Newsletter July 2016

www.mylifemychoice.org.uk Charity number: 1073247

We’re very excited to

have won Oxfordshire’s

Charity of the Year award

for 2016. Here’s some

pictures of us at the

awards ceremony.

We’re Oxfordshire Charity of the Year 2016!

July 2016 Newsletter Page 1

My Life My Choice News

Money from the Local Sustainability Fund

My Life My Choice has been awarded £94,458 from a grant

called the Local Sustainability Fund.

What will we spend the money on?

Recruiting and training a new Power Up Coordinator to

develop our Power Up training.

Training a new Inspections Coordinator to develop work like

Quality Checkers and Care and Treatment Reviews. This

work involves people with learning disabilities being paid to

monitor and check services that they have experience of.

Paying somebody to help us check that we are following the

law and help us with our policies.

Advice from the Foundation for Social Improvement.

Training for our trustees.

100 club

100 club committee members went to the train station and asked staff to pick

the winners of the June draw. The winners were John Jackson and Yvonne Price.

John kindly donated his £100 prize to My Life My Choice—thank you John!

Next year’s 100 Club tickets are now for sale!

Buy one for a chance to win £100 first prize and £25 second prize.

Staff changes

July 2016 Newsletter Page 2

Alex, Patty and Clerence have all left My Life My Choice. We want to thank

them for all their hard work for the charity. We will miss them!

We also have 6 new members of staff...

Jess is our Power Up

Coordinator. She

works in the office.

Lydia is our new Finance

and Admin Worker. She

works in the office part time.

Tina is our new Stingray

Coordinator. She also

runs the Oxford Group.

Paula is the new Group

Leader for the Oxford

Young People’s Group.

Ros is the new Group

Leader for the Wantage

and Henley Groups.

Hayley is the new Group

Leader for the Didcot

and Abingdon Groups.

July 2016 Newsletter Page 3

Champion news

Jackie, Shaun, Kate and Michael had

a meeting with Tim Smart. Tim Smart is

the interim Chair of Southern Health.

We asked him about the sale of Slade

House, funding for our health checks

work, and how he plans to engage

with people with learning disabilities.

He said “I want to make sure that I’m

meeting with groups of people with

learning disabilities” and “The NHS

needs to enable people with learning

disabilities to fulfil their potential.”

Follow @OxChampions on Twitter or read the blog on our website to find out

more about what MLMC Champions get up to.

MLMC Champions campaign, lobby and speak up for people who have a

learning disability. This month, Paul and Shaun

went to London to have a

meeting in Parliament.

They met with Suella

Fernandes MP and Alistair

Burt MP (the Minister for

Community and Social Care)

to tell them about Connor

Sparrowhawk, the Justice for

LB Campaign and the

problems with Southern

Health NHS Services.

Afterwards, they watched the parliamentary debate about the failings at

Southern Health. Shaun said: “It was a good day out. Alistair Burt listened to

what we had to say and I hope that will make a difference. It was interesting to

watch a debate in Parliament, but it wasn’t very easy to understand.”

July 2016 Newsletter Page 4

Transforming care event

Aims of the Transforming Care Plan

Overall: To enable people with learning

disabilities and / or autism to have a

good, meaningful and “ordinary” life.

1. To improve people’s health.

2. To improve the quality of support.

3. To help people stay safe.

4. To enable people to have an active

voice and role in their community.

5. To improve support for families and

carers.

6. To improve the continuity of care for

children and families when preparing

and / or moving into adulthood.

7. To improve early intervention and

support for children and families.

8. To improve people’s housing options

and choices about where they live.

In May we held a workshop about the

Oxfordshire Transforming Care Plan.

The Transforming Care Plan will make

services better for people with

learning disabilities who display

behaviour that challenges.

MLMC has been working with

Oxfordshire Family Support Network,

Autism Oxford, and the Oxfordshire

Clinical Commissioning Group to write

the plan.

This is what Dawn thinks needs to happen.

We asked people with learning disabilities and families what they thought of our

ideas so far.

Get in touch My Life My Choice, The Jam Factory, 27 Park End Street,

Oxford, OX1 1HU

01865 204214

www.mylifemychoice.org.uk

@mylifemychoice1

www.facebook.com/1mlmc

Join a MLMC group Abingdon group is 7pm—9pm at 35 Ock Street

Wednesday 20 July, Wednesday 21 September, Wednesday 19 October

Banbury group is 1.45pm—3.45pm at the Ruscote Community Hall

Thursday 28 July, Thursday 25 August, Thursday 22 September

Carterton group is 7.15pm—9.15pm at the ICE Centre

Tuesday 12 July, Tuesday 13 September, Tuesday 25 October

Chipping Norton is 1pm—3pm at The Albion, 1 Market Place

Thursday 21 July, Thursday 18 August, Thursday 15 September

Didcot group is 10.30am—12.30 pm at Didcot Methodist Church

Wednesday 13 July, Wednesday 17 August, Wednesday 21 September

Henley group is 7pm-9pm at Henley YMCA

Monday 18 July, Monday 15 August, Monday 12 September

Oxford group is 2.30pm-2.30pm at Albion Day Time Support

Wednesday 27 July, Wednesday 24 August, Wednesday 7 September

Oxford Young People’s group is 6.30pm—7.30pm at the MLMC Offices

Wednesday 27 July, Wednesday 17 August, Wednesday 21 September

Wantage group is 7pm—9pm at the Wantage Methodist Church

Tuesday 12 July, Tuesday 13 September, Wednesday 12 October

Dates and venues sometimes change, so if you’re coming to a group for the first

time please phone the office to double check.