Here is the latest press release from Action For Botton. The carrot story beggars belief although we shouldn’t be that surprised after last weeks milk disaster! The old saying “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” couldn’t be more appropriate.
Fifth Site Manager in Four Years appointed by Camphill Village Trust at Botton Village
Last Wednesday CVT announced to members the appointment of not one, but two, further ‘temporary’ managers at Botton Village.
Sadly, once again, neither of these managers comes with any experience in Camphill or the running of intentional communities, an issue which has dogged all of their predecessors and caused a range of problems within CVT’s communities including Botton. The issues arising from management inexperience are multiple and diverse, and, for example have included the bizarre incident in the last few weeks when a support worker at Botton spent charity money on buying frozen, pre-prepared, sliced carrots for the residents’ lunch at one of the farms where they actually grow large quantities of organic carrots, (bewildered residents were quite hurt that their efforts seemed to be so undervalued).
In addition, residents are being distressed by many management actions as their choices and wishes are systematically belittled in contravention of the community’s ethos and good social care practice, under which all members of the community are afforded choice and should be involved in decisions. There was no consultation with any community members before these managers were appointed, just as – even more critically – learning disabled residents have had no say in the appointment of new support workers who then come to support them in their homes!
The managers come as a team and include Caroline Tomlinson, Co-founder of charity ‘In Control’, whose incomplete report on CVT’s communities in 2012 was rejected by the families but accepted and endorsed as setting their future direction by the CVT Trustees. This endorsement was not withstanding the fact that no analysis had been provided of both the financial impact of their recommendations, or of their compliance with the Charity’s memorandum – so it was not known if this fiscally viable, nor if this in fact complied with the founding articles and ethos of the Charity at the time it was accepted. Caroline joins in a part time role to support temporary manager Wayne Mason. Wayne Mason comes from a military background via Community Integrated Care.
Neil Davidson, Chair of Action for Botton, said: “We would hope that this is a real chance for a new start as CVT seems to have appointed managers with actual experience in learning disability rather than drug rehabilitation or the prison system, if only there could have been some involvement of the community in the appointments it would have been a real sign that CVT intends to work with the community. We know that they will be warmly and courteously welcomed. Each manager appointed has always been treated with respect and met with the wish to work with them. It would have also been better if they came with previous experience of intentional communities. We can only hope that they will take up the invitations that other non-CVT Camphill communities have extended to them to visit, in order to gain some understanding of how intentional communities should be run”.
A Botton Co-worker, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, says: “It is demeaning for those learning disabled Villagers working hard on the land growing top quality organic vegetables to be served pre-packed, non-organic carrots and shows that the hourly paid support workers are not being properly briefed by CVT managers. He continues “Let’s hope that Mr Mason’s conduct is better than that of predecessors. The present manager David Knowles was reported to the Police for harassing residents and intrusively photographing vulnerable people (and has been “off-sick” for three months since inappropriate pictures were spotted on his Twitter account) whilst his predecessor Mark Horton left in 2012 after formal criticism from Kent County Council for the incorrect removal of one House-mother, from Skylark House at Botton. The Local Authority investigation found that the residents ‘needs were not fully taken into account when changes were made at Skylark House and this had a far reaching effect on health and well being’ ”.
Campaigners claim that over the last four years CVT have been moving all their sites away from the traditional, Camphill community model, converting the communities into sterile institutions devoid of emotional, spiritual and psychological fulfillment. The sites now appear to be staffed mostly by low-paid, gagged, shift-workers who live away from the learning disabled, commute in to work and have little or no commitment to or involvement with the community.
Campaigners say the events of last week only serve to highlight their claims that the new management structure being imposed is inappropriate for running an intentional community that it is at odds with the original objectives of the Charity. These were to support and promote a healthy, vibrant community, including children and pensioners, and where everything revolves around family life with people of all abilities forming caring families, each person contributing and working such as their abilities allow and each being supported by the community according to their needs (see notes for full detail).
The legitimate Co-worker model community is locked in a legal battle to wrest back control of the communities they founded from the Trust’s management who, they claim, have in effect undertaken a hostile takeover.
Overwhelming support for the campaign has been flooding in from the international Camphill movement whilst political support for the Community’s struggle against the enforced changes is growing with concern for the situation expressed by Baroness Hollins in the House of Lords this spring, over 30 MPs of all political colours writing to Ministers to express their concern, an Early Day Motion raised in Parliament about Botton, and the Minister for Disabled People, Mark Harper MP, holding an enquiry at another CVT site, The Grange, in his constituency.
CVT was already under scrutiny in multiple areas with campaigners highlighting serious questions about the way the charity is run including a worrying lack of transparency in its accounts which, in spite of requests, has yet to be clarified; a potential conflict of interest with a director whose own company supplies services to CVT for unidentified remuneration; claims of harassment being made to local Police and pending actions for compensation by former community members who claim to have been bullied out of their roles and communities.
In addition, in February there was a sudden Trustee resignation citing assorted governance issues including concerns relating to the Articles and Memorandum. Finally, legal mediation is expected to be taking place in about 4 weeks’ time relating to the High Court claim brought by campaigners, including parents from one community now devoid of Co-workers, over alleged breaches of the charity’s articles resulting in an end to the shared-living model of care.
While campaigners prepare to present their case to the High Court, the residents have looked to Unite to help them protect their way of life. Some 70 Co-workers and residents have formed a branch of the Unite Community and are organising alongside other Unite activists to raise the profile of their struggle and to organise effectively against the changes.
One can only wonder how CVT’s Chair of Trustees Felicity Chadwick-Histed, also a Partner at Publitas Consulting LLP can continue to ignore the plight of the learning disabled for whom the Trustees are ultimately responsible.
We will as always keep you updated.