The BILD factsheets
Frequently Asked Questions about learning disabilities
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Advocacy
The White Paper "Valuing People 2001" states that advocacy is an important way for
people with a learning disability to have more choice and control in their
lives.
Advocacy is varied in the ways in which it works, but operates on certain
basic principles and approaches.
Advocacy can take a number of forms, but independent advocacy such as citizen
advocacy, peer advocacy and self-advocacy should be differentiated from the
roles played by family and professional carers.
The government would like everybody with a learning disability who wants
advocacy to have access to it. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 has introduced a
new kind of advocate.
Download our fact sheet about advocacy
Chemical restraint
Chemical restraint is the use of medication for the purpose of alleviating or
managing the symptoms or behaviours associated with an underlying psychological
condition.
Download our fact sheet about chemical restraint
Communication
Communication is a basic human right. Communication is the means through
which we control our existence. It is the way we make friends and build
relationships. It is the way we become independent and make choices. It is the
way we learn. It is the way we express our feelings, thoughts and emotions. It
is the way we make sense of the world around us. Communication works through a
two-way process by which messages are sent and understood between individuals or
groups of people.
Download our factsheet about communication
Direct payments
Valuing People, the learning disability White Paper for England, states that
Direct Payments are an effective way of supporting greater choice and control
for people with a learning disability.
Download our
factsheet about direct payments
Human rights
The British government introduced the HRA in 1998 to make rights drawn from
the European Convention on Human Rights enforceable in courts throughout the UK.
It came into effect in October 2000. The Convention was itself passed by the
Council of Europe in 1950 as a response to the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights made by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948. The UK was
one of the first countries to sign the Convention, in 1953.
Download our
factsheet about human rights
Learning disabilities
Learning disability is a label which is convenient for certain purposes, but
people with learning disabilities are always people first.
Different ways of defining and classifying learning disability are used, but
all are open to some interpretation.
There are few official statistics for numbers of people with a learning
disability, and our knowledge is based on studies of prevalence.
The causes of learning disabilities are not fully classified, but are mainly
environmental or genetic factors, or chromosomal abnormalities.
Support for people with learning disabilities has moved away from the medical model to a social model based on inclusion and integration.
Download our fact sheet about learning disabilities
Loss, bereavement and death
This factsheet looks at some of the ways a parent or carer can help a person
with a learning disability to understand and cope with loss, bereavement and
death.
In the past, people with a learning disability were not always told about the
death of family or friends, because it was often thought they would not
understand. This is not the case and someone with a learning disability will
grieve in the same way as anyone else.
Download our fact sheet about Loss, bereavement and death
Self injurious behaviour
Self-injurious behaviour (SIB) has been defined as “Any behaviour, initiated
by the individual, which directly results in physical harm to that individual.
Physical harm will be considered to include bruising, laceration, bleeding, bone
fractures and breakages and other tissue damage” (Murphy and Wilson, 1985).
Download our fact sheet about self injurious behaviour
Time out and seclusion
There
is no evidence that seclusion as a practice has any therapeutic value to the
person exposed to it. Further to this, the practice of planned seclusion in
services other than those that have ‘lawful excuse’ is illegal.
Seclusion must only ever be considered as a last resort; in terms of efficacy
the evidence base is extremely poor. It is not appropriate that it be part of
any positive behaviour support plan as it is purely a management strategy.
Practitioners must look at the practice they are undertaking as calling it
something else will not change what is happening if their practice infringes a
person’s human rights or deprivation of liberty legislation.
Download our fact sheet about time out and seclusion
BILD has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information
contained
within its fact sheets, but cannot be held liable for any actions taken based on
the information provided.
Page ref: '05faqs' Owned by: enquiries@bild.org.uk Last updated: 21/07/2010