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SDEF Newsletter -�No.7 September 2002 |
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Welcome
to this seventh edition of SDEF News, available free to all members and
associate members of SDEF.� We
will keep you up to date on our own activities and relevant events and
publications in the field of disability.�
If you would like your work publicised in future editions, or would
like to tell us about something new, please contact us at the address below.
This
newsletter is available by email, on disc or in other formats if preferred.�
Please contact us to let us know how you would like to receive it.�
Copies of all the documents mentioned in this edition are available
from the Secretariat.
Forum
Update
SDEF’s
Annual General Meeting will be taking place this year on Wednesday 2nd
October at 11.00 in River House, Stirling.�
All members should have received the agenda and papers - please
contact the Secretariat for further information.
A
key item for this year’s meeting will be the discussion of SDEF’s three
year business plan and project proposals, submitted to the Scottish
Executive this month.� Members
will have the opportunity to comment on the proposals and agree the
priorities for the next three years.� Summaries
of the plan have been distributed to members, and further copies, or the
full detailed document, are available from the Secretariat on request.
Please
join us at the AGM.
EYDP
Update
SDEF is
a member of the European Year of Disabled People Scottish steering group.�
The group is seeking to find ways to mark EYDP 2003 which will make a
real difference and be sustainable.� One
suggestion has been to develop a “disability consortium” where the
disability movement could come together with key interests from the Scottish
Executive, local authorities and others and set out the issues for people
with disabilities.
The
Scottish Executive has now produced a paper seeking views on how this
consortium could work.� One
concern the SDEF Committee has already expressed is that the title has
changed from consortium to “Forum”, which could cause confusion with
SDEF’s role.�
View
the paper now -
Scottish
Executive News
Radical
overhaul of mental health laws goes ahead
Scotland’s
mental health laws are to be subject to their most fundamental reform for 40
years in a Bill published today.
Key
changes proposed are:
The
Bill also updates the arrangements for dealing with the small number of
people with a mental disorder who become involved in criminal offences.
Thistle
Travel Card Scheme (03/09/02):
Help
for people with disabilities to encourage travel on public
Plan
To Promote Mental Well-Being (02/09/02):
New
Rights For Scotland's Carers (30/08/02):
Act
comes into force to extend the rights of more than 600,000 home carers.
Employment
Drop (24/07/02):
The
number of disabled people employed by the Civil Service has plunged by 2,000
in just three years, according to new government statistics.
Supporting
People - Supporting Independent Living (22/07/02):
Prevention Of Suicide And Deliberate Self Harm In Scotland Documents: Information
on the final reports for two pieces of development work
undertaken
by the Scottish Development Centre for the Draft Framework for the
Prevention of Suicide and Deliberate Self Harm in Scotland is now on the
'Publications' page -
The
Council for the Regulation of Health Care Professionals
Chair
and member required
The
new Council for the Regulation of Health Care Professionals is to be
established on 1 April 2003, as a key part of the drive for greater
co-ordination and accountability in professional self-regulation.
The
UK Government has set out the need for an overarching body to work with the
health professions to strengthen the framework of professional
self-regulation and to ensure greater consistency between the nine existing
regulatory bodies. The Council for the Regulation of Health Care
Professionals will fill this role. Its functions have been shaped by the
Report of the Public Inquiry into Children’s Heart Surgery at the Bristol
Royal Infirmary (the “Kennedy Report”).
All
meetings of the Council will be held in London.
It
is expected that interviews will be held in October 2002 in Edinburgh. The
appointment will be for 4 years in the first instance and may be renewed,
subject to satisfactory performance.
The
Scottish Executive is committed to the principles of public appointments
based on merit, independent assessment and openness. Candidates with
disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria for these appointments
will be guaranteed an interview.
For
further information and an application form, please write to Mrs Anne
Reilly, Scottish Executive
e-mail
[email protected]
or telephone 0131-244 5993.
Please
indicate which NHS Board area you are interested in.
Further
information on these appointments and the NHS in Scotland can be obtained
Only
completed applications received by 4 October 2002 will be considered.
All
correspondence will be treated in confidence.
European Mobility Week European
Mobility Week was officially opened on 16 September 2002 by Commissioner for
Environment, Margot Wallstr�m, who stressed the importance of partnership
with regional and local partners, to promote private investment and
encourage the political debate on transport policies. Commissioner Wallstr�m
highlighted the important role of civil society and NGOs in taking actions
at the local level, that will lead into “more sustainable means of
transport and policies and will improve people’s quality of life”.
Disabled
people make up 10% of the population in the European Union. Persons with
reduced mobility, including older people, parents with children and persons
with heavy luggage can make up to 40% of the population.�
Joseph
Rowntree Foundation
Just
published on the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website is 'Disabled people in
refugee and asylum-seeking communities in Britain'.�
This research generates data on the numbers and social
characteristics of disabled refugees and asylum-seekers and looks at their
experiences, together with those of service providers.�
Read it at
'Promoting
The Involvement Of People With Learning Difficulties In Staff Recruitment':
This
study evaluates a training and development programme working with five
organisations to involve people with learning difficulties in this area.�
Read it at
DRC
News�
Educating for Equality Educating
for Equality is a year-long campaign, with various events planned.� For
more details and a free campaign pack, please email [email protected]
or telephone the DRC Helpline on 08457 622 633.
The
DRC launched the campaign to promote the widest possible awareness of the
new legislation.� The education system has failed many disabled people:
they are twice as likely as non-disabled people to have no qualifications.
It
is now unlawful for disabled pupils and students to be treated “less
favourably”, when at school, university or college.� Providers of
education must make “reasonable adjustments” to ensure that disabled
pupils and students are not at a disadvantage.
The
DRC has produced a range of information and guidance to help those with
duties under the Act.� Guides for parents, students and adult learners
are also available.� To read the guides, visit:�
Disability
Related Training
The
DRC has developed a best practice training workshop and resource pack for
people who deliver disability-related training. Courses will be held (on a
first-come-first-served basis) in Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh. The
pack includes information on applying the DDA in practice and it is an
adaptable training tool with a series of exercises and a video. The one-day
trainers' workshop and pack costs �250.
For
more information and to book your place on the course, please contact
Michelle Valentine, Practice Development Projects Officer on 0161 261 1700
or via email:�
DRC Commissioner Vacancies The
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is advertising for suitably
qualified candidates to fill five Commissioner vacancies due to arise in
April 2003 on the board of the Disability Rights Commission.
For
more information, please go to:�
News
from Update
Programme Of Training Courses Announced For The Autumn: Disability
Living Allowance: Edinburgh 18 September, Glasgow 1 October;�
Accessible Information: Edinburgh 16 October;�
Disability Equality Training: Edinburgh 17 October;�
Accessible Information: Glasgow 23 October;�
The Disability Discrimination Act: Edinburgh 5 November, 19 November,
Glasgow 13 November, 26th November;�
Enquiry Skills: Edinburgh 3 December�
http://www.update.org.uk/publictrain2.asp
News
from MACS
The
Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland is the statutory advisor to the
Scottish Executive on disabilities issues in relation to transport.�
They are currently undertaking an exercise to investigate what
disability-related training is given in Scotland to staff of transport
operators.
Please
respond to MACS setting out what training you provide, or what training you
think transport operators should receive, by the end of October 2002, to:
MACS
Chevron
Suite, Forsyth House, Innova Campus, Rosyth Europarc, KY11 2UU, tel 01383
42803,�
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