Campaigns

UR works hard in policy forums and campaign groups to advance the needs and aspirations of people we support.

We are always looking for opportunities for people to speak up themselves. If people want us to, we support them to take part in campaigns.

We try to engage positively with issues - our main aim is to offer practical suggestions. We produce short policy papers to help highlight key points when we have something useful to contribute.

Current Issues:

Independence, Wellbeing and Choice

This is a Green Paper on the governments strategy for social care for the next 10 - 15 years. It is not only about older people but is also about vulnerable groups including people with learning disabilities

The key point of the document is that it recognises that people can only make real and meaningful choices about the way they live their lives if they are empowered to manage those choices. We believe direct payments are a huge step forward in making choice a reality. But we also believe more needs to be done.

Read our letter to Guardian Society >>

Read about our response to the Government's Green Paper >>

In July the Government announced that it would deliver its social care strategy through a joint White Paper on social care and health.

To find out more about the joint White Paper, go to www.dh.gov.uk

Mental Health Bill

UR is a member of the Mental Health Alliance, a group of organisations working to ensure the new Bill will improve the lives of people with mental health needs.

The Joint Scrutiny Committee published its report on the draft Bill in March. The Government published its response to the Joint Scrutiny report on the draft bill in July.

To read the Mental Health Alliance's response to the Government, please go to www.mentalhealthalliance.org.uk

Mental Capacity Act

The Mental Capacity Act has now been agreed.

The Mental Capacity Act has now been agreed. The aim of the Act is help people who may not be able to make their own decisions. It will come into effect in 2007.

For more information, go to www.makingdecisions.org.uk

To read the Act, go to www.dca.gov.uk

Disability Discrimination Act 2005

The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 has now been agreed.

The new Act updates the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995. It aims to introduce a new responsibility on all public services to consider disabled people in everything they do. It creates new rights for disabled people to use public transport, and for disabled tenants to make reasonable adjustments to their homes.

For more information go to www.drc.org.uk

Equal Treatment: Closing the Gap

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) is looking at why people with mental health needs and people with learning disabilities get ill more often than other people. To find out more, please go to www.drc.org.uk.

If you would like to tell the DRC about things that happen to you when you see a doctor or nurse, please go to www.drc.org.uk and fill out the questionnaire.

UR is actively involved in several groups working for change.

ARC (The Association for Real Change)
http://www.arcuk.org.uk
ARC is an umbrella organisation which brings together those who provide services for people with a learning disability.

The Making Decisions Alliance
http://www.makingdecisions.org.uk
The Making Decisions Alliance is campaigning for urgent new legislation on mental capacity.

Mental Health Alliance
http://www.mentalhealthalliance.org.uk
A coalition of over 50 organisations, sharing common concerns about the Government’s proposals to reform the Mental Health Act (1983).

Mental Health Providers Forum
Voluntary agencies working together to improve mental health.

Voluntary Organisations Disability Group
VODG is a federation of 22 national voluntary organisations who provide direct services to support disabled people.