Our Work Testimonials

Changing Hearts and Minds

Peter Beard, Senior Commissioning Officer for learning disabilities and carers in West London CCG, reflects on the impact of Changing Our Lives focus on ordinary lives.

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Director praises ‘powerful’ paper

Meredith Teasdale is the Director of Education in Wolverhampton and she was keen to share her thoughts on the city’s young people led strategic ‘Challenge Board’s’ first piece of work.

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Improving people’s understanding of mental health

Working with the Muslim community in Palfrey in Walsall, our Beyond the Stigma project, resulted in people having conversations about mental health and challenging preconceptions. For the majority of people, this was the first time they had spoken about mental health:

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"The poetry slam inspired me to have an awareness of things. I didn’t know about mental health! I’ve learnt that mental health difficulties can happen to anyone."

"There is a stigma around mental health in the community but with events like this we can slowly eliminate it in time."

"Everyone has mental health. Those with mental health keep quiet and refrain from being called abnormal."

"We all have problems at some point. We should not be ashamed."

"We need to talk about mental health more so people in the community become aware and this will help people support each other with mental health difficulties. Some people in the Muslim community are afraid of what people will say if they mention mental health, but mental health is everyone’s business so we need to start a conversation about it. We need to use this work as a springboard for future conversations in our local community."

Siraaj Nadat, community member and Social Worker, City of Wolverhampton Council

"Our children at Palfrey Junior school really enjoyed working with Dreadlock Alien and Changing Our Lives. Not only did they have an outlet for their creativity, but they realised that mental health is an issue that many of us face and some point in our lives. It is of vital importance that we equip our young people with the language to express their needs and the skills to cope with difficulties that they may face. The stigma and prejudice towards mental health problems must be stripped away, and it is through projects like this that we can begin to achieve that goal."

Head Teacher, Palfrey Junior School

The impact of the mental health people's parliament

On 15th June 2017 at a Mental Health People’s Parliament we asked a range of stakeholders why the People’s Parliament was important and why it needed to be led by people with recent lived experience of mental health difficulties. People overwhelming acknowledged the impact of the Parliament and the importance of it being led by and controlled by people with recent lived experience:

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Employment for disabled people and people with experience of mental health difficulties

After training and developing a team of 8 people, 3 with learning disabilities and 5 with experience of mental health difficulties, and supporting them into paid work as Quality Checkers, here is what they had to say:

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The impact of person centred planning

After person centred planning with 28 individuals in institutionalised care, we received the following feedback:

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Enabling disabled young people to design their own support

In Wolverhampton we have worked with young disabled people and their families, supporting them to design their own individualised support, around their strengths and preferences. We worked alongside Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group to ensure funding was available to support these individual packages.

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This approach was taken with young people who had been labelled as some of the most challenging, in the recognition that if we focused on their strengths and possibilities, they could avoid segregated large style services. This was achieved.

‘Working in this way with young people and their families has been fantastic and an eye opener for us: really getting to know someone, rather than just focusing on a list of needs to be met by a set menu of service solutions, opens up a whole range of options and possibilities that leads to more imaginative and creative thinking about how the young person can be supported to develop their independence, achieve their goals and have better lives. For some young people this can mean the difference between a segregated life in services that are not tailored to the individual and are often very expensive, and an ordinary full life in the community.’

Maxine Danks, Head of Service, Individual Care Team, Wolverhampton CCG

‘I would like to thank you for all of your work with Beth, it has been life changing. I only wish I had a Lucy or a Jackie for all of our transition people.’

Jo Lake Lead Nurse - Individual Care Team, Wolverhampton CCG

“I have been qualified for 8 years and I started out thinking about people first and what I could do to help. Somewhere over the years I have lost that focus and I don’t know when or why. Today has really reminded me of why I started out in social work and I will make sure I see the person before the process from now on!”

Social Worker, Wolverhampton City Council

Developing a quality checking team made up of people with learning disabilities

Changing Our Lives worked with Camphill Village Trust (CVT) to develop a quality checking team made up of people with learning disabilities that CVT supports. Part of the training focused on every disabled person’s right to an ‘ordinary life’ as equal citizens. Philip Gibson, Co-production project manager at CVT reflects on the impact of Changing Our Lives’ work:

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The power of poetry

We use poetry to enable people to express themselves and challenge injustice. Here is feedback from ‘Express Yourself!’ and ‘Poet’s First!’, two poetry projects:

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Express Yourself

The Express Yourself project, funded by an NHS England grant, looked at how poetry can be utilised as a medium to work with young people with learning disabilities to discuss the issue of emotional wellbeing and what this meant to them. Four young people with learning disabilities were supported to co-facilitate workshops with 16 of their peers where issues relating to emotional wellbeing were explored. Then young people spent time with a performance poet looking at important words and meanings and seeing how these could be incorporated into poems. The poet used beat boxing techniques: young people danced and clapped along performing their own beat boxing and learning about rhythm and rhyme in poetry.

Thomas Chalk, a Learning Disability Network Manager from NHS England said after reading the book:

“I’ve just looked at the Express Yourself book online… Genuinely have a tear in my eye. Fabulous stuff. I love the way there is so much about the process of communicating and creating woven in with so much about what makes the people individual. With a background in support work with people who have significant barriers to communication, this feels really true – getting to know people, building up a relationship with them, is so much about working together on communication; and getting it right is a shared joy, and a privilege to be part of.”

Poet’s First

Working alongside performance poet, Dreadlock Alien, young disabled people took part in poetry workshops and poetry slams across Sandwell and Wolverhampton and produced their own book of poetry called “Poet’s First!” This body of poetry, funded by a Clore Duffield Poetry and Literature Award, speaks of bullying, racism, teenage pregnancy, education and depression. The young people called the book Poet’s First because they wanted the reader to hear them as young poets, rather than seeing them as disabled first.

“I have never seen this class so engaged and interested in literature. I will definitely see my students in a different light now!”
English Teacher

“The workshop has had such a positive impact on the students. I’m shocked to have heard such emotional and personal poems. It is important that their voices are heard and using poetry is a creative and engaging way to do this.”
Head Teacher

Young disabled people challenge traditional models of ‘care’

Young disabled people tell us everyday that their dreams and aspirations are no different from their peers who don’t have disabilities. They, like us all, want a good income from their chosen career path, their own home, a relationship, friends and good health, not to mention a lot of fun along the way!

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Opening the door for young people in leadership roles

Enabling young disabled people to ‘take over’ leadership roles as part of the Children’s Commissioner’s Take Over day is a very powerful way to expose young people to leadership experiences. After working alongside Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group on a programme to raise awareness of young disabled people’s voices and needs, which included a ‘take over’ day experience, here are reflections of the senior leadership team:

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"We have been working with Changing Our Lives over the past two years to hear the voices of young people who have physical health needs and learning difficulties, particularly as they become young adults. We want to work with young people to improve services and meet their needs. This ‘takeover day’ is a good way for the young people to make a difference. I hope it will also mean we as managers better understand young people’s views of the services we commission for them. I have learnt that there are lots of different ways to work with young people and they have lots of energy and enthusiasm, which can drive change. Thanks you for your drive and energy, which is infectious."

Dr Helen Hibbs, Chief Officer WCCG.

"I have learnt that young people have a voice that needs to be heard and acted upon, so we need to look at new ways to communicate using modern technology. Co-production is the way forward for effective commissioning and we need to work on how to achieve this."

Dan de Rosa, Chair WCCG

"Wow! What a memorable occasion Thursday 19th November was for Wolverhampton CCG. From the early morning ‘take over’ of our executive leader roles, including the chairing of and participation at essential commissioning meetings right through to hosting a showcase event, Kashmire, Gina and Hayden excelled in style and influence. Their youthful vitality, energy and fresh ideas impressed all those lucky enough to be part of their audience on the day. The new challenge must now be to ensure that the young leaders messages and influence become embedded in CCG core commissioning activity."

Maria McCaffrey, Interim Children’s Commissioner

Young people's leadership creates a stir!

Following on from the launch of a young people led white paper on ‘An Ordinary life’ in Wolverhampton, which set out young people’s aspirations for the future, Lucy Harris manager of Wolverhampton Information, Advice and Support Service gave feedback:

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