Policy & Campaigns

Introduction

VOICE UK has always been very aware of the injustices that many people with learning disabilities face - so we thought we should use our experience and knowledge to try and change things for the better.

We know from many of the clients that we have contact with that people with learning disabilities sometimes have difficulties getting access to justice; perhaps they are treated badly by the police, or find it hard to get someone to take them seriously when a crime has happened to them.

We campaign along with two other learning disability charities, Ann Craft Trust and Respond. This joint approach is more effective than working alone as we can share information and knowledge. VOICE UK also works with charities including MENCAP and Sense as well as the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and other organisations working with vulnerable children and adults.

Our campaigning focuses on injustices in the legal system, measures to prevent abuse and on making sure that those who are employed to work with people with learning disabilities are suitable to do so.

We also focus on preventing and tackling sexual abuse and violence against people with learning disabilities. Our experience tells us that people with learning disabilities are at an increased risk of sexual abuse. Also, research studies that have been carried out back this up, one study of the sexual abuse of people with a learning disability suggests that at least 1,400 adults with a learning disability are likely to be reported as victims of sexual abuse each year (Brown, Stein and Turk, The Sexual Abuse of Adults with a Learning Disability). It has also been shown that disabled people may be up to 4 times more likely to experience abuse. Despite this there was a low conviction rate of those who sexually abuse people with learning disabilities.

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
Cross Government Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse
Implementation of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 barring consultation
Making Experiences Count (Government proposals on reform of healthcare and socialcare complaints procedures)
Witness Charter
Improving the Criminal Trial Process for Young Witnesses
Discrimination Law Review - A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain

Media & press releases

We keep people informed of our work by publicising our campaigns in the media. Our regular comments on events and abuse cases also highlight issues regarding abuse prevention and securing justice for vulnerable victims of crime and abuse.

Links to our recent press releases are below.

Politics

We regularly meet with MPs and Peers to discuss our campaigns, and how they can get involved.

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 violate the human rights of adults with learning disabilities and suggests recommendations the Joint Committee could make to ensure adults with learning disabilities enjoy their human rights. Our original evidence prepared for the Joint Committee can be read in PDF format and our supplemental evidence is also available. You may also read additional evidence about disability hate crime with further clarification about this evidence.

Parliament recently debated the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Bill and we used this opportunity to highlight the hidden problem of the forced marriage of people with learning disabilities. Jo Swinson MP kindly tabled an amendment to the Bill to ensure the needs of people with learning disabilities are met when courts consider forced marriage cases and you can read our briefing on this amendment. Our original evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights also described this serious issue and suggested reforms to public policy. Further information can be found in our main submission to the Joint Committee and in our supplemental evidence.

This is an issue on which we are continuing to campaign.

Current campaigning

Every Disabled Child Matters campaign (EDCM)

Voice UK urges all our supporters /members to sign up to support the Every disabled child matters campaign (EDCM).

Voice UK supports EDCM which was launched in September 2006. Like EDCM, we want all disabled children and their families to have the right to the services and support they need to live ordinary lives.

29,000 people, including disabled children and young people, parents, professionals, disabled adults, and others working in the field, have already already signed up to support the campaign. But the campaign needs this level of support to keep growing.

Campaigning by EDCM, its partners and individual supporters has already put enough pressure on government to release an additional £440 million for services for disabled children and their families, alongside a programme of change that will start to transform lives.

We need even more people to sign up to EDCM, to keep the pressure on government to deliver and go further.

Please sign up using the form on the EDCM website now: http://www.edcm.org.uk – ask everyone you know to do the same. If you keep the box on the sign-up form ticked, EDCM will send you updates about what you can do to help make change happen.

Disability Hate Crime

For information on our work to tackle disability hate crime and what we want to see done, please see our Disabiity Hate Crime page.

No Secrets Guidance - Adult Protection

While we believe that No Secrets represented a significant and valuable step forward in dealing with abuse against vulnerable adults, VOICE UK believes it is time to examine how this guidance has been operating in practice and how we can build upon it. We are delighted that the Government has announced that such a review will be taking place and look forward to being involved in determining the shape of future policy to tackle abuse of vulnerable adults.

British Crime Survey

We believe that the British Crime Survey under-represents people with learning disabilities and misrepresents their experiences of crime. This makes it less likely that crime affecting people with learning disabilities will feature in political debate and is likely to hamper efforts to tackle crime against people with learning disabilities. We are currently in discussions with the Home Office on what form reform might take.

Forced Marriage of People with Learning Disabilities

From our contact with professionals it is clear that forced marriages of people with learning disabilities are far from rare and are likely to make up a notable minority of the cases of forced marriage that occur every year. This is an issue which Voice UK is campaigning to bring to wider public attention and to improve official responses to.

Vetting and Barring

Voice UK is committed to ensuring that potential abusers are prevented from working with children and vulnerable adults. A key part of such prevention is effective and proportionate vetting and barring measures. Read more about our work in this area by clicking here.

How to get involved - campaign with us!

Write or meet with your MP - for help with this contact VOICE UK. . We can help you with a template letter to your MP, or to help you arrange a meeting. It is important to let your MPs know the difficulties you may face - they are the ones who can change things. If you have any ideas for campaigns that we could look at please let us know! If you want further information about campaigns and the work we are doing, please get in touch.