe Susan Boyle on a late-night, one-off comedy show on Channel 4 last October.

He would have been forced to apologise, his parents would have been called into school and his name would have been added to an official education authority list along with other children deemed to have used racist, homophobic or other offensive words to describe classmates. The incident would have remained on file for the rest of his time at school.

Schools are under a statutory duty to report all incidents thought to be racist, and are encouraged to record and rep... ]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 16:56:27 GMT<![CDATA[ Police attacked for wrongly writing off thousands of crimes ]]>

It means police are not investigating incidents or helping victims in what should be recorded as a crime.

The study by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary said nationally some one in seven “no crimes” were dismissed wrongly but in the worst, and largest, offending force, the Metropolitan Police, it was as high as 25 per cent.

Last year the force’s Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe identified screening out crimes as an area for improvement.

Forces were also criticised for still failing to properly report anti-social behaviour or ensure repeat offending is spotted, despite a scathing report by the watchdog two years ago.

Nick Herbert, the policing minister, said: "Re... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 14:52:34 GMT<![CDATA[ Campaigners demand probe as torture thugs walk free ]]>Hate crime campaigners have demanded a government probe after three friends who tortured a man with learning difficulties walked free from court.

Sean Ruddeforth was subjected to a horrific four-hour ordeal in which he was tied to a lamppost and humiliated. The 31-year-old was covered with food, nail varnish and paint.

His attackers escaped jail after a court heard two of them were young mums.

The Disability Hate Crime Network has now slammed the sentences as ‘farcical’ and wants an inquiry by the equalities watchdog.

And we can also reveal that the case is being investigated by Greater Manchester Police’s professional standards branch.

The case has also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission after campaigners criticised the police response.

Maggie Bowden, Rebecca Willis and Anthony Connolly admitted drunkenly tying up and attacking Mr Ruddeforth outside his home on Whiteacre Road, A... ]]>Mon, 07 May 2012 19:07:19 GMT<![CDATA[ 'He can be an ambassador': Parents of six-year-old model with Down's syndrome on how their son is changing perceptions of children with special needs ]]>Six-year-old child model Ryan Langston made headlines earlier this month when he appeared in childrenswear campaigns for Target and Nordstrom.

The adorable youngster, who has Down's syndrome, was hailed an inspiration by parents of other children with the same condition, while both retailers were widely praised for not boasting of the casting or calling any special attention to it.

Now the youngster's parents have spoken for the first time about their son, and the huge public response to his modelling career.

Amanda and Jim Langston, from Garwood, New Jersey, told NBC Nightly News how Ryan has been capturing the hearts of casting directors since the age ... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 03:36:49 GMT<![CDATA[ Health teams 'should have better managed murderer' ]]>Health teams overseeing a murderer with a personality disorder from Cornwall should have done more to manage the risk he posed, a report said.

Darren Stewart was jailed for killing Stephen Hoskin, who fell to his death from a viaduct in St Austell in 2006.

Mr Hoskin, 38, who had severe learning disabilities, had been bullied.

An independent report into Stewart said various agencies involved in his case, which acted independently from each other, should have shared information.

Stewart was given a life sentence at Truro Crown Court in July 2007, when he was 30, for the murder in the previous July.

Bigger picture

Mr Hoskin, who had the reading ability of a six-year-old, was abused for hours by Stewart and a gang.

He was drugged, taken to the viaduct and forced to hang from its railings. He then fell 100ft (30m) to his death.

The report, commissioned by the So... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 04:47:51 GMT<![CDATA[ Spared jail: Thugs who tied vulnerable pal to Ashton-under-Lyne lamppost in four-hour torture ordeal ]]>Three pals walked free from court after admitting tying a man with learning difficulties to a lamppost and torturing him in a terrifying four-hour ordeal.

Maggie Bowden, Rebecca Willis and Anthony Connolly were given suspended prison sentences for the ‘appalling’ incident which they claimed was a prank.

Their victim, Sean Ruddeforth, 31, was covered with paint, food and nail varnish.

Worried witnesses twice alerted police, including in a 999 call, but no help came – causing the judge in the case to slam their reaction.

Manchester Crown Court heard that one caller was told it was an environmental health issue and given a number to contact.

Judge Peter Lakin said: "I have to say that reflects very badly on GMP that they failed to respond to two calls, including a 999 call."

Lisa Boocock, prosecuting, said the incident happened during the early hours of August 31 on Whiteacre Street in Ashton-under-Lyne. She told the cou... ]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 00:53:40 GMT<![CDATA[ Thug who killed Big Issue seller for kicks released after just two years ]]>A sick thug who killed a Big Issue seller for kicks has been released from his custodial sentence after just two years and has taken to Facebook to tell of his ‘boredom’.

Warren Crago was 16 when he and two teenage friends beat homeless man Ralph Millward, 41, to death after finding him asleep on a pavement in Westbourne, Bournemouth.

Although a judge described the brutal attack as the 'worst case of mob violence imaginable', Crago and accomplice Craig Real were jailed for four years.

But after serving half of their sentence they are now back on the streets.

Crago, now 18, has gone on Facebook to write about being bored after getting out of ‘pen’. He is even using his police mugshot photo as his profile picture.

The assault happened during last year’s Rugby World Cup, weeks after Tindall, the England centre and husband of Zara Phillips, was alleged to have attended a “dwarf tossing contest” with team-mates at a bar in New Zealand.

Mr Henderson, 37, believes his attacker, who has not been tracked down by police, may have got the idea from Tindall.

“An incident like this was just waiting to happen,” he said. “People see stars like Tindall doing it and they think that it is acceptable.

“I believe that could have been why it happened to me – the bloke probably thought it was really funny.”

Mr Henderson was ce... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 07:10:41 GMT<![CDATA[ Welfare reforms defeated as vulnerable asked to pay price of bankers’ failure ]]>

Peers also rejected a proposed one-year limit on ESA claims, in what some said was an unusually strong reaction.

The Government wants to cut the cost of the welfare state and the plans were an attempt to remove the cost of supporting those who had any alternative means of support, such as living with their parents, savings or an inheritance.

However, Labour said the coalition had been defeated for trying to "cross the basic line of British decency".

Baroness Meacher, an independent crossbencher, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Severely disabled young adults living with their parents would have no income of their own for the rest of their lives, to buy their parents presents, for example. We felt that... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 23:10:53 GMT<![CDATA[ Article in Third Sector 10 January 2012 ]]>Tel: 020 7833 5792, fax: 020 7713 1950, email: info@voiceyp.org and not VOICE UK.

Our Chief Executive is Kathryn Stone OBE
]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 17:01:52 GMT<![CDATA[ No place to hide: Judge jails two of Stephen's 'evil' killers then tells police to hunt down the 'three or four' others still at large ]]>They have cheated justice for nearly 19 years.

But the rest of the Stephen Lawrence killer gang were warned yesterday that they will not get away with murder.

Jailing Gary Dobson and David Norris for the ‘terrible and evil crime which scarred the conscience of the nation’, Mr Justice Treacy dramatically ordered Scotland Yard to hunt down the ‘three or four’ killers still at large.

Police, he declared, should not ‘close the file’ on the case.

His forthright comments were backed by Stephen’s parents, Neville and Doreen, and prompted the Metropolitan Police Commissioner


Significantly, police have already received a number of calls about Stephen’s murder since Tu... ]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 21:10:56 GMT<![CDATA[ Stephen Lawrence murder: Dobson and Norris found guilty ]]>Two men have been convicted of the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, 18 years after he was stabbed to death near a south London bus stop.

Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty by an Old Bailey jury after a trial based on forensic evidence.

Scientists found a tiny blood stain on Dobson's jacket that could only have come from Mr Lawrence.

As he was led away, Dobson told the jury they had condemned an "innocent man". Sentencing will be on Wednesday.

Stephen's parents, Doreen and Neville, wept in court as the jury found both men guilty. Duwayne Brooks, Stephen's best friend who had been with him on the night of the murder, tweeted : 'Some justice at last'.

Gary Dobson and David Norris: Denied murder 
On 1 December 2011, the government announced a discussion with disabled people to gather suggestions for a new cross-government disability strategy.

The Government’s ambition is to enable disabled people to fulfil their potential and have opportunities to play a full role in society. To realise this ambition, we want to tackle barriers to realising aspirations and individual control, as well as change attitudes and behaviour towards disabled people.

Roadmap and the UK's report to the Un on implementation of the Convention on the rights of disabled people.

ODI has worked with disability organisations to create a discussion document which is available to download below. We would like to hear from disabled people, and the people and organisations that support them.

Please send us your response by 5pm, 9 March 2012.

Click below for the link to the documents:

The NHS is accused of causing or contributing to the deaths of at least 74 patients with a learning disability because of poor care that reveals enduring "institutional discrimination" among doctors and nurses.

The 74 vulnerable patients' deaths over the past decade were either caused or complicated by mistakes in hospitals and decisions by staff who failed to treat them properly and displayed ignorance or indifference to their plight, according to the charity Mencap and families of some of those who died.

Inquiries by Mencap into the deaths raise searching questions for the NHS, which has been criticised in a series of recent reports for providing poor care, especially to older patients. The parliamentary and ... ]]>Tue, 15 May 2012 00:44:49 GMT<![CDATA[ Bristol OAP's knifepoint raid ordeal after friend's betrayal ]]>A DISABLED pensioner has spoken of the terrifying moment she and her son were threatened at knifepoint by burglars who raided their Hartcliffe flat.

Pam Cutter and Steven Martin were targeted by the masked criminals after a close family friend betrayed the family by letting the gang know the best time to commit the crime.

Four criminals have been sent to prison for more than 30 years for aggravated burglary and burglary, having already targeted Mrs Cutter's home earlier the same day while she was out.

Chantel Parker, 26, below, was jailed for four years for "instigating" and "encouraging" the burglary by letting the gang know when to strike.

Last month, Tony Lloyd was jailed for seven years and four months, Jordan Massey and Scott Sheehan were both jailed for six years, eight months.

Talking to the Evening Post at her flat in Willow House, Mrs Cutter, who suffers from osteoporosis and epilepsy, said: "I treated Chantel like a daugh... ]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 04:33:14 GMT<![CDATA[ Elderly being exploited by their own families who charge them for picking up their pension or doing the weekly shop ]]>Vulnerable elderly people are being ripped off and abused by their own families who 'exploit' them to make cash, experts revealed today.

Research shows that some people are charging their frail parents £10-a-time just to collect their pensions for them.

In other cases, relatives charge those too frail and elderly to leave their house to do their weekly shopping, experts warned.

The shocking revelations were discovered during an annual review of abuse of the elderly during a meeting of Plymouth City Council safeguarding adult’s overview and scrutiny committee last week.

The committee also heard that complaints about the treatment of vulnerable adults in the city jumped from 568 in 2009/10 to 711 in the 12 months to March... ]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 19:49:48 GMT<![CDATA[ Bullied David Askew unlawfully killed after 'years of torment' ]]>A bullied man with learning disabilities who was subjected to 30 years of "torment" was unlawfully killed, an inquest ruled.

David Askew, 64, was found dead outside his house in Hattersley, Greater Manchester, in March 2010.

A pathologist earlier told the inquest an altercation with youths 10 minutes before he collapsed had been a factor in his death.

South Manchester coroner John Pollard ruled Mr Askew was unlawfully killed.

Mr Pollard said there was a "staggering degree of inertia and complacency" shown by police, the council and housing associations in dealing with the anti-social behaviour towards Mr Askew.

"The fact that there is 38 separate offences reported against this family within a three-year period shows the appalling way in which this element of feral youths can bring misery to a decent, vulnerable family," he said.

Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson told the coroner Mr As... ]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 19:43:51 GMT<![CDATA[ Transgender and disabled murders to incur far harsher hate-crime penalty ]]>Murderers who kill disabled or transgender people in hate crimes are to face much longer prison sentences under government proposals.

The justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, said the "starting point" for judges sentencing in disability and transgender murder cases was to double from 15 to 30 years.

The move will bring sentencing in these cases in line with murders in which race, religion or sexual orientation is an aggravating factor.

It follows the jailing in September of Leon Fyle, 23, for life for the murder of Destiny Lauren, a transgender woman who worked as a prostitute. Fyle, who was convicted after a retrial, was given a 21-year tariff.

The proposal is part of the government's first strategy to tackle transgender prejudice in England and Wales. The equalities minister, Lynne Featherstone,  said the strategy included support for transgender pupils in schools, measures to tackle discrimination in accessing public services and greater st... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 05:34:59 GMT<![CDATA[ Minister warns of 'institutionalised abuse' in learning disability homes ]]>

He also announced in the Commons that several investigations are still being carried out into alleged abuse at Winterbourne View, a private hospital featured by Panorama, with 10 former employees charged with ill-treatment and neglect and a further three on bail.

Mr Burstow said: “People with learning disabilities deserve individualised care, not institutionalised abuse. These inspections are rooting out unacceptable practice.

“These findings should serve as a wake-up call to both the NHS and local authorities. Bad care is not just the fault of providers - it is a failure by commissioners to design and buy the right services in the first place.

A number of staff at a day centre for vulnerable adults have been suspended following allegations of abuse.

The John Daniel Centre in Heamoor, Penzance, Cornwall, is used by about 85 people with learning disabilities.

Cornwall Council said it has taken immediate action following complaints, although it could not give the details of the allegations or exactly how many staff have been suspended. But sources have told the Western Morning News the number was between 10 and 15.

In a statement the council said: "We have been informed of concerns in relation to the John Daniel Centre, a day service for adults with learning disabilities in Penzance.

"We have started an investigation immediately. This means that a number of members of staff have been suspended.

"We are working to ensure that we maintain the service while the investigation takes place."

It is understood the staff were suspended on Wednesday. Parents and carers of adults who use ... ]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 06:53:37 GMT<![CDATA[ The demonisation of the disabled is a chilling sign of the times ]]>Like many people with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Greener's regressive condition fluctuates. One day, it affects his memory, the next his speech. Sometimes, he uses a wheelchair; at other times, he can haul himself around on crutches. But this only led to more abuse, with angry shouts he was faking his disabilities and exaggerating his problems to get Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:43:19 GMT<![CDATA[ More to be done to protect the vulnerable ]]>Speaking at the third meeting of the Voice UK all-party parliamentary group, chaired by Labour's Ian Mearns MP, journalist Katharine Quarmby told distressing tales of disability hate crime.

Christine Lakinski, a disabled woman from Hartlepool, was beaten and then urinated on by her attackers as they left her to die.

In Sunderland, Brent Martin was kicked to death for a £5 bet.

And Michael Gilbert, who was affectionately known as the "big friendly giant", was "tortured, robbed and finally killed by a family who he considered to be as dear to him as his own, if not dearer."

Such cases form the basis of Quarmby's research which is included in her book, 'The Scapegoat: Why We Are Failing Disabled People'.

She drew attention to so-called 'mate' crimes, where attackers befriend disabled people only to later torture or murder them.

Quarmby's research found that the motivation of such offenders is shaped by "the fears and prejudices that... ]]>Sun, 06 May 2012 12:20:40 GMT<![CDATA[ Teenagers locked up for terrifying attack in Shildon ]]>
                          

Yesterday, Josh Stobbs and Daman Roberts, both 17, were given eight-year detention orders after a judge told them he believed they enjoyed their activities, some of which they filmed on a camera phone.

Durham Crown Court heard that their victim, who is registered as having mild learning difficulties, as well as some physical disabilities, is now frightened of being at home alone and wants to move from the proper... ]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 17:23:11 GMT<![CDATA[ Home care often fails to meet older people’s basic rights, says inquiry ]]>The Commission's inquitey into the home care system in England reveals disturbing evidence that the poor treatment of many older people is breaching their human rights and too many are struggling to voice their concerns about their care or be listened to about what kind of support they want.

The final report of the Commission’s inquiry, 'Close to home: older people and human rights in home care', says hundreds of thousands [1] of older people lack protection under the Human Rights Act and calls for this legal loophole to be closed. It questions commissioning practices that focus on a rigid list of tasks, rather than what older people actually want, and that give more weight to cost than to an acceptable quality of care.

Around half of the older people, friends and family members who gave evidence to the inquiry expressed real satisfaction with their home care. They most valued having a small number of familiar and reliable staff who took the time to talk t... ]]>Tue, 01 May 2012 23:45:47 GMT<![CDATA[ When roles are reversed ]]>For almost 50 years Audrey Roffey cared for her son, Andrew, who was born with learning difficulties. Now, the roles have been reversed as Audrey, 81, has lost nearly all her sight and is crippled with arthritis in her hands and knees.

Whereas in the past Audrey would cook for her son and carry out the household chores, today it is 50-year-old Andrew who makes cups of the tea, cooks hot meals and even helps his mum in and out of the bath.

The remarkable turnaround has been made possible thanks to a trailblazing project aimed at supporting the needs of ageing parents and their disabled children, enabling them to continue to live independently in their own home.

The Mutual Carers project was set up nine years ago and is run by Bromley Mencap. It offers cookery classes, respite breaks, emergency planning, benefits assessments and help at medical appointments to elderly carers who have sons and daughters with a learning ­disability and who have themselves bec... ]]>Tue, 08 May 2012 23:40:28 GMT<![CDATA[ Is this possible?" ]]>
For those who say that those most in need must have legal help to support them when they have a serious legal problem, I agree. For those who say that people must have legal help for whatever they want, whenever they want, I cannot agree. Access to justice is not the same as state-funded access to legal representation at court. We must do more to encourage people to use alternative, less adversarial means of resolving their problems." Lord McNally, opening the debate for the government

 "The bill proposes that legal aid should be provided for some alleged victims of abuse in private divorce and children proceedings, but not for the alleged perpetrator. This will almost certainly result in those al... ]]>Thu, 03 May 2012 13:02:28 GMT<![CDATA[ Man with Down's Syndrome ignored after he was detained in hospital and locked up before he died ]]>

A joint inquiry by the Health Service and Local Government Ombudsmen found he was kept in hospital unnecessarily for months and then moved into inappropriate locked accommodation afterwards.

The investigation was launched after a complaint by the brother of Mr J, who had been an active, outgoing and sociable man, living independently in rented accommodation with his wife.

The inquiry found he had day-to-day support from Newcastle City Council, and his family, to whom he was close, supported his wish to be as independent as possible.

But when health professionals became concerned about a significant deterioration in his skills and health, Mr J was admitted to... ]]>Tue, 08 May 2012 01:13:07 GMT<![CDATA[ VOICE UK ALL PARTY PARLIAMENTARY MEETING ]]>Our society is poisoned by discrimination and prejudice against disabled people. Police crime statistics show that the number of disability hate crimes recorded increased by more than 20 per cent in 2010, to 1569, although that is probably a tiny fraction of the real number that occurred. A recent report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission found that ‘many disabled people regard harassment as inevitable’.

In a recently published and acclaimed book, Scapegoat,  Katharine Quarmby asks what can be done to prevent hate crime ... ]]>Mon, 07 May 2012 18:45:44 GMT<![CDATA[ MP urges action to tackle disability hate crime ]]>Kate Green MP says there needs to be clear leadership to send a message that disability hate crime is taken seriously, that all necessary steps will be taken to prevent it, and to tackle it when it occurs.

"Treated as a punchbag... a savage attack, cruel, brutal and vicious, and on a very vulnerable man."

"I was getting National Front, swastikas... as graffiti on my property."

"...they’d done it for a laugh."

Disability hate crime – crime committed against a disabled person that is motivated or aggravated by his or her disability – is one of the nastiest forms of crime. The quotes above – the first from a trial judge, the others from two disabled people – are reported by writer Katharine Quarmby in her book ‘Scapegoat: Why we are failing disabled people’, published by Portobello Books earlier this year. They starkly reveal both the viciousness and the casualness of such harassment and attacks... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 19:01:46 GMT<![CDATA[ Family of Gary Skelly campaign to change hate crime law ]]>The family of a disabled man who died after being punched in Liverpool are calling for a change in the law.

Gary Skelly, 53, died after being punched once in Scargreen Avenue, Norris Green, on 14 September 2010.

His family want violent incidents against people who, like Mr Skelly, have learning difficulties, to be recorded as hate crimes.

They are travelling to London from Liverpool to meet Paul Maynard, Blackpool North and Cleveleys MP.

They hope the Conservative MP, who is a leading campaigner on hate crime issues, will be able to help their campaign.

Mr Skelly was attacked after he asked for a cigarette.

James Lee, of no fixed address, was found guilty of his manslaughter and was jailed for seven years in March.

Mr Skelly's mother, Agnes Skelly, told BBC Inside Out that he had been tormented by youths near his home for years before he was attacked.

She said: "Th... ]]>Wed, 02 May 2012 20:01:32 GMT<![CDATA[ Financial Inclusion Awareness training sessions ]]>The Financial Inclusion Derbyshire Partnership has been working over the last couple of years to address issues of financial exclusion in the county including: access to affordable credit, banking and savings; debt and income maximisation advice; financial capability/education.

 The FID partnership is made up of representatives from all sectors in the county: statutory, voluntary and private

The conferences will partly celebrate what has been achieved to date but will mainly provide an opportunity to identify key financial exclusion needs/ issues in the Derbyshire, for 2012 onwards, and plan future priorities.  This will lead to a new financial inclusion strategy.

Please click below for a booking form for High Peak

Invite_Buxtonfinanceinclusion.docx

Please click below for information and ... ]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 20:12:59 GMT<![CDATA[ NHS watchdog faces investigation as concerns mount over patient care ]]>The watchdog responsible for overseeing NHS hospitals and care homes is being urgently investigated by the Department of Health over a series of alleged failures that could have risked patient care.

DoH officials and NHS bosses have acted after mounting concerns about the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the Guardian can reveal.

The CQC's chief executive, Cynthia Bower, spent last Thursday morning being questioned by Una O'Brien, the health department's permanent secretary, before a team of Whitehall officials descended on the watchdog's headquarters in the City that afternoon.

The inquiry coincides with investigations by the National Audit Office and the Commons public accounts committee.

In September the prime minister endorsed a damning report by the health select committee on the CQC, which accused the regulator of neglecting its core duty of scrutinising patient care in favour of bureaucratic "registration" of care providers. Within the NHS many ha... ]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 04:08:44 GMT<![CDATA[ Tom Clayton ]]>Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:03:41 GMT<![CDATA[ DISABILITY EQUALITY TRAINING SESSIONS 2012 ]]>
26 January 2012                10.00 am to 3.30 pm
28 February 2012              10.00 am to 3.30 pm
29 March 2012                   10.00 am to 3.30 pm

LOCATION:

VOICE UK
RTC Business Park
London Road
DERBY
DE24 8UP

If you are interested in joining one of our training sessions, please fill in the booking form below.  If you would like to find out more details, please call Lesley Brewer, Senior Project Manager, on 01332 291042 or email lesley@voiceuk.org.uk

Please click on the link below for the booking form

trainingbookingform2012... ]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 18:09:15 GMT<![CDATA[ Gemma Hayter case review finds chances were missed to protect her ]]>Care workers and other agencies missed a number of chances to intervene in the case of a vulnerable young disabled woman who was beaten and killed by a group of people she considered close friends, a serious case review has concluded.

While the report found no evidence that 27-year-old Gemma Hayter's murder could have been predicted, an overall lack of thoroughness and information-sharing led to "a number of missed opportunities" to find out what was happening more generally in her life and the company she was keeping.

The verdict of the review, set up by Warwickshire county council, mirrors that of recent investigations into the deaths of vulnerable people who endured crimes motivated by their disability. In 2009 an inquest severely criticised police and social services for failing to properly investigate the circumstances of Fiona Pilkington, who killed herself and her severely disabled daughter, Francecca, in a burning car after the family suffered years of abuse ... ]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 00:21:56 GMT<![CDATA[ Get Involved ]]>VOICE UK is always looking for volunteers.

If you are interested in helping to promote justice, please contact us:

 ]]>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:35:02 GMT<![CDATA[ About Us ]]>VOICE UK is a national charity supporting people with learning disabilities and other vulnerable people who have experienced crime or abuse.

We also support their families, carers and professional workers.

]]>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:33:02 GMT<![CDATA[ Care victory for disabled people ]]>Home / News / Care victory for disabled people
News

Care victory for disabled people

By Emily Pearce - Friday, November 11, 2011

IN WHAT has been proclaimed a 'landmark victory for disabled victims,' the Isle of Wight Council's cuts to social care services were today ... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 19:23:34 GMT<![CDATA[ Charities demand inquiry into couple driven to commit suicide by poverty ]]>

Learning disabilities charity Mencap described the plight of Mark and Helen Mullins – revealed in Metro – as ‘a tragic case’ which needed an independent inquiry.

And forces’ campaigners called for a pilot scheme for struggling veterans to be expanded nationwide.

The government’s new ‘community covenant’ includes guidance for local authority workers to ask applicants whether they are ex-military. So far, five areas are carrying out trials but the Soldiers’ Charity wants to see it rolled out across the country.

The couple, both 48, were found dead at their council house in Bedworth, near Coventry, last Friday.

Friends say the couple – whose 12-year-old daughter had already been taken away &ndash... ]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 03:19:50 GMT<![CDATA[ Witness Intermediary Scheme professional development seminar 28 and 29 November 2011 ]]>
Kathryn Stone OBE is to chair the National Police Improvement Agency Specialist Operations Centre and MoJ Vulnerable and Intimidated Witnesses Section Professional Development Seminar.  To be held at the National Police Improvement Agency, Ryton, 28 and 29 November 2011.The EAJ team went to the Multiple Sclerosis Society to listen to presentations organised by the ‘Derby Nero Rehab Team’ by Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, Derby Hospital, Specialist nurses, Mencap and Headway. We learnt about ‘changing places’ a scheme set up by Mencap, the importance of them and how we need more around Derby. Changing places is a unique toilet that is accessible for everyone and anyone with a disability particularly people with profound and multiple disabilities.

We all decided that we need to work together, advertise each other more and pass relevant information on to the right people. The EAJ team handed out leaflets about Voice UK for other people to keep. All in all a very informative and interesting day.

 

8th November

The EAJ team went to an External Disability Reference Group were we discuss things we would like the police to do to help people with disabilities. It is a nice small group mad... ]]>Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:18:51 GMT<![CDATA[ Boyfriends, Uggs and vodka: One mother's strikingly candid account of seeing a Down Syndrome child grow up ]]>When, inevitably, a child flies the nest there is both joy and a huge sense of loss. Mothers, particularly, never stop worrying about their children, however old they may be.

And so it was when, two years ago, Jenny Brodie, then 23, walked purposefully down the front path away from her family home in West Byfleet, Surrey, to start a new life.

There were tears as her mother Rosemary Squire waved her farewell with trepidation. So far, so ordinary.

Yet in Jenny’s case there was far more for her family to be concerned about as Jenny has Down’s syndrome (DS) and will never be totally independent.

She was on her way to Mallow Crescent, a ‘halfway house’ for those with learning difficulties a few miles away which her mother hopes will prepa... ]]>Sat, 12 May 2012 13:58:20 GMT<![CDATA[ Call to improve disabled treatment ]]>Campaigners have called for the Health Secretary to be placed under a duty to improve the quality of NHS services for disabled people.

Independent crossbencher Lord Rix said people with learning disabilities already faced "worse health outcomes than the rest of the general population".

Lord Rix, president of the disability campaign group Mencap, said a new duty on the health secretary could help bring about improvements in care.

Many parents, he said, had approached Mencap to recount tales of "indifference, prejudice and ignorance" displayed to people with learning disabilities when being treated by the NHS.

His comments came on the third day of the marathon committee stage debate in the Lords on the controversial Health and Social Care Bill.

Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Newton of Braintree backed the "general thrust" of amendments tabled by Lord Rix and others to the Bill.

Health Minister Earl Howe said the Government was committ... ]]>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:24:37 GMT<![CDATA[ MORE SUPPORT FOR DISABLED VICTIMS ]]>Hate crimes against disabled victims will be treated with the same severity by the courts as racially-motivated attacks, the Lord Chancellor Ken Clarke has promised.

Hate crimes against disabled victims will be treated with the same severity by the courts as racially-motivated attacks, the Lord Chancellor Ken Clarke has promised.

The Justice Secretary told Labour MP Kate Green that the Government would table amendments to its Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill in the House of Lords to offer disabled victims of crime the same protection as those targeted because of their race, religion or sexual orientation.

Ms Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, said the law needed to be changed so that disabled victims were not "seen as vulnerable" but at "greater risk of harm".

Tory M... ]]>Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:33:57 GMT<![CDATA[ Elderly patients dying of thirst: Doctors forced to prescribe drinking water to keep the old alive, reveals devastating report on hospital care ]]>Doctors are prescribing drinking water for neglected elderly patients to stop them dying of thirst in hospital.

The measure – to remind nurses of the most basic necessity – is revealed in a damning report on pensioner care in NHS wards.

Some trusts are neglecting the elderly on such a fundamental level their wards could face closure orders.

The snapshot study, triggered by a Mail campaign, found staff routinely ignored patients’ calls for help and forgot to check that they had had enough to eat and drink.

Dehydration contributes to the death of more than 800 hospital patients every year.

Another 300 die malnourished. The latest report – by the Care Quality Commission – found patients frequently complained they were spoken to in a ‘condescending and dismissive’ manner.

The watchdog said three of 12 NHS trusts visited in the past three months were failing to meet the most basic standards required... ]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 23:25:06 GMT<![CDATA[ Two thousand people attend hate crime vigil in Trafalgar Square ]]>
The event was organised by 17-24-30 in partnership with the Harvey Milk Foundation and came just days after Stuart Walker was found dead in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Sister vigils also took place around the country, with Brighton, Kettering, Leicester, Norfolk, Norwich, Plymouth, Sussex, Suffolk, and Stoke all hosting ceremonies.

Even the people in the 'Occupy the Stock Exchange' protest held a vigil outside St Pauls to show their support.

Mark Healey, organiser of the event said: “We had a good turnout again this year, although I did expect more people following three high profile attacks in central London. The attack on Philip Salon that left him hospitalised for several weeks, the attack on the barman from Half-way 2 Heaven, and the brutal gang attack on the gay couple holding hands on Charing Cross Road.”

“Ho... ]]>Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:23:17 GMT<![CDATA[ Special Measures Professional Training and Development Seminar ]]>NPIA Specialist Operations Centre and MoJ Vulnerable and Intimidated Witnesses Section Click here for a link to E Politix for a summary of our last All Party Parliamentary Group meeting held on 13 October 2011. ]]>Sat, 12 May 2012 15:37:44 GMT<![CDATA[ One in seven care homes is failing to give elderly enough food and water ]]>Vulnerable patients left malnourished and dehydrated by staff

  • Underweight patient prescribed a high-calorie diet was eating just two pieces of toast in a day
  • Patients Association says care homes with major concerns should be shut down

    • One in seven nursing homes is breaking the law by failing to give elderly residents enough to eat and drink, a study has found.

    Inspectors found vulnerable patients left malnourished and dehydrated by staff who did not ensure regular meals and water.

    The disturbing figures come from an analysis by the watchdog the Care Quality Commission, which last week reve... ]]>Sun, 13 May 2012 08:06:34 GMT<![CDATA[ Manchester cuts: Millions slashed from adults budget ]]>Millions of pounds of council funding which helps some of Manchester's most vulnerable people is set to be cut.

    Councillors will consider savings, described as "difficult decisions", which will affect services from help for battered wives to meals-on-wheels.

    Nearly 60 voluntary groups will lose all or part of their grants as the council seeks to cut £2m from the sector.

    Support for adults could be reduced by £8m over two years.

    Liz Bruce, the council's strategic director for adults, said the reduction of funding for 59 voluntary groups was just under 17% of the council's budget for these groups and would see funds targeted at the most vulnerable people.

    Twenty-two of these groups will lose their council funding completely including several carers' support groups and some organisations which give advice to people with mental illnesses.

    More than half of the proposed £8m reduc... ]]>Tue, 08 May 2012 22:27:24 GMT<![CDATA[ Learning disabled actors to star in TV's Shameless ]]>Six West Yorkshire actors with learning disabilities are to appear in hit TV comedy Shameless.

    The actors were invited to take part by series producer Lawrence Till after he saw their work for Huddersfield theatre company Full Body and the Voice.

    Mr Till said he was impressed by the "completely fantastic" work done by the company at the Lawrence Batley Theatre.

    The six actors will appear in an episode of the show to be broadcast later in October.

    Mr Till said it was still "quite unusual" to see a larger group of people with learning disabilities represented on TV.

    "If producers were given the opportunity and had the time to spend with actors with learning disabilities and understood their wants and needs then it's a simple, straightforward task," he said.

    Actor Joe Sproulle, 24, who has Down's syndrome, said his role in Shameless had inspired him to do "even more" work on TV and i... ]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 02:08:50 GMT<![CDATA[ Help for disabled victims of hate crime in Blackpool ]]>A new scheme to encourage disabled victims of hate crime to come forward is being piloted in Blackpool.

    Disability First is running the scheme, which allows disabled people to report hate crimes through them rather than a police station.

    Chief Executive of the project Denise Baker urged victims of physical and/or mental abuse because of their disability not to suffer in silence.

    "Don't put up with it, the only way we can change is if we know about it

    Ms Baker said: "In my experience a lot of disabled people just accept abuse but you shouldn't have to. If something happens then report it."

    Under the scheme, which is funded by the Ministry of Justice, victims can report incidents at the resort's Centre for Independent Living which is run by Disability First, a registered charity.


    "People are often frightened of repercussions or think that they won't be taken seriously and it takes a lot of courage t... ]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 11:57:50 GMT<![CDATA[ Teesside carers disciplined for patient abuse ]]>EIGHT council carers have been sacked or disciplined for abusing vulnerable patients on Teesside over the past five years, the Gazette can reveal.

    The action took place following incidents at council-run care homes in Middlesbrough, Stockton, and Redcar and Cleveland.

    The incidents involve physical abuse, verbal abuse and financial abuse of elderly people and those with learning disabilities.

    Middlesbrough Council has disciplined a total of four staff for abusing or taking advantage of patients.

    The authority could only provide figures for the last three years, but during that period one carer was disciplined while three were sacked.

    One was dismissed for emotional and verbal abuse of a patient with learning disabilities. Concerns were raised by other members of staff, who reported the carer to management.

    Another was disciplined for using a “derogatory remark” about a service user.

    A Dunblane care home run by a company at the centre of abuse allegations is facing closure by the care regulator.

    Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the Care Inspectorate was "seeking the deregistration" of Ranaich House, which is owned by Castlebeck Care.

    There were "continuing concerns about the quality of care" at the home, Ms Sturgeon said.

    Castlebeck, which has shut three care homes since a BBC probe into the firm, said it had appealed the decision.

    The BBC One Panorama programme filmed the abuse of residents in another of the company's homes.

    Ranaich House, on Gibson Grove in Dunblane, has 13 bedrooms and is a "rehabilitation service" for people with "learning disability, challenging behaviour and complex needs", according to the Castlebeck Care website.

    It is understood that the Care Inspectorate is actively trying to re-house residents before deregistering the home, which will forc... ]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 03:55:29 GMT<![CDATA[ Patient's care at Swansea's Morriston Hospital 'abject' ]]>A patient with severe learning difficulties who died in hospital may have survived if he had received better care, a watchdog has found.

    Paul Ridd's nursing care at Morriston Hospital in Swansea was called "abject" and "dire" by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

    Mr Ridd, 53, died of respiratory issues after transfer from intensive care.

    His family welcomed the report. Managers said procedures had been improved.

    Awareness training for all doctors and nurses has been ordered at the hospital.

    The ABM University Health Board, which runs the hospital, also said it had already started implementing the recommendations made in Peter Tyndall's report.

    Mr Ridd, from Baglan near Neath, had severe learning difficulties as a result of brain damage at birth.

    It greatly concerns me that the dire level of nursing care to which [Mr... ]]>Mon, 07 May 2012 20:19:12 GMT<![CDATA[ So who is to blame? Police officers cleared of failing mother and daughter hounded to death by yobs ]]>No police officer will face disciplinary action over the death of Fiona Pilkington who killed herself and her disabled daughter after a decade of unchecked abuse by yobs.

    Yesterday four officers accused of failing to stop the misery inflicted upon the family – who made dozens of 999 calls – were cleared of misconduct.

    The inspector, a sergeant and two constables were said in a report


    But Leicestershire Police said internal hearings this week had concluded that the case against the unnamed four was ‘not proven’.

    It means no individual officer has faced any disciplinary sanction over the case.

    A spokesman for the force blamed ‘systems and processes’ for the failure to res... ]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 20:54:47 GMT<![CDATA[ SUPPORT VOICE UK - TAKE PART IN OUR FUNDRAISING EVENT ]]>MEN ONLY - LEG WAXING EVENT

    Support VOICE UK and obtain sponsorship for us and in return have smooth, silky legs for at least two weeks!

    Click here for sponsorship forms

    sponsorship_&_Gift_aid_form.docx

    sponsorship_form.docx

    ]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 02:26:39 GMT<![CDATA[ Stevenage teen locked up for hate crime ]]>A TEENAGER who targeted a disabled man in the street has been locked up.

     

    Bradley Jarvis threw a can of lager at the man on a mobility scooter outside Marymead shops in Stevenage.

    The 19-year-old then chased the man as he tried to get away, kicked his scooter and attempted to strike him with a brick, narrowly missing the victim. He also verbally abused the man using disability-related insults.

    Jarvis, of Broadwater Crescent, Stevenage was sentenced to a total 18 months in a young offenders’ institute after being found guilty of a disability hate crime and other offences at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday.

    Investigating officer PC Paul Batterbee said: “Bradley Jarvis’s behaviour on that day was totally unacceptable and unprovoked as he mindlessly targeted a vulnerable man on a mobility scooter who meant him no harm.

    “I am extremely pleased with the outcome of the sentencing and I sincerely hope that this re... ]]>Thu, 17 May 2012 01:27:44 GMT<![CDATA[ Travellers accused of enslaving four men in 'squalid camp' appear before court ]]>Four members of an Irish traveller clan appeared in court yesterday charged with keeping vulnerable men as slaves for up to 20 years.

    Brothers Jimmy, Tommy and Patrick Connors and brother-in-law James Connors were formally accused of torturing, beating, punching and humiliating four homeless men at their caravan site home in Bedfordshire and making them carry out hard labour, 'in the place of industrial machines', for no pay.

    Luton magistrates were told the men were forced to live in cramped conditions with little food or heating and required to work digging roads, laying tarmac and paving for six days a week for no pay.

    When they were not working for money the slavery victims were forced to clean the Connors’ homes.

    The men were arrested following a dawn polic... ]]>Thu, 17 May 2012 05:17:01 GMT<![CDATA[ Three people are jailed for life for the "vile" murder of a disabled woman ]]>As three people are jailed for life for the "vile" murder of a disabled woman, a report suggests there are many more similar cases of abuse against people with disabilities that are never reported.


    The judge in the case said it was a "chronicle of heartlessness".

    The victim, 27-year old Gemma Hayter, was murdered last year after being tortured. She was disabled and had learning difficulties and the group sentenced today forced her to drink urine, hit her with a mop and beat her in her flat, before taking her to a disused railway line in Rugby where she was stripped, beaten, and had a plastic bag placed over her head.

    Ms Hayter's body was later found on the disused railway line.

    Chantelle Booth, 22, received a minimum 21 year sentence with Daniel Newstead, 20, jailed... ]]>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:26:25 GMT<![CDATA[ Travellers who kept and starved slaves rescued one who was on brink of committing suicide from a bridge ]]>Travellers who kept and starved slaves rescued one who was on brink of committing suicide from a bridge

    • Vulnerable victims lured from soup kitchens, benefit offices and hostels
    • Slaves kept in filthy kennels and horse-boxes - one held for 15 years
    • Five people from the travellers' site arrested

    Two dozen modern day slaves held in appalling conditions were rescued when police raided a travellers' camp yesterday.

    About 200 officers stormed the site where the men were being kept in filthy caravans, dog kennels and horseboxes.

    Some were starving. The v... ]]>Wed, 02 May 2012 09:39:57 GMT<![CDATA[ Many disabled people see harassment as inevitable, says equality watchdog ]]>Report into attacks against people with physical and mental disabilities says public bodies are in denial about level of abuse

    People with disabilities in the UK face harassment, insult and attack almost as a matter of routine, while a "collective denial" among police, government and other public bodies means little is done to challenge the situation, the government's human rights watchdog has concluded following a major investigation.

    The report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) the most detailed study yet into abuse faced by disabled people, found that while some particularly serious offences attracted national attention, these are "the tip of the iceberg", and that for many, low-level criminality or worse are so endemic that many consider them inevitable.

    Too often, the report found, victims see their complaints doubted, or they are advised to change their o... ]]>Tue, 08 May 2012 04:26:41 GMT<![CDATA[ ACPO publishes hate crime data for 2010 ]]>The police service recorded 48,127 hate crimes between January and December 2010, which compares to 51,920 crimes in 2009.

    ACPO has published hate crime data today for the period of 1st January to 31st December 2010, for the five monitored forms of hate crime classifications used by the criminal justice system.

    In 2010, the police recorded 48,127 crimes where the victim, or any other person, perceived the criminal offence to be motivated by hostility based on a person’s race, religious belief, sexual orientation, disability or where the victim was perceived to be transgender. This compares with 51,920 crimes in 2009.

    ACPO lead on equality, diversity and human rights, Chief Constable Stephen Otter, said:

    “Hate crimes cause a great deal of fear among victims and communities. We are determined to red... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 13:55:29 GMT<![CDATA[ The removal of concessionary coach travel for disabled people and the elderly is yet another blow to our independence ]]>Last year in the spending review, the government added an extra cut that wasn't noticed among the big announcements. From October, disabled people and pensioners will no longer receive half-price concessionary coach fares, saving the government around £20m.

     

    Coach company National Express had 3 milllion passengers using the scheme last year alone: the disabled and elderly who are unable to drive, or who cannot afford expensive train fares. These passengers benefit from concessionary fares for travelling long-distance routes to visit friends and family, and for some the affordability of the fares will be their only way to have holidays and days out within the UK. During the 2010 election campaign, Conservative MPs pledged they would not take away bus passes and travel concessions from disabled and old people, insisting that Labour was claiming this as a scare tactic; yet this is another pledge broken in the commitment to looking after the most vulnerable. ... ]]>Tue, 08 May 2012 20:06:13 GMT<![CDATA[ Bus passenger attacked woman in 'baby buggy rage' ]]>

    Wayne McCatty, 34, of Stroud Crescent, Putney tried to force a buggy carrying a small child into the tiny space and admits punching the couple as the row escalated. No passengers intervened and they stepped over the prone victim as they got off the bus for another service.

    "I told him I could not move either way," Mrs Whiting-Willet - who has auto-immune disease lupus - told Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court. "He said aggressively: 'You are going to have to ******* move'.

    "He said: 'If you weren't so ******* fat you'd be able to move you fat ugly bitch.'

    "I pleaded with him to stop because my daughter was crying and he said: 'What are you going to do? Eat me or som... ]]>Sun, 13 May 2012 19:41:21 GMT<![CDATA[ Figures show seven hate crimes a day being committed across Wales ]]>

    AN AVERAGE of seven hate crimes are committed across Wales every day, new figures have revealed.

    Since 2005, Welsh police forces have recorded nearly 13,000 incidents which were perceived by the victim to be motivated by prejudice or hate.

    More than 80% of the alleged offences took place in South Wales with Wales’ largest police force recording 8,177 racially-related incidents and 1,545 offences thought to be triggered by homophobic prejudices.

    The data, which was released under the Freedom of Information Act, reveals a marked variation between the locations where hate crimes have been committed, with just 98 incidents recorded in the Dyfed-Powys force area compared to 2,165 in North Wales and 10,723 in South Wales. Figures from Gwent Police were yesterday unavailable.

    ... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 05:11:11 GMT<![CDATA[ Black Roses Debate ]]>

    Black Roses Debate

    Synopsis

    Matthew Taylor chairs an audience debate on the issues raised by today's Radio 4 drama 'Black Roses' about the murder, four years ago, of 20-year-old 'goth' Sophie Lancaster. How should 'hate crime' be defined - and what can we do to stop it? The panel includes Sophie's mother, Mrs Sylvia Lancaster, and will involve members of the invited studio audience.

    Was the killing of Sophie an exceptional crime or was it typical of a wider problem of unprovoked attacks on strangers?

    If 'hate crimes'- ranging from verbal abuse to murder - are commonplace, is the situation worse ... ]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 20:07:29 GMT<![CDATA[ Ofsted calls for post‑16 learning disability education review ]]>The government is being called upon to review the education provision available to young people with learning difficulties and disabilities after inspectors found that too few progress from school to undertake further study.

    An Ofsted report published today found that the learning opportunities beyond school for these young people varies considerably across the country, with insufficient provision available for learners with the highest level of need.

    Ofsted visited 32 colleges, independent learning providers and local authority providers of adult and community learning in England to assess the arrangements for transition from school and the opportunities offered up to the age of 25.

    The inspectors found that the criteria used by local authorities for course placement decisions was not always clear, with recommendations not always b... ]]>Tue, 15 May 2012 19:03:07 GMT<![CDATA[ Judge spares mother jail after she plotted attack on internet 'troll' who posted horrific comments about disabled daughter ]]>A mother who joined a revenge attack on a man responsible for a vile campaign of internet abuse against her disabled daughter has been spared prison.

    Sylvia Hooper, 52, was described as a ‘decent and law-abiding’ woman who dedicated her life to her seriously ill daughter Kim Arnold.

    But she snapped after looking on helplessly as a cowardly bully sent her a series of appalling comments via Facebook.

    She faced a jail sentence after identifying Christopher Berwick and confronting him outside his home in Chatham, Kent.

    But a judge – who labelled the messages ‘disgraceful and shameful’ – took pity on Mrs Hooper after hearing they were part of a long-term campaign.

    The case is the latest evi... ]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 10:00:14 GMT<![CDATA[ Yobs’ stones attack leaves disabled Samantha in fear ]]>Samantha Rogers, 43, was subjected to a hail of stones and horrid verbal abuse by a children as young as eight when she made her way home in her electric wheelchair through Rectory Road playing field in Sittingbourne.

    The mum-of-one, who has had to use a wheelchair since giving birth to her son 15 years ago, had been helping a friend move in to a new home.

    On her journey home, she came across the group of about five youths aged from eight to 13 who started shouting abuse at her.

    They hurled insults including calling terrified Samantha a “fat slag” and a “beached whale”.

    Although frightened, Samantha, of Bluebell Drive, Sittingbourne, said she just wanted to get home, so she carried on going through the park.

    The yobs then began throwing big stones at her, three of which hit her head, leaving her with significant swelling an... ]]>Tue, 08 May 2012 03:43:57 GMT<![CDATA[ Volunteering Sector/Private Sector ]]>Whether your business is in the voluntary or private sector, VOICE UK can provide the learning experience to fit your needs.

    Courses and workshops can be designed to cover the subject of Disability Hate Crime.  Courses also include Disability Awareness, Adult Protection, Keeping Safe at Home and the Workplace, Call Handling and drama workshops.

    For more information about our other training courses or to discuss this training course in more detail please contact VOICE UK on 01332 291042 or email lesley@voiceuk.org.uk

    ]]>Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:32:15 GMT<![CDATA[ Local Authorities/Social Services/Health Services and Residential Care Services ]]>VOICE UK can provide courses and workshops to your employees to give them a greater understanding of the problems in society of hate crime and in particular Disability Hate Crime.

    VOICE UK can also work with your staff to give them a greater understanding of local run initiatives in particular Safer Places.  VOICE UK recently worked with Derby City Council carers when a Safer Places scheme was launched in the city centre.

    Testimonials:

    Nicole, Local Authority Carer - 'I felt the DVD about Ben was very powerful and hit home.  It left me with a new insight into atrocities experienced by people with disabilities.'

    Ivan, local authority carer - 'This has given me more confidence'

    Tony, local authority carer - 'the session was excellent.  The facilitator was very passionate about the subject.'




    For more informa... ]]>    Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:32:50 GMT    <![CDATA[ Education and Schools ]]>EDUCATION AND SCHOOLS

    VOICE UK can provide courses and workshops to colleges and schools to give students a greater understanding of the problems in society of hate crime and in particular Disability Hate Crime, Keeping Safe and Bullying.

    The courses can be tailored to your education establishment's requirements, fitting into the national curriculum.  We have already worked with schools in Derbyshire helping with talks on diversity issues and disability hate crime so that students have a better understanding of a national problem.

    For more information about our other training courses or to discuss these training courses in more detail, please contact VOICE UK on 01332 291042 or email lesley@voiceuk.org.uk

    ]]>    Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:31:47 GMT    <![CDATA[ Police ]]>POLICE TRAINING

    VOICE UK has provided courses in disability hate crime, Achieving Best Evidence and tailored courses to police forces throughout the country.  These courses can be provided to senior management and the local police stations, including safer neighbourhood teams, community support officers and special constables.

    Our courses include recent and relevant legislation and inquiry recommendations to ensure that your service reaches the highest standards attainable with regards to Disability Hate Crime.


    The following police forces have already made use of the courses provided by VOICE UK:

    Bedfordshire
    Derbyshire
    Greater Manchester
    Hampshire
    Hertfordshire
    Lincolnshire
    Leicestershire
    Metropolitan
    Northamptonshire

    Testimonials:

    Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:33:34 GMT    <![CDATA[ Conferences and Events, Chair of Meetings and Serious Case Reviews ]]>CONFERENCES, EVENTS, CHAIR OF MEETINGS AND SERIOUS CASE REVIEWS

    Kathryn Stone OBE C. Dir FIoD, Chief Executive, of VOICE UK, is available to speak at your conference, event on a variety of subjects especially relating to child protection, domestic violence, social issues and disability hate crime.

    Before joining VOICE UK she was Principal Inspector for Milton Keynes Council and Head of Inspection for the London Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Barking and Dagenham, responsible for the regulation of residential, nursing and day care.  She also worked as an independent inspector for eight local authorities across the UK.

    Kathryn has experience of child protection, training, counselling and supporting people with mental health needs.  She is also involved with the development of the Intermediary scheme with the Home Office.  Her particular interests in this context are violent crimes against women and children... ]]>    Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:33:45 GMT    <![CDATA[ Safe Places Scheme ]]>Safe Places Scheme

    The scheme is a nationwide project to enable people with learning disabilities to deal with any incident that takes place whilst they are out and about in the community.  Incidents could range from harassment or bullying to just needing directions.

    VOICE UK can provide training for people with learning disabilities and for professionals.

    With a recent project set up at the Westfield Centre, Derby, VOICE UK provided training to all the security staff at the centre to enable the scheme to operate smoothly.


    Testimonials

    From security staff in Derby:


    'For me it highlighted an area that has been ignored for too long.  It saddens me that it has caused so many needless deaths.'


    'Very interesting subject, relevant to the job... ]]>    Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:48:57 GMT    <![CDATA[ Arden Vale becomes third Castlebeck care home to close ]]>A third care home run by a company at the centre of allegations of abuse against vulnerable patients is to close, it has been announced.

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said Castlebeck had agreed to close Arden Vale, in Meriden, near Coventry, by next Thursday.

    Castlebeck said it was making other arrangements for the 19 residents.

    The company owns Winterbourne View, in Bristol, where abuse was filmed by an undercover BBC Panorama journalist.

    Since the BBC One programme was broadcast, the home for people with learning disabilities has been closed by the CQC.

    And Castlebeck announced last week that it was to shut Rose Villa, also in Bristol, for "operational reasons".

    Arden Vale, which cares for people with mental health problems and learning disabilities, was the subject of legal action by the CQC after it inspected the facility in June.

    The move would ... ]]>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:26:25 GMT<![CDATA[ Wheelchair user agrees out of court settlement with Value Cabs ]]>

    A Belfast wheelchair user has agreed an out of court settlement after taking a disability discrimination case against Value Cabs.

    Nicola Nesbit alleged she was charged more than a non-disabled person for using an accessible taxi. She said the firm charged her an £8 call-out fee in addition to a fare and a half.

    Value Cabs paid Mrs Nesbit £2,000 without admission of liability.

    Mrs Nesbit, who has cerebral palsy, said she was delighted by the outcome.

    "I was outraged, as I felt that I was being treated differently because I am disabled," she said.

    "I think it is important that all disabled people are aware that it is not fair to charge a disabled person more than an able bodied person for the same journey in the same vehicle, and that is why I decided to take this to court."

    Mrs Nesbit, who usually travels by bus, needed to use taxis to travel to hospital appointments during her pregnancy.

    She all... ]]>Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:29:06 GMT<![CDATA[ 100-year-old robbed in Romford tells of terror ]]>Great-great grandmother Emily Fisher was left shaken and upset after four burly thieves snatched £200 from her bag at the Debenhams ­department store in Market Place, Romford, on Thursday of last week.

    Her daughter, Jan Hollier, is planning to lodge an official complaint with the high street chain, claiming a ­security guard refused to tackle the robbers.

    The Age UK charity ­described the attack as “appalling” and called on the ­authorities to act.

    Widow Emily, of Dagenham, said: “I was upset. I wasn’t very well, but I feel better now – I’m getting over it.”

    Emily, who turned 100 on July 28, had withdrawn the cash – intended for shopping and bills – from Halifax Bank, in Market Place, at around 2.45pm.

    Emily believes she was watched and followed from the bank by four men and a woman, before the attackers struck when she and Jan were in disabled toilets... ]]>Sun, 06 May 2012 11:19:07 GMT<![CDATA[ Fare demands for mobility ]]>

    Disabled people call for better access to city's public transport

    BEIJING - The departure station on the ticket reads "full price" and the destination "half price".

    The 1-meter-long handmade ticket was displayed in front of the Ministry of Railways by a disabled man on Wednesday to highlight the fact that Beijing lags well behind many other Chinese cities that have introduced favorable measures to make public transport accessible for disabled people.

    Compared with cities such as Shenzhen, in which people with all kinds of disabilities can use public transport for free, Beijing has a long way to go to catch up, said Ruan Luming, a middle-aged woman with a leg disability, who sued the Beijing metro company on July 26 for charging her full price.

    "It is regulated by the country's law on the protection of disabled persons, which was amended in April 2008, that I ... ]]>Tue, 08 May 2012 19:36:44 GMT<![CDATA[ Cabinet policies on disabled generating hope ]]>

    BEIRUT: Recent efforts by the new government to fulfill the rights of the country’s disabled community are being well-received by activists, as some continue to urge action on boosting the role of the National Council for the Affairs of the Disabled.

    Activists and representatives of disabled Lebanese met Thursday at the Social Economic Council in Downtown Beirut to discuss the current situation of the community and the challenges to implementing laws related to the disabled.

    Participants also debated ways to introduce legal amendments that would help solve pressing issues in the daily lives of the disabled in Lebanon.

    Speaking with The Daily Star on the sidelines of the meeting, Jahda Abu Khalil, the director general of the National Association for the Rights of Disabled People in Lebanon, said... ]]>Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:55:06 GMT<![CDATA[ Card To Help Fight Hate Crime ]]>

    12 August 2011 10:57

    A card which will make it easier for people with learning disabilities to report hate crime has been launched in Warwickshire.
    Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire Police and the Learning Disability Partnership Board, have produced the ‘I want to report a hate crime’ card to tackle crime motivated by hate, prejudice and hostility against a person with a disability.

    The county council recently surveyed more than 70 people with a learning disability and found that over 50% had been a victim of hate crime at some point during their lives. More than 90% of people said that they knew who to report a hate crime to and a third of people said that a reporting card would make it easier for people with a learning disability to report a hate crime.

    Janine Wheatley, who has a learning disability is Co-Chair of Warwickshire’s Learning Disability Partnership Board. She said: "It’s importan... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 08:49:33 GMT<![CDATA[ Woman in wheelchair stoned in Sittingbourne ]]>

    The stoning happened at around 7pm on July 29 at Rectory Road playing field in Sittingbourne - but police have only just released details.

    Officers said the woman was left with a "significant swelling" to her head as she was subjected to a hail of stones from the four to five youths, aged between eight and 13.

    Police are appealing for witnesses and and are asking anyone using the playing field to be vigilant.

    Anyone with information about the crime should contact Detective Constable Graham Sines on 01795 419339 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting crime reference CY/11947/11.

    From: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/... ]]>Sat, 05 May 2012 07:08:36 GMT<![CDATA[ Northern Rock privatisation risks bank's charity arm ]]>

    Northern Rock privatisation risks bank's charity arm

    　
    As the Northern Rock reveals losses of £68.5m, voluntary groups in the north-east of England say they will struggle financially if the bank's charity arm closes.

    The Northern Rock Foundation has given millions of pounds to charities but, with the bank due to be privatised, there are currently no guarantees a new owner would continue its funding.

    Headway Arts in Blyth, which runs groups for people with learning disabilities, warned they would be "devastated" if they lost foundation money.

    The South Tyneside homeless charity, The Key Project, said losing funding would be a "massive blow".

    In January, the foundation said it expected to receive less funding from Northern Rock but still had £38m in reserves.

    Under the new arrangement it ... ]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 18:56:31 GMT<![CDATA[ Choice Care Group service users make successful transition to supported living ]]>Choice Care Group service users make successful transition to supported living

    Date of article: 08-Aug-11

    Two service users of specialist care provider Choice Care Group recently made a successful transition to a supported living placement.

    The two service users made the transition from their residential placement at the Hazeldene care home in Reading into their own tenancy nearby, with support provided by Excel Support Services, a leading provider of supported living services to people with learning disabilities, which is now part of the Choice Care Group.

    By joining up with Excel Support Services, Choice Care Group remain committed to helping people progress through a pathway of care, no matter what their personal difficulties.

    Both of the service users have learning disabilities, autism and complex needs but have now gained more independence and responsibilities since moving to ... ]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 21:54:21 GMT<![CDATA[ Hate crimes against Britain's disabled on the rise ]]>Hate crimes against Britain's disabled on the rise

     


     Disability related hate crime has increased by 75% in the UK as campaigners blame Britain's tabloid newspapers for stirring up hatred against disabled people because of the way they vilify people on welfare.

     
      

    Charity groups in Britain say there is growing evidence that disabled people are increasingly the targets of abusive comments or aggressive behavior.
     
     
     
    British charity “Scope” says that over the last two years, disabled people have reported a 50 percent increase in verbal abuse and intimidation on London's public transport.
     
     
     
    Recently, the organization's chairwoman, Alice Maynard, who has a neuromuscular impairment and uses a wheelchair, admitted she was regularly sworn at when using the London Underground.
     
     
     
    O... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 10:03:06 GMT<![CDATA[ Carer who slapped woman, 95, around the head and laced Alzheimer's sufferer's tea with vinegar is jailed for nine months ]]>A ‘vindictive’ carer who slapped a 95-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s round the head and tormented another 86-year-old sufferer was jailed for nine months yesterday.

    Dawn Heaney, 38, attacked Doris Reddaway as she  sat in her wheelchair and forced Philip Plackett to drink tea laced with vinegar and sugar.She also made vile comments to patients in her care, calling an overweight woman ‘Moby Dick’, and another disabled patient ‘the hunchback of Notre Dame’.

    Heaney was sentenced to nine months after she was convicted of two counts of ill-treating patients at the Wymeswold Court residential care home near Loughborough, Leicestershire.

    She was suspended by the  care home, which is owned by Southern Cross, in March 2010 after concerns were raised about her behaviour.
    During her trial at Leicester Crown Court, the jury heard that Heaney called an elderly woman ‘a nasty evil witch’ and taun... ]]>    Tue, 15 May 2012 19:00:02 GMT    <![CDATA[ Police Care Card ]]>

    Police Care Card

     

    Derbyshire Constabulary have set up a new police telephone number for people who have difficulty using the phone - limited verbal communication, low levels of confidence, difficulty holding the handset for a long period etc. One of the key aims of this new initiative is to make it easier for people with learning disabilities to call the police.

    To apply for a Police Care Card for someone with learning disabilities     More than 2,000 charities are being forced to close services and sack staff as local authorities slash their funding, or in some cases completely withdraw it, according to research published on Tuesday.

    The study – based on 265 freedom-of-information responses from local councils across England and obtained by the union-backed anti-cuts campaign False Economy – reveals the scale of the impact that cuts are having on the charitable sector. Birmingham city council has cut funding to the largest number of charities, with more than 190 organisations losing out, followed by the cross-council organisation London Councils, which has cut funding to 174 groups.

    Many charities will see their funding cut by half while others will lose entire budgets. The hardest hit include children's and young-people charities, with more than 380 organisations hit. Another 150 disability, 142 elderly and more than 110 adult care charities are also affected.

    The research imm... ]]>Tue, 01 May 2012 23:45:44 GMT<![CDATA[ Girl prosecuted for disability hate crime ]]>A New Romney family has welcomed the successful prosecution of a girl who bullied their learning disabled son and brother.
     
    The 15-year-old girl made life a misery for the older boy by picking on him when he went out on his own.
     
    The 19-year-old young man has a learning disability resulting from fluid on the brain and copes with balance issues due to one leg being shorter than the other. He is able to have some independence, walking near his home and going to the local shop.
     
    But over the past few years these trips out have been ruined by the girl. Police officers have regularly attended to talk to the young man, his parents and two older brothers which resulted in the girl being warned about her behaviour.
     
    Mum Alison said: 'But the girl could not be prosecuted because it was our son's word against hers and it was felt that he would not be able to stand up to being cross-examined.'
     
    The bullying reached... ]]>    Tue, 08 May 2012 17:59:10 GMT    <![CDATA[ Care home crisis requires reform, not fire-fighting ]]>The care quality commission has finally shut down     Winterbourne View, the privately run care home at which patients with learning difficulties suffered abuse. Until a Panorama programme revealed the abuse, the regulator had been nowhere, admitting that "we did not initially take effective action". This week the commission also admitted that only half of Castlebeck's 23 other homes meet acceptable standards. The recent collapse of another care home operator, Southern Cross, with 700 homes, will see its 31,000 elderly residents transfer to new landlords. Ministers describe the process as "orderly closure".

     Britain's ex... ]]>Tue, 08 May 2012 01:56:03 GMT<![CDATA[ The disabled woman abandoned to be murdered for fun by a gang of savages who she thought were her friends ]]>Gemma Hayter loved animals. She shared her chaotic flat in a tower block with a hamster and a noisy cockatiel called Jasmine and she would talk to every dog or cat that came her way.

    But Gemma would talk to anybody who showed her the slightest attention – and it was her trusting friendliness that was ultimately to cost her her life.

    Last week, three young people were convicted of Gemma’s brutal murder on a disused railway line, an act that followed hours of abuse in a flat.

    Two others were found guilty of her manslaughter and all five were unanimously convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
    Everyone who came across Gemma, 27, in her home town of Rugby knew that she was different. She had a rare congenital disorder that caused her serious learning difficulties, and a distinctive physical appearance with a large head and crossed eyes.

    In the pre ‘care in the community’ era, it is unlikely that she would have bee... ]]>Tue, 15 May 2012 20:55:14 GMT<![CDATA[ Watchdog has 'serious concerns' over Castlebeck care ]]>A company that closed one of its private hospitals after horrifying allegations of abuse must make "root and branch improvements", a social care watchdog has said.


    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) investigated Castlebeck after an undercover reporter secretly filmed vulnerable residents with learning disabilities being pinned down, slapped, doused in cold water and repeatedly taunted and teased.


    Twelve people who worked at Winterbourne View near Bristol were arrested and are currently on police bail.


    Four other employees were suspended from Castlebeck's Rose Villa care home in Bristol amid claims of misconduct.


    Today, the CQC said it had serious concerns about four other Castlebeck services and another seven did not not fully comply with essential standards of quality and safety.


    CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower said: "We need to be clear: we have not found problems on the same scale as were found at Winterbourne... ]]>Mon, 07 May 2012 19:28:51 GMT<![CDATA[ Ofcom demands better service for disabled customers ]]>People with disabilities who rely on communication services to make phone calls are set to benefit from new measures being proposed by the communications regulator Ofcom.


    By law, communication providers must provide text relay services for phone users with hearing and/or speech impairments. The service allows users to type messages into a textphone, which are delivered by a relay assistant to the recipient. The assistant then converts their reply back to text for the user.


    Ofcom research has shown that users found the current communication services slow, with conversations sometimes failing to flow naturally. Under the current service, users have to say "go ahead" after each part of a conversation.


    The new features on the text relay service will include allowing users to interject during a conversation, instead of having to wait until the end of a message. They will also allow the service to be accessed on mainstream consumer electronics dev... ]]>Wed, 02 May 2012 10:29:01 GMT<![CDATA[ Major improvements in support for people with learning disabilities ]]> 
    Day centres and respite care provision in key locations across the county will benefit from a £7.7 million programme of work drawn up by the council’s Health and Adult Services directorate, and approved by members of the authority’s Executive yesterday (July 26).
     
    Coupled with the introduction of personal budgets to help people with learning disabilities to live independently, the programme represents a significant improvement for people with learning disabilities and their families in North Yorkshire.
     
    “This is a major investment, which demonstrates our total commitment to supporting the most vulnerable people in our society,” said County Councillor Clare Wood, Executive Member for Health and Adult Services.
     
    “Despite the extremely dif... ]]>    Wed, 09 May 2012 03:19:51 GMT    <![CDATA[ Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill ]]> 


     Session 2010-12

     

    Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill

    Memorandum submitted by Mencap (LA 43)

    Contents

    ·People with a learning disability in the criminal justice system

    ·Accessible information:

    oDuty to give reasons for and to explain effect of sentence

    oSentencing of offenders: programme requirement

    ·Employment in prisons: deductions etc from payments to prisoners

    ·Conditional Cautions: involvement of prosecutors

    ·Youth Cautions

    ·Attorney General’s References: ‘Unduly lenient’ sentencing

    ·Appendix A: Mencap’s interest in criminal justice – Raising Your Game programme delivery and Stand by me hate crime campaigning

    About Mencap

    Mencap supports the 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK and their families and carers. A lea... ]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 09:01:45 GMT<![CDATA[ Ministerial Statement on Winterbourne Hospital and Castlebeck ]]>Written Ministerial Statement

    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

    Update on Winterbourne View and Castlebeck facilities

    Monday 18 July 2011

    The Minister of State, Department of Health (Mr Paul Burstow):

    I promised to update the House about ongoing activity in relation to Winterbourne View private hospital.

    The House will wish to be aware that the Care Quality Commission (CQC)  has today published its compliance report on Winterbourne View.

    All patients have now left the premises and Winterbourne View is now closed.  CQC undertook a responsive review of Winterbourne View following the abuse uncovered by Panorama.  This review found serious concerns about the safety and quality of the service and CQC decided to take enforcement action to remove Winterbourne View from Castlebeck Care’s registration, closing the service permanently.  CQC regulatory action in relation to Winterbourne View concludes with the publication of... ]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 16:33:59 GMT<![CDATA[ Fifth of patients left in learning disability hospitals for five years ]]>Nearly one in five people in learning disability hospitals such as Winterbourne View have been there for more than five years, Community Care has found.
     
    Although these facilities are intended for short-term assessment and treatment, patients had been living in them for 23 months on average. The client group typically involves people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour or other complex needs, with places commissioned by the NHS.

    Information gathered under the Freedom of Information Act from 32 primary care trusts, covering 247 patients, showed 18% had been in hospitals for five years or more and 3% had been resident for more than 10.
     
    The longest stay was 20 years.
     

    "It's truly shocking," said shadow care services minister Emily Thornberry. "It seems that primary care trusts have found an easy route for when people are difficult to place - they are just parked somewhere because people don't want to addres... ]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 21:45:46 GMT<![CDATA[ Kathryn Stone OBE Radio Derby Interview 12 July 2011 ]]>Click here for a link to the interview on Radio Derby between Kathryn Stone OBE and Colin Bloomfield on 12 July 2011.
    ]]>    Sun, 13 May 2012 19:47:42 GMT    <![CDATA[ Rose Villa care home abuse inquiry: Staff suspended ]]>Allegations of abuse are being investigated at a home for people with learning disabilities in Bristol.

    The BBC has learnt that four members of staff have been suspended at Rose Villa, a nine-bed rehabilitation centre in the Brislington area.

    The home is run by Castlebeck, the company that also ran Winterbourne View where abuse against vulnerable adults was exposed by BBC Panorama.

    Castlebeck confirmed staff had been suspended and an inquiry was under way.

    The BBC understands that one person was suspended at Rose Villa in June following allegations made by a whistle-blower.

    In the past week, two members of staff have been suspended after inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) raised safeguarding concerns.

    Misconduct allegations
     
    It is believed a further member of staff has been suspended after allegations that a patient was mishandled.

    In a statement, the CQC said it had been reviewing all services pr... ]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 20:36:43 GMT<![CDATA[ Group of adults with learning disabilities banned from Butlins 'for intimidating families with young children' ]]>A group of people with learning disabilities were left shocked after being turned away from their summer holiday and told their presence was 'intimidating' to families with young children'. The party of 26 along with ten carers were planning a summer stay at Butlins Holiday Camp in Skegness as they have for the last 19 years. But the group from Firth Park, Sheffield, have had their trip cancelled by camp bosses.

    Butlins say the group of 26 people looked after by 10 carers has simply grown too large - and they would still be happy to take them in two batches. But the mother of one of the club members says the issue has never been raised before and that for many of them it is their only chance of a holiday.

    Christina Staniland, 86, said her 59-year-old son Gary, who has Down's Syndrome, has been on the trip for the last five years. She said at her home in Longley, Sheffield : ‘It is the highlight of his year. They all have a lovely time and he can't wait to... ]]>    Tue, 08 May 2012 22:51:38 GMT    <![CDATA[ Experts call for all learning disability hospitals to be closed ]]>A letter to the prime minister signed by 86 leading care organisations, charities and experts has called for an end to learning disability hospital units.
     
    In the wake of the abuse uncovered by Panorama at Winterbourne View, the letter warns David Cameron that reviews by the Department of Health and Care Quality Commission (CQC) will "not be enough" to protect vulnerable people.
     
    The letter demands that local commissioners are prevented from placing people in learning disabilities hospitals and anyone in one now should be moved over a two-year programme of change.
     
    “Beyond a very small number of beds integrated with other local services for short-term assessment and treatment, and a small number of others linked to forensic needs, the provision of learning disability hospitals is wrong. The model does not work and should be made unnecessary by competent local services,” the letter says.
     
    The letter is signed... ]]>    Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:50:27 GMT    <![CDATA[ Safe Places Comes to Derby ]]>
    The scheme is all about making sure that people with a learning disability in Derby are able to seek help when they are out and about in the community. Shops,restaurants and cafés that join thescheme as an official ‘Safe Place’ will display a window sticker and people will know that they can go there if they need any support.

    Read More

    LD_... ]]>Tue, 08 May 2012 00:51:39 GMT<![CDATA[ Sunderland mum hopes the impact of her son’s brutal murder will change lives ]]>THE heartbroken mum of Brent Martin hopes a book exploring hate crime against people with disabilities will help change society.


    Scapegoat, by Katharine Quarmby, looks at a number of cases of neglect and brutality towards disabled people.

    As part of the campaigning journalist’s research for the book, she interviewed Brenda Martin, whose son Brent, 23, was killed in August 2007.

    Brent, who had learning difficulties, was brutally beaten in Town End Farm by a gang of people he thought were his friends.He died three days later.

    His attackers, William Hughes, 25, Marcus Miller, 20, and Stephen Bonallie, 21, all received life sentences at Newcastle Crown Court in February 2009.

    Hughes and Miller pleaded guilty to murder. Bonallie denied the charge but was found guilty.

    Brent’s family were devastated when all three had their sentence tariffs cut at the Court of Appeal.

    Now Brent’s story has appeared in the hard... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 17:14:54 GMT<![CDATA[ Listen Louder Fundraising Campaign ]]>As part of our Listen Louder fundraising campaign, we would like 100 individuals or groups of people or organisations to give £100 each.  This will pay for one Helpline worker for one year.

    If you would like to donate, please use the easy payment option on our website or send a cheque to
    VOICE UK, Kelvin House, RTC Business Park, London Road, DERBY DE24 8UP

    ]]>    Sun, 13 May 2012 14:54:46 GMT    <![CDATA[ Listen Louder Fundraising Campaign ]]>VOICE UK are launching the LISTEN LOUDER appeal to raise vital funds needed for helping vulnerable victims to get justice.  Funding will help to support 500 people with learning disabilities to rebuild their life and gain justice.

    People with disabilities are four times more likely to be abused or a victim of crime - please LISTEN LOUDER!

    ]]>    Sat, 12 May 2012 01:41:45 GMT    <![CDATA[ March Against Mate Crime ]]>UP to 150 orange-clad people, many of them with learning disabilities, took part in a march and rally in Barnstaple on Friday to draw attention to Hate and Mate Crime.

    The rally, part of Learning Disability Week, highlighted to the public just how much abuse some vulnerable people experience.

    Hate crime includes attacks on ethnic, vulnerable and minority groups while mate crimes involve people posing as friends to the vulnerable, but who take advantage of them in a variety of ways.

    Rally organiser Rod Landman, manager of ARC Safety Net, a national three-year project set up to increase awareness, said that Barnstaple was one of two areas chosen for pilot events because mate crime had been identified in the town – friendships used to abuse or exploit people with learning difficulties.


    3. Chris Skidmore (Kingswood) (Con): What steps she is taking to improve the recording of disability hate crimes. [61537]

    The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Maria Miller): The Government are committed to better recording of hate crimes, and important progress has already been made. Since April, police forces have been formally collecting data on disability hate crime for the first time. We are working with key voluntary sector partners, including disabled people’s organisations such as Voice UK and RADAR, to encourage more reporting of hate crimes, and I think that that will make a significant contribution.

    Chris Skidmore: In the light of tragic cases such as that of Fiona Pilkington, and the publication this week of Mencap’s “Don’t Stand By” report, does the Minister agree that police forces m... ]]>Fri, 04 May 2012 14:40:47 GMT<![CDATA[ Prosecuting disability hate crime ]]>
     

     Prosecuting disability hate crime


    Rachel Rooney taunted and punched her victim purely because she had a facial disfigurement. Both women were in a pub in Oldham, in September last year when Rooney, 31, hit Chantelle Richardson, 22, in the nose.
     
    It was a nasty crime, made worse by the motivation behind it, and I was pleased to hear that an application made by Crown Prosecution Service lawyers at Manchester Crown Court in March which made the court aware of this aggravating factor, led to Rooney’s sentence being increased. She had pleaded guilty to assault occasioning Actual Bodily Harm (ABH) on a disabled person.
     
    CPS prosecutor Rebecca Radcliffe believed that the evidence showed that Rooney’s actions were clearly motivated by hostility towards the victim’s disability. As a consequence, the case was formally identified as a disability hate crime, which is a crime perceived to be motivated by, ... ]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 14:38:05 GMT<![CDATA[ Private hospitals are no place for people with learning disabilities ]]>Three weeks on, the fallout continues from BBC Panorama's exposure of sickening abuse of people with learning disabilities at the Winterbourne View private hospital near Bristol. Already it –is clear that the programme will come to be seen as a key milestone on the long journey to a civilised system of care and support for this section of society.

    On Wednesday, more than 80 leading figures in the learning disability sector lend their names to a letter to the prime minister demanding an end to the placement of people in such facilities. There is, the letter says, "no place for hospitals such as Winterbourne View" and seeking to improve them will not do. "The model is wrong and does not work."

    Closing all NHS long-stay hospitals for learning-disabled people in England was a historic, if tortuous, achievement. But as Panorama has shown, some people are now sent to equivalent units run by private companies which, like Winterbourne View, masquerade as short-term ass... ]]>Wed, 02 May 2012 13:44:29 GMT<![CDATA[ Don't Stand By ]]>Mencap
    Final report – April 2010
    Sanah Sheikh, Robert Pralat, Chris Reed and Dr. Chih Hoong Sin

    Mencap launches its

    ‘Stand by me’ campaign against the backdrop of an Independent Police Complaints Commission report into the death of Fiona Pilkington and Francecca Hardwick. That report highlighted the way in which the police and other agencies seriously let down a vulnerable family who had endured years of abuse. These shortcomings made Fiona feel so isolated and abandoned that she took her own life, and that of her daughter.

    The report in front of you shows that despite the work of many police services to learn from those failings, people with a learning disabi... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 22:41:04 GMT<![CDATA[ Adult abuse complaints rise in Cumbria ]]>Adult abuse complaints rise in Cumbria, says new report


    By Steph Johnson


    Reports of sexual abuse of the elderly and vulnerable in Cumbria have more than doubled over the last three years.

    The latest figures from Cumbria Safeguarding Adults Board reveal that 43 allegations were made in 2010-11.
     
    The number for 2008-9 was 17.
     
    Last year there were 506 reports of elderly and vulnerable adults being mistreated, almost half relating to care homes.
     
    Overall the figures are a 34 per cent increase on the previous 12 months. But not all the complaints were proved and no further action was taken in 275 cases.
     
    The biggest rise in allegations was on behalf of people with learning disabilities. In this area, reports of mistreatment went from 61 to 100.
     
    The most common form of alleged abuse was physical, which accounted for 46 per cent of all cases.
     
    Financial abus... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 10:28:31 GMT<![CDATA[ Three Cornish people at Bristol abuse scandal hospital ]]>Three patients from Cornwall were at a Bristol hospital at the centre of an abuse scandal within the past 14 months, BBC Cornwall has learned.

    A BBC Panorama programme exposed the abuse of adults with learning disabilities at Winterbourne View.

    All three people from Cornwall who were at the unit have since been moved to alternative services.

    Health and council officials in Cornwall said they were working with relevant authorities on the issue.

    Eleven people have been questioned and released on bail following the programme, and the government said it would carry out its own review of what happened.

    Patients at the unit, run by a company called Castlebeck, were filmed by an undercover reporter posing as a care worker.

    Residents were seen being punched, slapped, taunted and drenched with water.

    A former senior nurse there repeatedly contacted the regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), with concerns, but it failed to act.Tue, 08 May 2012 16:46:08 GMT<![CDATA[ OCN Keep Safe Course ]]>The EAJ team ran week 3 of the OCN keeping safe course this week. The topic was based around safety at home. The group covered what can be done to keep your home safe and secure, what to do if you go out and also what to do if someone comes to your door. The activities that we did were the safe and not safe activity and strangers and ID Badges. Next week is week 4 and we will look at Bullying and abuse, Hate Crime.

     Daniel
    Equal Access to Justice Team

    ]]>    Fri, 04 May 2012 10:01:29 GMT    <![CDATA[ The Panorama expose of care home abuse – After the shock, what next? ]]>The     Panorama special, Undercover Care: The Abuse Exposed, uncovered a regime of shocking abuse by staff against people with learning disabilities and autism in a private hospital near Bristol.

    While all segments of society have expressed disgust and shock, we must not miss this opportunity for putting right a system that has long been known to have perpetrated violence and abuse against disabled people. The immediate attention, rightly, is on justice and redress, with implications for inspection and regulation. But there are other important issues we need to deal with.

    Violence and abuse in institutional settings

    In our work on targeted violence and hostility against disabled people, we found that one... ]]>Tue, 15 May 2012 20:41:23 GMT<![CDATA[ Regulator to review care system after Winterbourne View abuse scandal ]]> Regulator to review care system after Winterbourne View abuse scandal

    Dame Jo Williams, chair of the Care Quality commission, pledges rethink of residential care for people with learning difficulties following exposé of abuse at Bristol hospital

     
    'There may never be a rational explanation' for the abuse of people with learning difficulties at Winterbourne View hospital, says Dame Jo Williams, chair of the Care Quality Commission. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian


    Like many viewers, Dame Jo Williams admits she cried while watching the BBC Panorama programme that exposed a regime of callous abuse of people with learning disabilities at a private hospital near Bristol. As a former chief executive of learning disability charity Mencap, and someone who, as a social worker, helped such people get out of long-stay hospitals and establish purposeful lives in the community, she felt the shock particul... ]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 09:32:37 GMT<![CDATA[ Cornwall care financial victims get £1.5m compensation ]]> 

    'Abuse' care hospital closes down

    Adults with learning difficulties at the centre of a care abuse case in Cornwall will receive nearly £1.5m in compensation from the NHS following a High Court settlement.

    The action relates to the financial mistreatment of 118 adults in 24-hour supported housing in the county.

    It is one strand of a multi-party action which also includes compensation claims for physical abuse at the former Budock Hospital, near Falmouth.

    The physical abuse claim is continuing.

    The financial settlement related to historic allegations that residents' money was misappropriated to pay for services that Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust should have funded.

    In some cases their money was also used to pay for capital projects such as building house extensions.

    The £1.5m compensation will be shared among the 118 individuals who brought the action.

    ... ]]>Thu, 10 May 2012 11:02:19 GMT<![CDATA[ Young Witnesses in Criminal Cases ]]>Measuring Up?


    This project, jointly funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the NSPCC, assessed whether changes to the legislative framework have been successful in improving the experience of young witnesses in court.
     
    The researchers used a sample of 182 young witnesses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, aged between five and 19, who were interviewed, along with most of their parents, between May 2007 and October 2008. The resulting report, Measuring up? concluded that the reality faced by young witnesses in court fell short of the standards set out in government policies and made 42 recommendations for improvement.
     
    In response to the recommendations, the Ministry of Justice drew up an Action Plan. Since then, there has been a change of government and the announcement of dramatic budget cuts. Some favourable early responses to the recommendations have been qualified or halted and the Coalition Government’s position in res... ]]>Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:51:59 GMT<![CDATA[ Have your say on the government's draft UN report ]]>
    Click the link here  to submit your response ]]>    Thu, 10 May 2012 18:26:13 GMT    <![CDATA[ Case Study Three ]]>Another referral has involved advising and supporting a professional worker – a therapeutic young persons advocate (at a Sexual Assault Referral Centre) – working with a teenage female victim of sexual assault who has a learning disability.

    This is to ensure that she is identified as a vulnerable victim (within the meaning of the legislation) and to recognise her eligibility to special measures, such as consideration by the police in using an intermediary in order for her to achieve her best evidence when being interviewed.

    ]]>    Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:07 GMT    <![CDATA[ Case Study One ]]>Ongoing support has been provided to a lady with a learning disability who was sexually assaulted.

    We have advocated on this lady’s behalf to facilitate the reporting of further disclosures and incidents to the police, and to seek support through a Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

    In addition, she is being assisted and supported in her claim for criminal injuries compensation through the appeal tribunal process as the woman is legally unrepresented.

    ]]>    Sun, 13 May 2012 23:55:02 GMT    <![CDATA[ Case Study Two ]]>We have assisted a mother, who has an adult son with a learning disability, in raising her concerns about his welfare (as there is a background of suspected sexual abuse) with the local authority social services department.

    Support to her has been in relation to the local authority complaints process, resulting in the local authority deciding to have their safeguarding vulnerable adult investigation in this particular case independently reviewed.

    ]]>    Sun, 13 May 2012 23:55:46 GMT    <![CDATA[ Disability hate crime needs to be tackled ]]>Keith Philpott was killed by so-called 'mates' because of his learning disability. In a new book, Katharine Quarmby asks what can be done to prevent this type of hate crime

    He was a lovely lad, peaceful and quiet, says Pauline, his mother, looking at a photo of Keith Philpott as a baby with his twin brother Kevin, in her neat sitting room in Billingham, near Middlesbrough.

    The twins were born prematurely, in November 1968, into a close-knit family with four older siblings, Carol, Stephen, Michael and Christine. They were diagnosed at around one with learning difficulties, and attended specialist schools throughout their childhood. Both left school unable to read or write much, but were prized locally for their handiness in repairing bicycles for children.
     
    Christine tells me that Keith wanted to live independently after he came back from a spell in London, where he had attended college and lived with their brother, Stephen. Keith's flat seemed p... ]]>    Mon, 14 May 2012 22:17:34 GMT    <![CDATA[ Terms and Conditions ]]>
    The term 'VOICE UK 'us' or 'we' refers to the owner of the website whose registered office is Kelvin House, RTC Business Park, London Road, DERBY DE24 8UP. Our company registration number is 2923239 and our registered charity number 1053532. The term 'you' refers to the user or viewer of our website.

    The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:
    • The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.
    • Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timelines... ]]>Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:23:31 GMT<![CDATA[ About us ]]>VOICE UK was founded in 1993 by the parents of a woman with Down's Syndrome who was abused by a care worker. The Crown Prosecution Service considered the young woman "too handicapped".

      Her parents and many others fought to have the case heard and eventually it was. She gave her evidence from behind a screen and the judge removed his wig so as not to frighten her. These things are now part of the "special measures" in the Youth Justice & Criminal Evidence Act 1999. The care worker was found guilty and served a term of imprisonment. VOICE UK continues to campaign to improve the rights of people with learning disabilities in the criminal justice system.

      VOICE UK has given written evidence to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry into the human rights of adults with learning disabilities. We have also met with members of the Joint Committee to answer their questions. Our evidence describes how crime and abuse vi... ]]>      Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:18:20 GMT      <![CDATA[ Four arrests after patient abuse caught on film ]]>

      Winterbourne View treats people with learning disabilities and autism.

      Andrew McDonnell, who works with adults with mental disabilities, labelled some of the examples seen on film "torture".

      All four have been released on police bail. The hospital's owners, Castlebeck, have apologised and suspended 13 employees.

      Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said government regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), had been asked to conduct an urgent investigation.  Click here to read more

      ]]>      Thu, 10 May 2012 06:37:40 GMT      <![CDATA[ Volunteer Case Study Claire Hodson ]]>Hi my name is Claire. I’m going to start by telling you a bit about me.

      When I was 8 years old I had a road traffic accident which left me with head injuries and speech problems.  I spent 3 weeks in intensive care and they didn’t think I would make it. Obviously I did but I had to learn to do everything again. How to walk, talk, read, write and eat. Like I said everything.

      When I was a bit better I went to the hospital school as I was too poorly to go back to a ‘normal’ school. I made a pretty speedy recovery and after 4 months I went back into year 4 of main stream school. I really liked it there as all my friends sent me get well cards and the teachers always helped me. I remember one of the girls in my year her dad set up a reading and writing group for those who was struggling and they let me go along. I found this really helpful.

      When I finished at that school I went to secondary school. This was terrible, no one wanted to kn... ]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 21:42:03 GMT<![CDATA[ WHO CARES? ]]>WHO CARES? BBC PANORAMA INVESTIGATION MONDAY 31 MAY 2011

      “The abuse detailed in the programme is shocking and disturbing, although sadly not surprising. In the last year, Voice UK’s helpline has taken over 2,000 calls relating to these types of abuse in care settings, in day centres and in people’s own homes. We must accept that abuse and ill treatment of people with learning difficulties, and others, exists and redouble our efforts to ensure we do all we can to stop it” says Kathryn Stone OBE, CEO at Voice UK

      Ask three learning disability charities who have joined forces to condemn the appalling abuse uncovered by Panorama investigator Paul Kenyon in tonight’s BBC1 programme ‘Undercover Care: the Abuse Exposed’

       

      People with learning disabilities and other vulnerable patients were subjected to physical assaults, systematic brutality, and torture by the very... ]]>Mon, 07 May 2012 22:21:01 GMT<![CDATA[ Fundraising ]]>VOICE UK are launching the LISTEN LOUDER appeal to raise vital funds needed for helping vulnerable victims to get justice.  Funding will help to support 500 people with learning disabilities to rebuild their life and gain justice.

      HOW CAN YOU HELP?

      Decide on a fund raising activity with a group of friends, sent out the invites and raise some money!

      The more we do, the more we raise, the more people will listen.

      Thank you so much for your support.  If we cannot have justice for the most vulnerable in society, then we have no justice at all.

      ]]>      Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:04:44 GMT      <![CDATA[ Volunteering Enquiry Form ]]>
      Please contact amyburton@voiceuk.org.uk for more details on volunteering with us.
      ]]>      Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:40:08 GMT      <![CDATA[ LONDON MARATHON 2012 ]]>rebecca@voiceuk.org.uk ]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 15:56:04 GMT<![CDATA[ Policy on Confidentiality ]]>
      Requests for personal information

      Where a request for release of personal information from the office systems is made, agreement for the release will be made before hand with the individual concerned.  Additionally, this will also be agreed with the Chief Executive of VOICE UK.  This is in order to protect the confidentiality of the calls to the office.

      Our commitment to protect the identification of the callers to the office will remain a priority.  However, there are exceptions when this will not be adhered to.
      •    If it is considered that the caller may be at risk of serious personal harm if the information is not passed to another party.
      •   ... ]]>      Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:32:28 GMT      <![CDATA[ Case Study 1 ]]>Ongoing support has been provided to a lady with a learning disability who was sexually assaulted. 

      We have advocated on this lady’s behalf to facilitate the reporting of further disclosures and incidents to the police, and to seek support through a Sexual Assault Referral Centre. 

      In addition, she is being assisted and supported in her claim for criminal injuries compensation through the appeal tribunal process as the woman is legally unrepresented. 

      ]]>      Thu, 26 May 2011 16:52:30 GMT      <![CDATA[ Case Study 2 ]]>We have assisted a mother, who has an adult son with a learning disability, in raising her concerns about his welfare (as there is a background of suspected sexual abuse) with the local authority social services department. 

      Support to her has been in relation to the local authority complaints process, resulting in the local authority deciding to have their safeguarding vulnerable adult investigation in this particular case independently reviewed.

      ]]>      Thu, 26 May 2011 15:21:43 GMT      <![CDATA[ Case Study 3 ]]>Another referral has involved advising and supporting a professional worker – a therapeutic young persons advocate (at a Sexual Assault Referral Centre) – working with a teenage female victim of sexual assault who has a learning disability. 

      This is to ensure that she is identified as a vulnerable victim (within the meaning of the legislation) and to recognise her eligibility to special measures, such as consideration by the police in using an intermediary in order for her to achieve her best evidence when being interviewed.

      ]]>      Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:45:03 GMT      <![CDATA[ Achieving Best Evidence ]]>This course offers both a historical and legislative background to the treatment of vulnerable witnesses.  It can be tailored to include the practical requirements of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 Special Measures and the role of Registered Intermediaries.  Participants will also focus on communicating with people with learning disabilities and mental health problems.

       


      OUTCOMES



      Understanding  historical attitudes and relevance to current practice

       

       Awareness of special measures and vulnerable victims and witnesses

       

      Covering the definitions of learning disability and peop... ]]>Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:35:01 GMT<![CDATA[ Frequently Asked Questions ]]>
      Calling the Helpline

      Who will I speak to?

      Your call will be answered by one of our fully trained Helpline workers and volunteers .  Their role is to make sure that as many of the incoming calls, text messages and emails are answered quickly and to decide who the best person is to answer your enquiry.

      Will my call be confidential?

      All calls /emails and text messages are treated with strict confidentiality. No one will ever be told that you have contacted us, and no third parties will be contacted.

      What if I'm worried about the cost of calling the Helpline?

      If you are concerned about the cost of ringing the Helpline we have created a number of other ways to enable you to contact us – so that we can call you back.

      • You can email us–  Wed, 16 May 2012 15:58:39 GMT<![CDATA[ How we can help you ]]>Helpline

      VOICE UK operates a telephone Helpline:

      • Monday 9 am to 5 pm 
      • Tuesday 9 am to 5 pm
      • Wednesday 9 am to 5 pm
      • Thursday 9 am to 5 pm
      • Friday 9 am to 5 pm


      The new Helpline number is 080 880 2 8686. This number will not show up on your telephone bill and is free from mobiles and most landline numbers.
      VOICE UK Helpline Charter
      Fri, 27 May 2011 13:51:34 GMT      <![CDATA[ Campaign Policy ]]>As part of our policy work, we respond to Government consultations and participate in stakeholder steering groups on public policy. This ensures that our views and the needs of people with learning disabilities are heard by those who make the law.

      Some of the formal and informal consultations that we have been involved in are:  

      Valuing People Now

      Crown Prosecution Service Violence Against Women Action Plans

      Improving Health, Supporting Justice

      USEFUL PUBLICATIONS

       

       

       Download a copy of Achiving Best Evidence - Guidance on interviewing victims and witnesses, and guidance on using special　measures March 2011

      achieving-best-evidence-criminal-proceedings.pdf



      Factsheet on Special Measures

      Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:28:28 GMT<![CDATA[ Resources ]]>A BSL video on disability hate crime
      Click here


      A Travel Safe Guide for people with learning disabilities is now available. The guide gives advice on how to use the bus and train network and how to stay safe when out and about. With more people being urged to choose public transport as their preferred way to travel, the guide has useful advice and information. 

      Click here for the link
       


      DISABILITY HATE CRIME TRAINING PACK WITH DVD 'BULLY FOR YOU'
      £50.00 + VAT
      Please email voice@voiceuk.org.uk to order a pack

      MEET THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE TEAM (funded by the Henry Smith Charity)

      The project's main aim is to support and encourage people to get Equal Access to Justice in the Criminal Justice System by delivering informal workshops to groups of people with Learning Difficulties and their carers in order to raise awareness and ultimately improve wellbeing.

      The workshops are delivered by our project workers who themselves have Learning Difficulties; they are supported at each session by our project support workers.

      Workshops

      Keeping Safe
      Disability Hate Crime
      Abuse and Bullying

      The Safe Places scheme

      What is it?

      The scheme helps people with learning disabilities to deal with any incident that takes place while they’re out and about in the community. Incidents could range from h... ]]>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:29:51 GMT<![CDATA[ Regional Work ]]>Our work over the last two years has been involved in Devon, Cornwall, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.  We provide :

      • direct support for people with a learning disability and other vulnerable people, who have experienced crime, abuse or bullying. We help the person when talking to the police or going to court. We work with victims to access other support or services

       

      •  Deliver "Keep Safe Workshops" to groups of people with a learning disability. These are co-facilitated by people with a learning disability. These workshops complement the "Keep Safe Scheme"

       

      • Self Help Groups --  self help groups are established in the regions where we help people with learning disabilities get together to help one another