Day 104 – Family Rights, Citizenship & Mental Capacity Act (Workshop)

We are supporting Justice for LB today by co-sponsoring day 104 of the 107 day campaign as part of our Family Rights, Citizenship & Mental Capacity Act project.

We are hosting a workshop today with Simon Duffy (Centre for Welfare Reform), Pippa Murray (IBK Initiatives) and The Cameron Trust.  We are also delighted to have Sally Warren from Paradigm joining us to participate in the day.

The Justice for LB campaign highlights our fears as parents. It has had a profound impact on many of us and has brought us together as we reflect, feel emotional and share our fears. Each of us knows that this could happen to our own young people. We are fearful that our young people’s voice will be lost, that they will not be listened to and that families will be left out of vital decision making.

• What happens to our young people when we are dead or no longer able to look after them ourselves?
• How do we keep them strong and supported to make decisions that have a huge impact on their lives?
• How do we keep our young people safe as they grow up into a world that is full of prejudice, fear, abuse and discrimination?
• How do we keep their voice at the centre?

For many of us our years of involvement and knowledge of our own children and the systems they encounter brings us a deep insight into our children’s well-being. We know what makes them happy, how they communicate and what support they need. We know what they are trying to say and we work hard at sharing that information with others. However, only too often that is missed and our young people are misunderstood and problems arise. We want our young people and adults to be independent with a safety net.
We want our children and young people to grow up knowing and feeling what it is like to be in the “driving seat” and to understand the real power of making decisions, what good looks like, and what support they need to be part of their communities.

Our event to mark 104 day of Justice for LB will give families the opportunity to talk about and share stories of:

• What can we do practically amongst the madness of the system? Together we will explore the problem
• What would we like the system to do to be less mad? We will look at the system and what is working and what is not.
• What are we going to do? Keep ourselves strong in a very difficult situation

Through telling our stories and using positive ways that families have used it plus ways in which it has been abused will enable families to learn from one another.

So what is being discussed at our workshop on #familyrights?

Today @BUsTogether working to support rights of families part of #JusticeforLB with @SallyAWarren @ibkinitiatives pic.twitter.com/Dgz170MNfl

— Simon J Duffy (@simonjduffy) July 1, 2014

@simonjduffy @BUsTogether @SallyAWarren @ibkinitiatives this is important stuff – MCA should be a force for good but often misused / abused

— Steve Broach (@SteveBroach) July 1, 2014

Day 104 begins @JusticeforLB and @BUsTogether we’re talking about #familyrights all day – please join in — Simon J Duffy (@simonjduffy) July 1, 2014

The current system for representation is letting people and families down – #familyrights pic.twitter.com/T9Tt2G8Sts — Simon J Duffy (@simonjduffy) July 1, 2014

“Families know how to support freedom and support decisions, it’s what they do, day in, day out.” #familyrights pic.twitter.com/zR4OskB5JW — Simon J Duffy (@simonjduffy) July 1, 2014

“Use your communication aid like it’s brushing your teeth – it’s essential for keeping you safe” #familyrights — Simon J Duffy (@simonjduffy) July 1, 2014

@SallyAWarren: ‘Families are suffering because of mis-application, mis-understanding and mis-use of the Mental Capacity Act.’ #FamilyRights

— Paradigm (@SallyAWarren) July 1, 2014

#familyrights #107days we support our children to make sensitive common sense decisions every day

— Liz Wilson (@hillsideliz) July 1, 2014

Lots of dysfunctional people, systems and families in the world @lloydeeze33 but too many families are systematically undermined & harmed

— Simon J Duffy (@simonjduffy) July 1, 2014

Families can often be the best champions of people’s freedom – #familyrights pic.twitter.com/qqMdxnym30

— Simon J Duffy (@simonjduffy) July 1, 2014

We must raise our voices and share our common sense solutions. Solutions created by families, which are often ignored #familyrights

— Paradigm (@SallyAWarren) July 1, 2014

Failure to support & respect families is at heart of why so many people are institutionalised in ATUs #familyrights pic.twitter.com/P3F7IN5u8V

— Simon J Duffy (@simonjduffy) July 1, 2014

#familyrights #justiceforLB Katie Clarke says teach our children they must be listened to

— Liz Wilson (@hillsideliz) July 1, 2014

#justiceforLB #familyrights why are families seen as visitors in their loved ones lives? Let’s change this

— Liz Wilson (@hillsideliz) July 1, 2014

Join in discussion with @BUsTogether as families share their experiences, hopes, fears re #familyrights, citizenship + mental capacity act

— Welfare Reform (@CforWR) July 1, 2014

BuT Site Admin

Debs is one of the co-founders and Directors of Bringing Us Together. She is mum to three child with a variety of SEND and has a great husband.