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The Challenging Behaviour Foundation Website
making a difference to the lives of people with severe learning disabilities
Registered charity no. 1060714
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N.Ireland - Know Your Rights

The recent Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability (Northern Ireland, 2007) sets out a clear vision for ‘Promoting the Social Inclusion of People with a Mental Health Problem or a Learning Disability’. This includes valuing individuals and ensuring that they have ‘full rights to citizenship, equality of opportunities and self determination’, and sets out some key principles such as partnership with users and carers in the development, evaluation and monitoring of services.  However translating policy into practice can be a challenge, particularly for people with complex needs, such as those with severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.

This section lists the key ‘tools’ that can be used to develop the kind of individualised supports that people with complex needs require. 

1. Person – Centred Planning  

A key tool for improving the lives of people with learning disabilities identified within the health and social care sector is a Person Centred Plan (PCP). Person-centred planning means starting with the individual and putting the supports around them that will enable them to have the life that they want. If you are not familiar with person-centred planning do take time to find out more as this approach can be the key to your son/daughter’s needs being met.  (See section 'Know the Process' for further information)

2.  Supporting People, Changing Lives – The Supporting People Strategy (2005 - 2010, NI Housing Executive) 

‘Supporting People’ aims to ensure that people who use support services will be informed and involved in, and can influence the design and delivery of services.  Their overall aim is to commission housing support services that will improve the quality of life and independence of vulnerable people, based on principles of independence, choice, inclusion, partnership, equity, transparency. Northern Ireland Housing Executive are responsible for the delivery of the programme, including prioritising service development, and ensuring positive outcomes for service users. 

3.  Investing For Health NI Strategy (March 2002)

Investing for Health NI highlighted a number of key principles, including: health is a fundamental human right; policies should include equality of opportunity and promotion of social inclusion, individuals and communities involved in decision making, equal rights to fair/ equitable health services and information according to need.  For further information: Contact www.investingforhealthni.gov.uk  or contact your specific Investing for Health Area Partnership:

4. Special Education Needs and Disability Order (SENDO) Northern Ireland 2005

The main aim of SENDO is to ensure accessibility to education for disabled young people. The new order develops the rights of children and young people with special education needs to attend mainstream education and bringing in disability discrimination laws to the entire education system within Northern Ireland.

5. Employment, education and training opportunities

The Disablement Advisory Service offers a number of programmes to suit diverse needs. These are; ‘Job Introduction Scheme’, ‘Access to Work NI’, ‘Employment Support’ and ‘New Deal for Disabled People’: 

The Job Introduction Scheme acts as a job trail so that the person feels that they are matched with the right employment. The DAS aids the employer with a contribution towards costs that might incur. (£75.00 per week over six weeks) 

Access to Work (NI) provides assistance to employers that want to recruit (or keep) people with disabilities. They ensure that employment for an individual isn’t impossible because of problems relating to their disability. 

Employment Support deals specifically with those individuals with severe disabilities so that they have the chance to work alongside non disabled employees in a number of different jobs. 

New Deal for Disabled People: 

Special needs career officers are available within job centres. If the disabled person is at school or a school leaver the officer will look for training and provide guidance.  They also offer a range of practical advice and information.