Mike Adams, the CEO of ecdp, was awarded an OBE for his 20 years of service to disabled people. The bulletin provides updates on ecdp projects including working with Skills for Care to support disabled employers and seeking new trustees. It also summarizes local initiatives on developing an Essex health strategy and dementia care training, as well as national news on extending the Right to Control pilot and inclusive sport grants.

1. July 2012
This update includes
Monthly Bulletin 38 articles on the following
topics:
Dear Members,
This month we were delighted to hear our Chief
Executive, Mike Adams, had been awarded an ecdp news
OBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours list. The
OBE was given in recognition of Mike’s services 1. Mike Adams, ecdp CEO,
to disabled people over the last 20 years. awarded OBE
2. Could you be a
The response Mike has received since the Trustee/Director at ecdp?
announcement was made has been extremely 3. ecdp – Working with
positive, and he wanted to pass on his thanks to Skills for Care to support
all those individuals and organisations who have you as an employer.
supported him – and ecdp – over the last few
years.
You can read more about Mike’s award on page local news
3 and on the ecdp website. Keep an eye on the
website for pictures of Mike receiving his OBE! 4. Your help is needed to
develop a Joint Health &
Also in this bulletin is an update on the work we Wellbeing Strategy
are carrying out with Skills for Care, looking at for Essex
ways to ensure their useful information is made 5. Person Centred Dementia
as available as possible to you. Care
You’ll see on page 5 that there are lots of ways
you can get involved in this work, including paid national news
focus groups. For more information on this work,
please contact ecdp using the details below. 6. ODI launch consultation
on extending the Right to
Best wishes, Control pilot
7. Update on Remploy from
Rich Watts Maria Miller MP
8. Inclusive Sport -
July 2012: Monthly Update 38 Page 1 of 10

2. Monthly Bulletin 38 – July 2012
Director of Policy & Development
We welcome member contributions to the
bulletin, our website and the ecdp
magazine. If you would like to write
something, or comment on any of the
articles in this edition of the bulletin, please
get in touch with us using the details below.
If you have missed a previous email
bulletin, they are all available on our
website: ecdp monthly email bulletin.
Telephone: 01245 392 300
Email: info@ecdp.org.uk
Post: Ivan Peck House, 1 Russell Way,
Chelmsford, Essex CM1 3AA
July 2012: Monthly Update 38
Page 2 of 10

3. ecdp news
Mike Adams, ecdp CEO,
awarded OBE
Mike Adams, Chief Executive of ecdp, has been awarded an OBE
in The Queen’s Birthday Honours list in recognition of his services
to disabled people.
Mike Adams OBE said:
I am absolutely delighted and take great pride in what I have
achieved.
But the award is also a reflection of the many amazing people
I have worked alongside and who have both supported my
development and shared the passion for making a difference to
the everyday lives of disabled people.
Mike has been Chief Executive of ecdp since 2007. Over the last 5
years, ecdp has supported over 20,000 disabled people across Essex
to have choice and control.
Terry Collin, Chair of ecdp, said:
Mike’s OBE is a tremendous acknowledgement of his work and
dedication. I’ve known and worked closely with him for some 10
years and long-admired the intellect, commitment and drive he
brings to any role or project he undertakes.
As a result of Mike’s leadership, the lived experiences of
disabled people in Essex have shaped and influenced important
changes at local and national levels. So I’m absolutely delighted
that his talents, achievements, but above all his considerable
personal contribution to advancing the interests of disabled
people, are being recognised in this way.
Further news and press coverage about Mike’s award is available on
the ecdp website.
July 2012: Monthly Update 38 Page 3 of 10

4. ecdp news
Could you be a Trustee/Director
at ecdp?
Could you help set the strategic direction at ecdp – a leading Disabled
People’s User Led Organisation (DPULO) – which serves, and
represents, the interests of disabled people in Essex and beyond?
We are a charity and company limited by guarantee and are looking
for people to join our existing Board of Trustees/Directors. We need
people who:
 have a self-declared impairment, as recognised under equality law
(this includes long-term health conditions such as diabetes, HIV etc)
 live, work or study in the geographical county of Essex;
 have experience of working at a strategic level; and
 can commit to around 10 days a year to prepare for, and attend, Board
and/or committee meetings
In return Trustees/Directors will directly contribute to making ecdp’s
vision of enhancing the everyday lives of disabled people a reality.
They also have the opportunity to meet many policy formers in Essex
and influence central government.
We would welcome expressions of interest from those with experience
in any field, but would particularly like to hear from those with a
background in financial management, policy, law or marketing.
To find out more, please contact the Companies and Charity
Secretary, Margaret Watchorn by mwatchorn@ecdp.org.uk or phone
07546 597044.
July 2012: Monthly Update 38
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5. ecdp news
ecdp – Working with Skills for Care to
support you as an employer
ecdp is delighted to be working with Skills for Care to support
disabled people in Essex and beyond who employ their own
staff to access Skills for Care’s useful and time-saving
resources.
Skills for Care wants to ensure the people who work for disabled and
older people in providing care – often paid for by Direct Payments or
Personal Budgets – have the right skills and qualifications to do so.
We know Direct Payments can be a very beneficial way of arranging
your social care. But we also understand that it can sometimes take
time to get the right information to feel fully in control. This is
why ecdp is working with Skills for Care to ensure their useful
information is made as available as possible to you. There are lots of
ways you can get involved in this work.
We will be holding two focus groups, which our members are invited to
attend:
 Apprenticeship Resources: 1pm on Thursday 26 July
 Build Your Qualification Card Kit: 1pm on Tuesday 4 September
The first focus group, held during June, gave our members an
opportunity to review the Skills for Care Personal Assistant Toolkit.
This is designed to help people employ their own PAs and will soon be
updated taking their feedback into account.
You can also let us know your views about the Skills for Care PA
Toolkit by filling out this online survey.
We can pay for people’s travel to and from the focus group as well as
£15 for your time. If you’re interested in attending this focus group or
for more information, please contact Faye Savage on
fsavage@ecdp.co.uk or 01245 214023.
July 2012: Monthly Update 38
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6. local news
Your help is needed to develop a Joint
Health & Wellbeing Strategy for Essex
The Essex Health and Wellbeing board
The Essex Health and Wellbeing board is developing a Joint Health
and Wellbeing Strategy for Essex, and they need the help of Essex
residents.
The strategy will identify the priorities that will make the greatest
difference to the health and wellbeing of Essex residents.
What do we mean by better health and wellbeing?
Health and wellbeing refers to a state of complete physical, mental,
and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or illness.
You can find out much more about health and wellbeing in Essex,
including detailed facts and figures, in the Joint Strategic Needs
Assessment.
Your views count
The Essex Health and Wellbeing board want to hear your views on the
things that you think can make the greatest improvement to the health
and wellbeing of Essex residents.
They are running a short survey, which will take 5 minutes to complete
and includes information on a range of issues that affect health and
wellbeing. This is your chance to say which you think are most
important to you as a resident.
To complete the survey, just visit the Engage Essex website.
July 2012: Monthly Update 38 Page 6 of 10

7. local news
Person Centered Dementia Care
Are you caring for a relative with dementia?
Does your work bring you into contact with people
with dementia?
If so, then you may find this training course from VST
helpful in giving you the background knowledge and
practical skills to make this easier.
What is it about?
The aim of this course is to provide participants with an understanding
of what dementia is and how to care for individuals who have
dementia. It will cover:
 The neurological changes and dementia drugs
 Different types of dementia and the main differences in the signs
and symptoms
 The role of other factors such as personality and social
psychology in shaping the individual’s experience
What will I learn?
 The importance of communication and how dementia affects a
person’s ability to communicate
 How to modify communication skills for people with dementia
 To understand behaviour as a means of communication
 The need for occupation in health and well being
 Through discussion and exercises how to provide activities which
are therapeutic for the individual
Date: Tuesday 17 July 2012
Time: 10am to 4pm
For costs, more information or to book your place, visit the Voluntary
Sector Training website.
July 2012: Monthly Update 38
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8. national news
ODI launch consultation on extending
the Right to Control pilot
Last week a public consultation on proposals to extend the Right
to Control pilot for 12 months was launched by the Office for
Disability Issues.
The pilot was launched in 2010 with the aim of giving eligible
disabled people more control over some of the support they
receive and was due to end in December 2012. However, an
interim evaluation of the pilot that was published earlier this
year, found that although there were many examples of good
practice within the Trailblazer areas, more evidence was needed
about the pilot’s impact. This will be compiled from the evidence
given in the consultation.
ecdp has been integrally involved in the Right to Control in Essex,
which is 1 of 7 trailblazer sites across the county. Right to Control aims
to change the way disabled people are able to both access and use
funding available to them from a range of organisations and provide
new opportunities for disabled people to choose services and support
which works for them.
You can read and download the consultation documents and find out
how to take part by visiting the DWP website. More information can be
found about the Right to Control and the Trailblazers on the Office for
Disability issues website.
Update on Remploy from Maria Miller MP
The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) have released an update
from Maria Miller MP, Minister for Disabled People regarding the
support being put in place to support those affected by the
proposed closure of Remploy factories.
The Minister’s full update is available on the ecdp website and you
can find a Q and A briefing note on Remploy’s website.
July 2012: Monthly Update 38 Page 8 of 10

9. national news
Learning Disability Week
Learning Disability Week is a week of national campaigning
and awareness raising run by Mencap.
This year’s Learning Disability Week continued the great
work of Learning Disability week 2011, which saw the
launch of the ‘Stand by me’ campaign against hate crime.
Since the launch, Mencap campaigners have been working with police
forces up and down the country asking them to sign up to the ‘Stand
by me’ campaign and to tackle disability hate crime. Mencap are using
this week to ensure this work continues.
Learning Disability Week is a great opportunity to keep disability hate
crime at the top of the police’s agenda and for people with a learning
disability, their families and local campaigners, to build stronger
relationships with the police.
If you have any questions, you can email campaigns@mencap.org.uk
to find out more. Also see the Mencap website for more ways to get
involved locally.
July 2012: Monthly Update 38
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10. national news
Inclusive Sport - Sport England
Sport England works to create a meaningful and lasting community
sport legacy from both the London 2012 Olympic Games and
Paralympic Games, by growing sports participation by disabled people
at grassroots level.
They are looking to provide revenue grants of over £10,000, to fund
projects which target disabled people aged 14 years old and above
with a recognised sporting activity or physical activities that lead to
recognised sport.
The application form is available now until the closing date of 31
August 2012. They will also run a series of workshops in June and July
providing further information and support.
To find out more information, visit the Inclusive Sport pages of the
Sport England website.
Disability Rights UK factsheets
Disability Rights UK has updated their free factsheets. These
provide basic information about benefits, tax credits, social care
and other disability related issues and may be of use to our
members. See the Disability Rights UK website for more
information.
July 2012: Monthly Update 38
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