Tag Archives: National Council

National Council Meeting

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Report written by member Ffion Poole:

Amy Jones – supported by Ffion Poole – recently attended the All Wales People First National Council meeting at The Grand Hotel in Swansea. After introductions, the first agenda item was to go through the minutes of the last meeting. Next came the Chief Executive’s Report during which, in Joe Powell’s absence, Kurtis gave an update on LD Mag.

National Council reps then spoke about national actions, during which Amy provided feedback we have received from our members. Amy said that our members would like longer GP appointments, easy read letters from their doctors, and more annual health checks for people with learning disabilities. She also shared that our members said there needs to be more support in mental health services for adults with mental health issues, as well as people with learning disabilities.

Kelly then gave a communication update and said All Wales People First are in the process of making updates to how Talkback is distributed to members. We also spoke about the WhatsApp group for National Council reps, and came up with some rules the reps had to agree on.

After lunch Tracey shared the draft manifesto that All Wales People First has been putting together, and members shared their experiences with Direct Payments, and answered some questions from a consultation document about Direct Payments. It was a really interesting meeting and it was lovely to see everyone!

All Wales People First National Council Meeting Report

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Yesterday, Amy Jones attended the All Wales People First National Council meeting via Zoom. The meeting started with introductions and a check of the last meeting’s minutes to spot any mistakes and hear updates.

Updates:
Joe shared what he’s been working on.
Reps talked about the Mirror Principles to see if they need changing and how to check if self-advocacy groups are following them.

After Lunch:
We talked about important issues like transport and benefit cuts. Lynne Griffiths, who knows a lot about learning disabilities, was chosen for the board.

Adfest Update:
Day One: Joe’s introductions, four workshops, talent show for members, stalls, Mirror Awards, photo booth, and disco in the evening.
Day Two: AGM, four more workshops to choose from, another talent show (with voting for winners), and more stalls.

Geraint’s Request:
Make a video answering questions like, “How do you want to be seen, heard, and valued?”
These videos will be shared on social media. Other Zoom participants can also make videos and send them to Tracy.

National Council

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Yesterday our rep Ffion Poole attended the National Council at The Grand Hotel in Swansea, where members gave overwhelmingly positive feedback on Adfest, calling it the best one yet! Well done to everyone at All Wales People First for making it such a success!

The council also discussed important issues affecting our community, including the rising cost of living, benefit cuts, and staff shortages within social care. We also talked about the recent changes to purchasing rail tickets in Caerphilly. These changes will make it much harder for adults with learning disabilities to buy tickets independently, which is a major concern. Ensuring accessible transport options is vital for our community, and we’ll continue to advocate for better solutions. Let’s keep working together to make a difference.

National Council Meeting

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On the 5th and 6th of March Ffion and Christy attended the All Wales People First National Council residential meeting at the Clayton Hotel in Cardiff. On day one, Joe Powell, Director of All Wales People First spoke about the role of the National Council, which was followed by the group going over the minutes of the previous meeting.

We then broke up into small groups and had a discussion about what we like and don’t like about being National Council representatives. Some people said they like being a rep because they get to have a voice for their members, while others said the meetings can be too long and it’s hard for people with autism to process all the information.

After lunch we talked about National Actions (when reps bring up issues from their groups). Caerphilly People First’s national action was that some our members receive limited care hours, which means they have to choose which activities they attend, and then miss out on other activities.

We then played a team-building game called Human Bingo which involved asking people questions like: Have you got a pet? Do you like cocktails? Have you sung at karaoke?

We finished day one with an item called Sub-Groups, where Reps were able to decide which sub-group to join. The groups were: Members (how more people can be self-advocates), Campaigning (what campaigns Reps want to start or join), and Position Statements (what Reps want All Wales People First to say about big issues).

Day two began with Joe Powell giving his Chief Executive’s report, followed by proposals to make changes to the All Wales People First rules at their next AGM. Reps unanimously voted yes to this proposal.

Next we heard from Simone Aspis from the Free Our People Campaign. This is a UK-wide campaign to get people with learning disabilities and autism out of inappropriate hospital settings. Reps voted yes unanimously to join this project.

Our last speaker of the meeting was Dan Biddle, a social entrepreneur who has written a proposal for an All Wales People First business. Reps and board members talked about how All Wales People First can start a business, and Dan presented ideas for the All Wales People First trading arm. Reps agreed with the proposals and All Wales People First will take these ideas forward.

National Council Meeting

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On the 27th and 28th January Ffion Poole and Christy Taylor attended the first All Wales People First National Council meeting of 2020, which was held in Flint, North Wales.

During the two days the group spoke about what they like and don’t like about National Council meetings and how they can be improved in the future. Other items up for discussion included bus passes (some members are still waiting for their new ones), if people are happy with the term learning disabilities, and whether All Wales should campaign to have the Welsh Assembly appoint a learning disability commissioner. 100% of members voted yes to this question. The group also discussed appointing a patron to All Wales People First. This is usually a famous person who is able to create media interest and encourage donations.

Also during the meeting, the Chair of All Wales People First, Joe Powell, gave a presentation on the ‘Five Giants’ strategy. Joe explained that this strategy aims to solve the problems with self-advocacy in Wales. The five giants refer to five big problems in self-advocacy, which are: IPA Contracts (which state that local authorities must fund advocacy), Funding Cuts, Mission Drift (moving away from core work), Competition (sometimes with other People First groups), and Lack of Funding.

The next meeting of the group will be held in South Wales in May 2020.

national council