Residents with learning difficulties set the agenda for better services

Support worker Janine Fearon with Katharine Lukash and Brendan Murphy

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Dating events, more social gatherings and skills swaps could all be in the pipeline for people with learning difficulties in Rochdale as part of a new drive to give them more of a say in the services they receive.

The ideas came out of new ‘working together for change’ events, which aim to put service users in the driving seat and encourage them to share their views on what they would like to see on offer for them in the borough.

The group, which comprises residents with learning difficulties and their families and carers, has now come up with a number of ideas, which will be considered in detail when the council and other social care providers get together in the coming weeks to talk about priorities for the next year.

Among the service users’ ideas was a timebank. This sees different members of the community who do jobs for each other get paid in time, rather than money. For example, one person might walk someone’s dog and the dog owner might then cook a meal for them in return.

The group also suggested speed dating nights, regular coffee mornings and more support to help them get jobs, such as a local careers fair and skills workshops. They also want to explore the possibility of their family members being involved in the recruitment of the staff who support them.

Danni Sullivan from Spotland is attending the Working Together for Change Events. She said: “It felt really good to give my point of view and to have people listening to me. My carers are helping me to get what I want. I’m hoping to move into my own flat soon.”

Katharine Lukash added: “It’s good to see new people at these events and see my lot who I meet at the Cherwell Centre. I like to hear different things. It felt like people were saying new things, not the same thing.”

Brendan Murphy said: “I thought it was good to have my say. Sometimes I keep a lot in, but everybody should have their say. It doesn’t matter what people think. People might have needs that other people don’t understand, but without saying anything, nothing will be done.”

Councillor Billy Sheerin, Assistant to the Cabinet Member for Adult Care at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The people who access these services have never been as involved as they are now and it’s an important step forward. This is their opportunity to help set the agenda.

"No one understands their needs better than themselves and their families and they’ve come up with some really interesting ideas, many of which will cost very little to implement.

"We look forward to working together with our social care colleagues to start getting these ideas off the ground in the next few months.”