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Contents A Word from our Chair 4

Chief Executives Report 6

Personalisation Managers Report 8

Project Summaries and Case Studies 9 – 16

Statistics 17

Finance Report 20

Feedback Comments 21

List of Trustees 2010 – 2011

Steve Rigby Chair Robin Wood Vice Chair Christian Murray-Leslie Cordell Jackson David Moss Matthew Allbones Pat Taylor Raj Raithatha Roy Holmes Sue Basra Amarjit Raju Company Secretary

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It has been another extraordinary year for ‘Disability Direct’. One full of changes, some forced upon us due to the political and financial climate that we exist in and some changes made due to necessity. I mentioned in last year’s report, as a positive thing, how our home from day one, Normanton Road, could no longer, thanks to our continued success and year by year growth, contain ‘Disability Direct’ and that the board had made it a top priority for Amarjit Raju our CEO to find an office space that was more suitable, more modern and more able to accommodate us now and well into the future bearing in mind how much growth there might be for us in ten years’ time. This has been an arduous task considering the financial implications and current market. However, a particularly bad winter, a leaky roof and other unpleasant working conditions forced us to finally close down our base on Normanton Road, a truly sad day and move staff into our Pride Park offices. This has meant cramped working spaces for many and I thank them for putting up with that and ask of them patience whilst Amo continues with his search for something more suitable. The work though has not been affected I’m glad to say, the fact that we do well continues unabated and the pace is still extremely high. The following pages will tell of success story after success story even in these uncertain times where cutbacks and savings are on everyone’s lips.

As is my custom in ending my introduction to the annual report, I

have many to thank for making all that follows possible. The staff, with whom I speak with regularly, are all amazing people, working hard to provide the kind of service everyone has come to expect. From the moment someone rings or walks through the door

into the office on Pride Park, to having their query answered or problem dealt with, every step of the way is met with

professionalism and courtesy. I know because I have checked.

A Word from our Chair

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So my sincere thanks to all members of staff working for ‘Disability Direct’ in whatever capacity. The same is true for the board. My thanks go to them for their time, their input and their support of me in my role as Chairperson. I looked around the table at our most recent meeting and felt a certain amount of pride to be associated with the individuals who associate themselves with ‘Disability Direct’. So here’s to another extraordinary year for the organization.

Steve Rigby Chair Person

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Another 12 months and we’re still here, but not only that; we’ve grown. Today I count 74 paid staff and 28 volunteers providing services in Derby and now Nottingham. Services - when they matter the most, in a time when others have had to make budget cuts, drastically reducing their own capacity to do what they originally set out to do. Financially, it hasn’t been an easy year for Disability Direct either. Managing the budget has been a day-to-day challenge which has sometimes tested our strength as an organisation, particularly when almost everyone has their own cash flow issues which cascade on. However, in true DD spirit, our finance team rose to the challenge and steered us through a couple of turbulent patches. Whilst we have grown to become the biggest User-Led Organisation (ULO) in the country, we have always remembered our humble beginnings. I joined back in 1994 a bit ‘wet behind the ears’ as my previous boss used to say. How right he was! 17 years later I’m still learning but have enough experience to recognise that history is beginning to repeat itself. In those early days there were those who were quite sceptical about our approach and felt uneasy about aligning themselves with a fast paced pan-disability group. Unfortunately, we seem to be in a similar situation. Those of you following my blog: syndicateceo.blogspot.com will have read about our frustrations as a ‘can-do’ organisation often resented and sometimes side-lined due to our pro-active projects and future plans. It’s a strange feeling when those who have known us for so long and by now should have understood our no nonsense get on with it style, feel almost terrified of working with us in case they upset the narrow minded few. Yet those new to the city or from outside Derby have been astounded and refreshed by working with the ULO that can deliver - amazing! As the Chairperson has already confirmed, we have taken over the New Horizons service, which has expanded our ability to provide activities for those with a Personal Budget. I look forward to reporting to you next year about its first year under our wing.

Chief Executives Report

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Personal Budgets is all the talk at the moment with much excitement and an equal amount of anxiety from those who will be re-assessed to buy their own services. We have been extremely busy ensuring that not only DD and The Disability Syndicate, but others too, are in a better position to provide opportunities to disabled/older people. The Do What You Want Directory; www.dowhatyouwant.org, is a prime example of how we have given people one single point of reference to answer the question: “what’s out there?” In Nottingham we are busy with quality assurance with the CredAbility mark which we are looking forward to rolling out further afield. Once again, we are the city leaders around the Personalisation Agenda having won the contract for a Personal Budgets Support Service & PA Register, as well as confidently confirming our position as the expert organisation in Support Planning & Brokerage. Our success as a forward thinking organisation was highlighted on the BBC1 Politics Show in August 2010 with at least 20 minutes dedicated to our activities and views on surviving the current economic climate. If you missed it, (how dare you!) you can watch it on YouTube - search ‘Disability Syndicate’. It’s difficult to discuss every project in my report, as such I’m just going to take this opportunity to thank each and every staff and volunteer who has kept my head high as CEO of the best and I truly mean the BEST ULO in the country. Let me also thank the Board of Trustees/Directors who have once again been a competent well-oiled machine giving sound advice and even telling me to slow down every now and then!

Thank you all

Amo Raju

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It has been a very busy year for DD with 3 new projects starting and the move to Pride Park.

The Stroke Activities project and the Carer’s Breaks project both started in April last year.

Ambers has worked hard getting activities chosen by people affected by stroke up and running, with the most popular being Boccia & Yoga. The project has been so popular it has now been extended until the end of October. 56 people now take part in the activities and many will continue when the project comes to an end. Raichel’s Carer’s Breaks project has also been extended until December. This has made a significant difference to many people’s lives in Derby and has also introduced them to the other services we offer at DD.

Chores4You took off slowly, but has snowballed into a thriving Social Enterprise, with 8 members of staff and 54 customers using the service each week. Chores4You have grown from a domestic agency into a service that many people use for general support to access activities and appointments. This is growing rapidly and with the changeover to Personal Budgets giving people the freedom to choose their services rather than simply being allocated a provider.

As with all our services, choice and control is at the centre. The Independent Living Team has done a great job of promoting the benefits of Personal Budgets and making the customers Self Directed journey an easy one. Many people have now made the transition from Direct Payments to Personal Budgets with our help and support; this has been made all the more smoother by the Do What You Want Directory and the other projects and services we offer.

I could fill several pages talking about the staff and the projects, but unfortunately I have limited space.

So I will end on a Thank You to the staff and management of DDEC who have made us all welcome at Pride Park and DD staff who have made the move without too much disruption to their projects and have finally stopped moaning about the heat (or lack of) in the office.

Sally Austin

Personalisation Managers Report

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Shirley Peacock, Raj Johal Derby City Council provides funding to Disability Direct so that we can provide support and guidance to clients who are referred to us and are receiving Personal Budgets from the Local authority.

Case Study When I met Mrs T, she was living alone following a recent stay in Hospital. Mrs T’s daughter, Dee, had taken on a huge part of the support she required, this was putting a strain on her family life and her finances too, as it meant she was traveling to Mrs T’s 2 or 3 times a day. Dee was also greatly concerned over Mrs T’s safety as she was becoming forgetful and she just could not manage to be there any more than she already was. I met with Mrs T and her family and we looked at the ‘circle of support’ around her and the local services and social opportunities nearby. I helped Mrs T formulate a Support Plan on how to achieve the life that she would like, taking into account her current circumstances. Mrs T decided to hire both family members and PA’s, helping to spread the responsibility. On my most recent visit, Mrs T and Dee both told me how happy they were with the service they have received and that all their fears over taking on such a responsibility had been proven unfounded. Mrs T now sees a range of family members on a regular basis and is happy now to ask for help without feeling like she is ‘putting on’ anyone. Family and friends feel more at ease knowing the responsibility for Mrs T is shared and managed to meet her needs. Mrs T told me how she is loving the variety of company she now has in her home, she finds getting about and getting things done is much easier for her now and she is feeling much more secure and happy within her life.

Direct Payments and Personalisation

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Naomi Hope Big Lottery funded project Enable is the young people’s project. It supports 16-25 year olds to find new activities, helping improve their confidence, independence and life skills.

Case Study “Before Naomi came to visit me, I was really bored all the time. I only ever went out on Saturday night, but even that meant my parents having to come with me.” By chatting to Hannah I discovered her passion for sports and her wish to get out and meet some new friends. We arranged for her to join the local youth club and also a disability football club.

“Football gave me more exercise and kept me active. Youth club gave me confidence, and allowed me to make more friends. My parents also became more confident because I was able to get the bus and walk up to the youth club on my own. This also gave me a lot of independence.”

She also joined the Youth Forum and volunteers with Naomi promoting the Enable Project at schools and events.

“Volunteering improves my confidence and helps me develop my skills, and I’m able to share my own experiences with people. Naomi also helped me gain certificates for my volunteering which are good to have on my CV and make me proud that I’ve been able to contribute to my community in a big way.”

Enable Project

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Liz Freeman I provide advice and support with discrimination in employment and access to goods and services. My salary is met from Disability Directs core funding.

Case Study My client had been recently diagnosed with epilepsy.

A week after her diagnosis she informed her employers. They immediately called a meeting to discuss her continuing employment.

They indicated that they did not think she would be able to continue in her present role, based on health and safety concerns.

They suggested an alternative role – however this would have involved a change onto a shift rotation (and night working was not recommended) and working in a yard with large fork lift trucks (again contra-indicated on Health & Safety grounds)

After a discussion about her impairment I explained that she was likely to be covered by the Equality Act 2010 (EQA)

I wrote to her employers and a meeting was held shortly afterwards, where we discussed the possibility of adjustments to her existing role. All agreed that this would not be possible.

Fortunately the Company had taken their duties under the Equality Act into account and offered redeployment into a new position with suitable hours, the same salary and working in an office based environment.

The client accepted her employer’s offer and was very satisfied with the outcome.

“Many thanks for your support and help it means a lot to me and my family.”

Disability Discrimination Advice

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Rob Barfield I joined Disability Direct in September 2010 as the Welfare Rights and Benefits Advisor. My main duties include assisting people to complete Department for Work and Pensions forms, offering free impartial, independent information and advice on state benefits and tax credits, making service users aware of benefits that they may be entitled to and signposting to other organisations when necessary.

Case Study Janice came to Disability Direct for some advice on claiming DLA. She had unsuccessfully tried to claim twice before for her Chronic Emphysema. I could see how her impairment affected her; she found it difficult to walk the few meters from reception to my office before she became breathless. After enquiring about the help and support she received, I could tell that she had possibly underestimated her care needs on the previous applications. So I advised that she should apply again and I would help her to complete the claim form. Within two months of completing the form, Janice received a decision awarding her both the high rate care and mobility components of DLA. She telephoned me to say how grateful she was and how the extra income had made a big difference in allowing her to get out more and regain some of her independence.

Welfare Rights

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Charlotte Rawlings & Amandeep Baines Funded by the Big Lottery Fund, the Big Help Project has been set up to prevent social isolation for older people (60 and over) living in the Derby City area. Many older people would enjoy taking part in some form of social activity, but feel they are unable to because of their mobility, their health, or perhaps a lack of transport. We offer an opportunity to get out and about, to take part in local activities of their choice.

Case Study Zainab, the scheme manager for a local housing association whose residents were from BME communities contacted us about the possibility of arranging social activities for them. Their ages varied from 60 to late 80’s, many have health problems, living by themselves with little or no family for support.

Zainab the residents and I discussed how the project could help them. Many of them wanted to interact with one another, which was something that they do even though they are neighbours. The residents felt uncomfortable and lacked confidence at attending local groups and activities. We arranged a lunch club at a nearby community room, where they had time to meet and talk with one another.

This was so successful that they wanted to continue and do even more things together as a group. We have now arranged other activities such as a gentle exercise class, a visit to the Older People’s Day event, along with a talk on welfare rights and benefits. At their request we have set up weekly yoga classes with a BME instructor to help with their health and general well-being. As a result of the work carried out, new friendships have been made, confidence has been built up with the residents communicating with one another rather than keeping themselves to themselves.

Big Help

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Raichel Collis

The General Information Service provides information and advice on a wide variety of disability related issues; if people have a question linked to disability we will either have the answer or be able to point them in the right direction.

The Carers Breaks Information and Advice Service is funded by Derby City Council to provide specialist advice services to help unpaid carers in the city to access extra support

Case Study

Mrs Green called the Information Service for advice about a housing issue with her landlord. After signposting Mrs Green to an appropriate local organisation for support with her enquiry; I listened to her talk about her circumstances and advised her to speak with the DD benefits advisor about claiming Carers Allowance because she looks after her son James who is 19. I also asked her if James would be interested in speaking with the Young Persons worker about the Enable Young Persons Project.

As Mrs Green is a full time carer for James, I told her about the Carers Breaks Information and Support Service at Derby City Council that provides services for carers. As Disability Direct is part of the carers network, I made an appointment to visit Mrs Green at home to help her complete a Self-Assessment form that would help her access the services.

Mrs Green also wanted to know how to get a blue badge for her father who has mobility problems so I gave the number for the blue badge department at the council. The final result of this enquiry was that Mrs Green successfully claimed Carers Allowance for herself and also received a carers personal budget of £500 from the Carers Breaks Service to support her in her caring role.

Her father got a blue badge and James became involved in the young person’s project, attending activities found for him by the Young Person’s Worker.

General Information and Carers Service

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Emma Chambers The Work and Learning Project has been a great addition to the organisation and is designed to support adults over the age of 18, who are working less than 16 hours, into sustained employment. We also identify or potential training that is required.

Case Study Dave has been unemployed for 5 years, due to becoming a single Dad after the loss of his Wife.

Dave feels ready to start looking for work, as now both of his children have started high school he believes he can trust them enough in the care of their neighbour.

Due to Dave being out of work for about 5 years, he is feeling a little low in confidence and has not done any work on his CV for many years and doesn’t know where to start with getting one up to date.

After spending some time with Dave and getting to know his situation I referred him to the 3 Day Back To Work Programme that looks at CVs, covering letters, motivational skills, online application forms and lots more.

Dave was not sure about this programme, so I arranged for the tutor to speak to him and answer any questions he may have. Dave agreed to give it a go, under the condition that if he didn’t enjoy it he could leave at any time he wants.

After the first day Dave really enjoyed it and completed his CV. This lead to him wanting to stay for the remainder of the programme; the second day of which was looking at application forms. Dave managed to complete a number of applications and return them to the prospective employers.

One employer got back to Dave within an hour and they completed a phone interview. Dave found out the same day that he had got the job and needs to attend an induction the next day. Dave is massively grateful that being part of the project led to him changing his mind and seeing the programme through.

Work and Learning

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Raichel Collis, Sabrinder Basra

The Do What You Want Directory was launched in 2010 and has proved to be a valuable resource for people looking for leisure and recreation activities, peer support groups, domestic services, care agencies and pretty much anything else that is available to older and disabled people in Derby and Derbyshire.

As it is available online, anyone with internet access has been able to use the easily navigable site and we have heard that health professionals as well as service users have found it very useful.

The DD staff have also found it to be an excellent source of information when answering enquiries for people. As not all our service users are computer literate or have access to a PC or perhaps the Internet, we often take calls from people who are looking for activities and use the DWYW to find and print details to post to them.

An excellent feature of the DWYW is the link to public transport so that a Service User can plan a journey to and from an activity, and the option to make a comment about a service received or activity attended has proved very popular, with much positive feedback posted for people to read.

The DWYW directory is growing all the time as organisations and service providers are hearing about it and requesting to be added, and we have had staff and volunteers

researching and adding new entries over the last 12 months.

The Do What You Want Directory

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Statistics

Gender Disabled Person

Who was the Enquirer

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Ethnicity

Category

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Age

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2011 2010 This year has been another one of progress,

with a surplus achieved despite the difficult economic climate. A greater proportion of income activity has been generated through payroll activities which have led unfortunately to an increase in debtors. Managing Cash flow has therefore become more important and creditors have subsequently increased to balance funds. Salaries are the main cost having increased significantly due to the takeover of New Horizons at the Rycote Centre. Looking forward we envisage a year of consolidation with cost control and debtor management a priority

£ £ £ £ Fixed Assets Tangible Fixed Assetts

922,711 937,009

Current Assets Debtors 198,667 83,261 Cash at bank and in hand

36,835 25,177

235,502 108,438 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

189,063 113,340

Net Current assets / (Liabilities)

46,439 (4,902)

Total Assets less current liabilities

969,150 932,107

Funds Restricted 855,612 869,112 Unrestricted – General reserves

113,538 35,995

Total Funds 969,150 932,107

Year to 31st March 2011

Year to 31st March 2010

£ £ Income 1,056,569 1,038,021 Total Expenditure (1,019,670) (821,628) Operating Surplus Other Income Interest Receivable or other income 144 203 Net Retained surplus for the financial year 37,043 216,596

Finance Report

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Feedback

“Brilliant and very helpful.”

“What I’ve seen of the website it’s very useful in every way. I went on it earlier and am going to visit it again now, thanks for your help.”

“The website is fantastic!”

“Thanks for all the support Naomi, it is very much appreciated.”

“I was very impressed with the advice which was appropriate to my circumstances at the time.”

“I felt my query was answered professionally and I left feeling a person not a commodity.”

“I received a lot of support and help from DD and found the staff very friendly.”

“I want to give a big thank you to the DDA advisor; my issue was regarding access to a building and this has been resolved with your help.”

“My advisor was absolutely brilliant! The communication with them was great. I felt so supported and well informed, it made a traumatic time so much easier. My advisor was so

knowledgeable regarding her job.”

“The advisor was patient and understanding and put into words my disability on the claim form in a way I could not.”

“It helped to have some of the questions more clearly explained and it takes the pressure off when you are already in a stressful situation.”

“Good advice, very patient with me and always eager to go over bits I didn’t understand.”

“Thank you Raj, I found you down to earth and easy to understand.”

“All my questions were answered simply and in a way I could understand.”

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Disability Direct Registered Office 20 Royal Scot Road, Pride Park, Derby, DE24 8AJ

Tel: 01332 299449 | Fax: 01332 404041 | Minicom: 01332 398585 Registered Charity Number 1079831 | Company Number 3891119 | VAT Number 894 9833 48