The Society for Children
and Adults with Learning
Disabilities and their Families
Supporting Campaigns
Lobbying MPs, ministers & agencies on legislation and policy changes
Helpline: 0161 474 7323
Here to help with questions relating to learning disability and its impact on family carers
Membership
How to join us…
Membership of Rescare is available to individuals, families, and affiliated groups (charities, schools, etc.). Your membership of Rescare helps us to campaign on your behalf; to represent the interests of people with learning disabilities, their carers, and especially family carers.
Rescare has always tried to present the views and interests of its members in consultations undertaken by government departments (e.g. the Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Justice) and by bodies such as the Law Commission – and we continue to do so. We were closely involved in consultations prior to the publication of the Valuing People White Paper and the passing of Mental Capacity Act, and we take a special interest in the operation of the Office of the Public Guardian and the Court of Protection.
Members are entitled to contact our Helpline for advice and information.
Members receive a quarterly newsletter, Resnews, which aims to keep them up to date with issues in the learning disability sector, and with Rescare’s activities.
We have created an area of our website with access reserved for members. Details available here. This is being used initially to make back-issues of Resnews available as PDF documents.
We do not operate a forum, but we do encourage members to send us their views on issues related to learning disability (by post or email); we will consider publishing any submission online on our ‘Editorial and Letters‘ webpage, or in Resnews.
If you are interested in becoming a member:
- phone us on 0161 4747323, or
- email us at office@rescare.org.uk , or
- send us a message via the online contact form (see our Contact page), or
- or download and send in the membership application form, available here as Word or PDF format.
Rescare on Facebook
Special Needs Jungle launches SEND Community Alliance (see below). If you are ever short of something to discuss on the doorstep with canvassers in coming weeks, there is always the SEND crisis... SEND Community Alliance: A Manifesto www.specialneedsjungle.com Bristol victory for a residential specialist college placement at Ruskin Mill. Tribunal backs autistic man's college fight www.bbc.com www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/joint-select/human-rights-committee/news-par... www.parliament.uk
Awaiting the reaction from others to this report published today. Listening to Radio 4's Today programme, I heard one committee member describehow she and other members were 'traumatised' when hearing oral evidence from parents and carers.
Not reassuring to read that "The Committee states it has no confidence that the Government’s target to reduce the numbers of people with learning disabilities and/ or autism in mental health. The biggest barrier to progress is a lack of political focus and accountability to drive change. A Number 10 unit with Cabinet level leadership is required to urgently drive forward reform."
Harriet Harman puts it pretty bluntly: “It has been left to the media and desperate, anguished parents to expose the brutal reality of our system of detention of people with learning disabilities or autism. We must not look away. The horrific reality is of whole lives needlessly blighted, and families in despair. What we saw does not fit our society’s image of itself as one which cares for the vulnerable and respects everyone’s human rights. It must not be allowed to continue.”
Perhaps something other that Brexit to discuss with canvassers on the doorstep in coming weeks...
The Society for Children and Adults
with Learning Disabilities and their Families