The Scottish Disability Equality Forum’s aim as the ‘umbrella’ organisation for Access Panels is to support their long-term sustainability.
Sustainability, or survival, whatever we call it, comes from maximising opportunity. This can be achieved through continual growth – increasing the number and diversity of people involved, improving skills and knowledge, and sharing and delivering good practice.
Access Panels provide the voice of disabled people at a local level. Some Panels also contribute on a national level, or participate in policy development and service delivery improvement across multiple areas.
Access Panels have already made a huge difference to the daily lives of disabled people, and SDEF aim to support Panels to help ensure this good work continues into the future.
We also recognise the importance of telling people about what you do through promotion and marketing. We must make sure we provide evidence of the positive change to those who award funding. This will encourage them to keep giving Access Panels the money they do, and open doors for new funding opportunities.
The Programme
SDEF carried out an audit of Access Panels in 2012. This audit showed that many Access Panels members have a huge variation of skills and knowledge that could be shared. It also showed that many members would benefit from learning new skills.
To enable this to happen, SDEF have organised a training programme, which will run from February 2014 to March 2015. The training will be carried out in 3 phases, Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced. It will be held over 2 days in 8 locations across Scotland.
The training programme will include sessions on:
- Disability Equality
- Membership and Recruitment
- Business Management
- IT Skills
- Building Regulations
- Access Statements
The training will be provided by The Scottish Borders Social Enterprise, ABT Safety Ltd and the SDEF National Inclusion Officer. All trainers have skills and knowledge in the areas, have previous training experience and have worked with Access Panels. Some are Access Panels members themselves.
SDEF would like to encourage Panels to participate in the training programme. This is a fantastic opportunity for new and longstanding members alike to increase their knowledge. You may even wish to take this opportunity to invite new members onto your Panel.
Dates and Locations
Proposed Dates for Access Panel Training
|
(Tuesday/Wednesday) |
Introductory |
Intermediate |
Advanced |
|
South West |
11/02/14 |
15/07/14 |
02/12/14 |
|
Highland |
25/02/14 |
01/07/14 |
16/12/14 |
|
Central |
11/03/14 |
12/08/14 |
06/01/15 |
|
North East |
25/03/14 |
26/08/14 |
20/01/15 |
|
South East |
08/04/14 |
09/09/14 |
03/02/15 |
|
Islands |
22/04/14 |
23/09/14 |
17/02/15 |
|
North West |
06/05/14 |
07/10/14 |
03/03/15 |
|
West & Glasgow |
20/05/14 |
21/10/14 |
17/03/15 |
Please note accessible venues are currently being sought. Dates may vary slightly to meet accommodation requirements.
Updates on our Training Programme for 2014/15 will be posted on our website, or you can contact us direct for more information:
Katrina Watson, Access Administrator, SDEF
Email:
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Telephone: 01259 272062
Or
Yvonne Wemyss, National Inclusion Officer, SDEF
Email:
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