The Margate Drop In Centre

Went down to Margate again today, to visit the Margate Drop In Centre. This church hall facility is open from 10am until 3pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. I'd promised to come to the centre once or twice before, but sadly the diary hadn't worked out until now. Even then, traffic on Detling Hill was solid and I was half an hour late!

Many of the learning disabled service users of the centre were out and about, which of itself is good news, but there were plenty of users to chat to and find out what a very special place this is. My host was Vanessa, herself learning disabled, who works for KCC as a volunteer. At the Drop In, she's also the treasurer and the cook!

But what struck me was the confidence shown by those who use the centre. As well as the support from professionals, there's a huge amount of self help. I spoke to one chap who hadn't travelled on a bus since an accident a decade ago took his confidence away. With help from another user, last week he took his first bus ride. Other users go out to local schools to talk to pupils about hate crime.

The centre has an excellent website designed and built by service users themselves - click this link to see it - so I won't waste time repeating everything. But as well as a packed programme of activities (the users recently went on holiday to Butlins!) the centre provides professional expertise, advice and support on communication, benefits, housing, supported employment, placements, and even gives advice on personal safety, equality and diversity from the local Community Police Officer. It really is a wonderful service, and a credit ot the staff and those who use the service. I'll be back there before too long.

Roger Gale - a dedicated and hardworking MP

Dashed back from Margate to County Hall to meet with Roger Gale, Member of Parliament for North Thanet. I've met with Roger several times over the last few months - usually over social care issues. I don't always agree with him, but no one can doubt his passion, and I'm often told what a dedicated and hardworking constituency MP he is.

We spent an hour and a half discussing social care issues, both locally and nationally. Roger was particularly concerned about the modernisation of learning disability day services in Canterbury and Thanet, and I was able to detail our plans for the future.

I explained my visit to the Margate Drop In, and that I was concerned about some of the Labour Government's regulation and legislation as it related to those with disabilities. I'm concerned that when 'housing' is offered to disabled people, it's sometimes in quite unsuitable neighbourhoods. When disabled people manage to find employment, their benefits are often reduced or stopped completely if they work any more than a token number of hours.

This really isn't the way to achieve the kind of change we all know is needed, and I intend to work up some detailed proposals for change in due course. I hope Roger and other Parliamentary colleagues will lend their support to lobby the Government for change.

It's so obviously overdue.

Photo taken from Roger Gale's page on www.conservatives.com

A long and productive working relationship

A really useful meeting this morning. I travelled up to London for a meeting at the Mencap head office in the Barbican with Dame Jo Williams, the Chief Executive, and Heather Honour the Campaign and Policy Manager, and Director of the Learning Disability Coalition.

Dame Jo and I had been keynote speakers a few weeks ago at an event at the St Stephen's Club on the future of learning disability services, and found that we had very similar views. We agreed to meet up to discuss points of common interest.

Our time together was really productive, and I agreed to share two Select Committee reports commissioned by Kent Adult Social Services - one on Transition and the other on Learning Disabilities. I also agreed that our policy officers would work together with Mencap to work up proposals to Government as to how Social Services, Health and partners such as Mencap could better work together to provide more appropriate services in line with the personalisation agenda which we all agree should be the way forward.

I sense that today was the start of a long and productive working relationship. For the sake of thousands of learning disabled service users, let's hope so.

A priviledge to be in local government

Following my two days of crisis innoculation training this week, I hot-footed it down to Bournemouth, where the LGA (Local Government Association) Annual Conference. This is a great opportunity to meet with colleagues old and new; to discover best practuce in other parts of the country that can be used back at home; and to share our own initiatives for the benefit of councils up and down the country.

It was in this last respect that I dashed down, checked into my hotel and rushed off to the Royal Exeter Hotel to give a presentation on the Kent TeleHealth Programme. KCC Leader Paul Carter gave a presentation on our Supporting Independence Programme, whilst other officer and member colleagues presented on Kent TV and the revolution in parent choice for those with learning disabled children.

The audience included Sir Simon Milton, Chairman of the LGA, senior policy staff from the IDeA and several other county councils as well as many district councillors from Kent.

As the presentations unfolded, I realised how lucky I am to work at Kent County Council - where innovation is a stock in trade, and where process and regulation takes second place against outcomes for the people we serve. Of course, as a large authority we have a little extra scope to try out new things, but all the same, it's a priviledge to be in local government at an authority such as ours.

Pepenbury - such great neighbours

Yesterday I went to Pembury for the Open Day at Pepenbury, an independent charity providing residential and day care for around seventy adults with learning disabilities.

Their site, just off the High Street consists of acre after acre of beautiful and scenic countryside, with a coffee shop, workshops for crafts and horticulture, and a series of bungalows providing assisted living for Peperbury residents.

The annual Open Day attracts huge numbers of visitors, and is an excellent opportunity for the local community to see for themselves the wonderful work which Pepenbury does. Yesterday, walking past the china smashing stall and coconut shy, I stood and listened to the steel band, before visiting the coffee shop for a cappucino, and walking around the pottery room, where among the items for sale I fell in love with a beautiful pottery fruit bowl which I just had to buy!

Pepenbury are becoming more and more a part of Pembury life as every month and year goes by, and the village is fortunate to have such great neighbours.

Just another talking shop?

What a fascinating morning! I was at St Stephen's Club in Westminster on Thursday attending a 'Chatham House' roundtable on the future of specialist care for adults with learning disabilities.

The event, chaired by David Brindle from The Guardian, was attended by professionals from the Department for Health, Commission for Social Care Inspection, the Valuing People Support Team, IDeA, and the Institute for Public Policy Research, along with several other care organisations and charities.

It began with keynote presentations from Dame Jo Williams, Chief Executive of Mencap, and myself, along with a provider viewpoint from Bob Lewis of the Care Management Group, and then a two hour discussion on a way forward.

Overwhelmingly, the message was clear. We need to raise the awareness of Learning Disabilities; we need Government to be clear in their expectations - and harder still, to stick to them long enough for us to deliver. We need to accept that there's no 'silver bullet' quick answer, and although we can make efficiencies in our own organisations, this of itself isn't enough to balance our collective books.

As I said in my presentation, I hope this morning wasn't just another talking shop, and that we'll see some real actions and outcomes as a result of our morning together.

A night with the angels

I was at the Marriott Tudor Park Hotel this evening, for the Kent Adult Social Services Quality Service Awards.

These awards are run every year to honour the staff who, nominated by their colleagues and clients, really "go the extra mile".

Radio Kent's Pat Marsh compered the evening, while Managing Director Oliver Mills and I had the easy job of presenting awards and posing for photographs.

Inevitably, the stories which led to each nomination were amazing, tear-jerking, inspiring and humbling.

Ordinary people performing extraordinary acts. Going the extra mile for the good of those they care for. Away from their job, these special people are also often going home to care for others - parents, brothers, sisters, and so on.

As it turned out, the event ran on and I was not asked to deliver the speech I'd prepared for. But I wasn't upset. It wasn't my evening. It belonged to those very special people without whom tomorrow would be a little less bearable for thousands of frail, elderly and vulnerable Kent residents.

How very, very sad

If you've ever watched the movie "The Matrix", yesterday felt very similar for me, as I left home just before 7am and sped across Kent to be in Canterbury an hour later. I was due to be interviewed live on Radio Kent, at exactly 8.20 by telephone from the boardroom at Kent Business School on the University campus. The phone would ring precisely two minutes before the interview, and if I wasn't there to pick up, listeners across Kent would know I was late!

The fog was atrocious, as I travelled across the county to Maidstone, up Detling Hill, then down the A2 towards Canterbury. I turned off onto the Canterbury road at five to nine, and got to the edge of the university campus at five past. I broke into a sweat as I turned into the car park, and was duly greeted by someone from Kent Business School, who showed me into the boardroom. Just time to scribble the three or four main points I needed to make, and the phone rang. "Morning Kevin, John will be with you in a moment" said the producer, leaving me to listen to the show over the phone until John Warnett announced the proposed closure of the Canterbury Day Opportunities Centre.

I was quite content that I'd put across all the points I needed to, and that John has given me a fair hearing. Of more surprise when I got home last night at around 11.30pm and checked my emails was a particularly biased, spiteful, personally insulting message referring to the interview.

Was the writer affronted by our plans to close the Day Centre? Were they morally assaulted at our treatment of adults with disablities?

No. They were aggrieved that my vision of choice, freedom and opportunity for disabled people seemed to be along similar lines to that of the Labour government, and that this might cost Conservative votes at the next election. How very, very sad.

An employer of excellence

Travelled early this morning up to Waitrose at Biggin Hill to present an award to David Patrickson, the Manager of the store.

He had given a job some months ago to a young man with a learning disability. Now sitting in the cafeteria with an early morning coffee, I found it hard to detect any disability in the bright, engaging, enthusiastic young chap sitting opposite me.

The most encouraging aspect was that it seemed the entire staff were supportive of this initiative - they all helped with training and support. In return they had an energetic, personable young man with a passion for his store, his products and his customers.

If only all retailers were like this...

Fit for a King

Had a great time today when I visited Swalecliffe and Cow Lane Day Centres in Swalecliffe and Canterbury respectively. Accompanying me were George Koowaree, Liberal Democract County Councillor for Ashford, and Maureen Newell, Labour County Councillor for Gravesham East. At Swalecliffe, we heard how the learning disabled service users tended their garden, grew fresh produce then sold it locally. They even made jams and chutneys. Needless to say, we all ended up buying several jars of goodies, then headed over to Cow Lane Day Centre, where we enjoyed lunch with a large group of service users - again learning disabled - who took part in a wide range of activities. As well as producing a large range of delicious cakes and pastries for the centre's own catering, they also run a stall in a Farmers' Market in Canterbury, giving them experience of dealing with both people, produce and money.

We saw a huge range of craft, from amazing wall clocks made from collection of clay leaves, to pottery house numbers. We were shown a wide range of furniture which users were refurbishing, from chairs to cupboards to tables - all sold to raise money for the centre. And we were treated to a rehearsal of the Christmas production - "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat".

A marvellous group of people with a hugely dedicated staff, and a testament to just what people can achieve if they aren't given boundaries.