Latest News

North Wales Learning Disability Strategy

Published: 19/10/2018

Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to endorse the North Wales Learning Disability Strategy when it next meets later this month.

The Learning Disability Strategy is being developed jointly by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and the six North Wales councils.

It sets out the vision for health and social services for people with learning disabilities in North Wales. It includes information about the needs of the population and what matters to them, what we want to see change and how we will put the strategy into action. The strategy is due to go to the Regional Partnership Board for approval in November after which it will go through the approval processes of the six local authorities and the health board.

Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Social Services, Councillor Christine Jones, said:

“Our vision for North Wales is that people with learning disabilities will have a better quality of life; living locally where they feel ‘safe and well’, where they are valued and included in their communities and have access to effective personal support that promotes independence, choice and control.

“The strategy is based around what people have told us matters to them: having a good place to live, having something meaningful to do, friends, family and relationships, being safe, healthy and having the right support.  We are committed to strengthening Welsh language services and providing an active offer through the Mwy na geiriau/More than just words framework.

Flintshire is committed in this ambitious regional partnership working and we are building on the best practice we already have in place in Flintshire.” 

The strategy has five work packages that will set out how changes will be achieved and they are:

• Integrated structures: making sure health and social services work better together to support people with learning disabilities.
• Workforce development: making sure staff know how to communicate well with people with learning disabilities in Welsh or English and can make changes to support them well. This will help people get the health care they need.
• Commissioning and procurement: work with other organisations to make sure we have the types of housing and support people need.
• Community and culture change: work with the local community to make sure people with learning disabilities can access lots of different activities and meet new people if they want to. Help more people with learning disabilities to get paid jobs.
• Assistive technology: Find ways to use technology like alarms and mobile phones to help people be more independent.