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About FCSS page

Department of Health
Between 2004 and 2007, we have set up the National Family Carer Network. This brings together groups and organisations that support families that include an adult with a learning disability to:

• Get better support for family carers
• Help people to understand how to work well with family carers
• Make sure they have a national voice on issues that affect them.

The NFCN is becoming a charity in its own right.  In January 2008 a new Director was appointed to coordinate its work. They have recently re launched their website which is full of information about government news and policy relating to family carers, useful resources and a regional database of groups and organisations that support families with a learning disability.

EU Funded Partnership - working in Russia

FCSS has worked since 2000 with a Moscow based charity, Humanitarian Programmes Support (HPSCF), which were set up in 1989 as a special seating centre for pre-school children with cerebral palsy.  EU funding has enabled us to help HPSCF develop broader family support services, including a telephone helpline, parent befriender training, Family Partnership training for medical staff, Early Years to School transition programme and an inclusion network in Russia.  Dame Helen Mirren is a Patron of HPSCF.

The FCSS work with HPSCF recently came to an end with a gala event at the British Embassy in Moscow where we celebrated the work we have achieved whilst in partnership.

Help to Move On: an action research project 2004 - 7
In order to discover what can help young people with learning disabilities make transitions from residential schools and colleges more satisfactory, HFT's Family Carer Support Service worked with the Norah Fry Research Centre. Young people, their families and concerned professionals from the South West are directly involved. Lisa Johnson ran Action Learning programmes for this project, which was supported by The Health Foundation.

Bridging the Divide at Transition: What happens for young people with learning difficulties and their families (published by BILD, 2002)
This was a national 2-year research project, carried out by HFT's Family Carer Support Service with the Norah Fry Research Centre, University of Bristol, using funding from the National Lottery Charities Board. Our findings were presented at Government level, as well as through numerous conferences and articles.
Following Bridging the Divide we wrote -
All Change: Transition into adult life '“ a resource for young people with learning difficulties, family carers and professionals. This photocopiable 244 page pack has chapters on all aspects of transition in England, with a separate section for young people. We wrote the material with a family carer viewpoint to assist parents and help professionals understand their perspective. Priced £15 for parents (plus P & P), £65 (plus P & P) for professionals, this can be ordered from Pavilion Publishing by telephone on 0870 890 1080.

Research Advisory Groups
We have provided family carer representation on a number of research advisory groups.

Partnerships with other organisations
National Advisory Group on Learning Disabilities and Ethnicity
HFT's Family Carer Support Service is a member of this group, which was set up by the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, following the closure of the Ethnicity and Culture subgroup of the National Learning Disability Task Force.

The Transition Information Network (TIN)
As members of this network, we keep in touch with others who are working to improve disabled young people's transitions into adulthood.

 

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