Stronger Together - unlocking the leadership potential of learning disability advocacy groups

Whatever the size or shape of your advocacy, voluntary or community group, finding ways to work together towards a common goal is something that concerns us all. The reality is that this can seem like the hardest thing to do.

Stronger Together is a new approach to leadership for learning disability advocacy groups, supporting them to be more effective in their local communities.

Through Stronger Together we’ll be sharing advice and ideas that helps advocacy groups to unlock their hidden ‘people power’ and be more successful. It’s a chance for you to look at how you work together, what everyone’s roles and responsibilities are, how you work with other community groups and how you support self advocates to become leaders in their community.

You’ll learn more how to build on people’s skills, enthusiasm and potential and you’ll leave having learned practical activities that you can use with your group.

Sceptical about leadership?

You’re not alone. People in the voluntary sector have tended to see leadership as being irrelevant to groups; they believe it is about individuals with particular characteristics, and certain positions and responsibilities.

In fact, the opposite is true. Leadership is more about processes, roles and actions – which many people involved in voluntary groups are already carrying out.

Learning about leadership can help you to understand about how your group works, show any areas that can be developed, and take action with others to make a difference in your group and the people you support.


If you’re interested, come along on to Stronger Together training days:

18 October, Birmingham: ‘Let’s look at Leadership’, an introductory workshop at BILD Annual Conference 2010

25 November, London: Stronger Together – one day course for anyone whose role involves supporting learning disability advocacy and self-advocacy groups or setting up new groups (Community Workers)

2 December, London: Stronger Together – one day course for anyone who works in a learning disability advocacy group/organisation (Advocacy Workers)


Stronger Together is a joint initiative between BILD and Community Sector Coalition (CSC) and based on ‘Liberating Leadership’, a new and practical approach to leadership. For more information about the initiative and the events, contact BILD's development manager for Better Lives, Better Communities, Ken Holland, k.holland@bild.org.uk
 

As part of the 'Protect the Frontline' campaign, which BILD supports and will be promoting, the Learning Disability Coalition have launched a 'Cutswatch' email and website.

They want to hear if you, or the person that you care for have been affected by cuts to services or cuts to funding. They want to know how spending cuts are changing the lives of people with a learning disability and their families. Please email them at the address below and tell us as much as you can about what has happened, where, when and what the consequences have been.

As well as hearing about cuts stories, they are interested in hearing about local authorities who are responding to spending cuts by looking for new ways to deliver services, or by making services more cost-effective. These disguised cuts can be just as damaging as headline cuts.

The information that you send them will support the 'Protect the Frontline' campaign, and may be used on their 'Cutswatch' notice board. They will not include any personal information, and will contact you before putting anything up on their website.

Please email the Learning Disability Coalition at cutswatch@learningdisabilitycoalition.org.uk and let them know what has happened, where, when and how it has affected you.
 

Read more about our response and why we have written to the Minister on our Positive Behaviour Support pages.