Learning Disabilities Partnership Board

Sheffield Learning Disabilities Partnership Board aims to help make things better for everyone with learning disabilities and their families in the city.

The Board works on different issues, like:

• health
• jobs
• housing
• advocacy
• hate crime.

Watch this video about the Board, made by the Pyjama Drama Group.

Plans for 2024

This year, we will be:

• setting up working groups for our city-wide learning disabilities strategy for Sheffield
• checking how our new board is working.

Who's on the Board

The board has lots of different members. This includes:

• People with learning disabilities - these reps make up half the board
• Family carers
• Organisations that support people with learning disabilities, for example, a person who works in housing or a care home, or someone from the NHS
• Workers from local groups that people with learning disabilities go to
• People who have a job deciding how to spend the money for learning disability services.

Rep recruitment: Opportunity for Carers

Unpaid carers are invited to express their interest in joining the Board. We have places for:

• One person who cares for an older adult (50+)
• One person who cares for someone in the mid-adult age range (26-49)
• One person who cares for a younger adult (16-25)

What’s involved

Carer reps will:

• Attend Board meetings every three months, taking part in discussions and decisions
• Link with a carer group or network such as the Carers Centre Network or Mencap & Gateway’s Caring Sharing group, to gather and represent other carers’ views and feed back to local people about Board activities
• Have the option to join project groups linked to the Board’s work.

The role lasts for two years (until summer 2025) and the Board’s new structure will be reviewed after its first 12 months (in summer 2024). Meetings are quarterly in person on a Monday, 2-4pm at The Circle.

Involvement payments and access expenses

An involvement payment of £10 an hour is available for this role. Access and support costs such as carer cover and travel expenses are also available.

How do I apply?

To apply, please send an expression of interest to Christine Anderson:

• email: christine.anderson2@sheffield.gov.uk
• tel: 0114 205 7135 or 07969 852121 - to request a freepost return envelope.

Please tell us:

• which carer rep role you are interested in
• why you want to be a rep for this board and what you could bring to the role
• a bit about your lived experience as a carer.

If we receive more than one expression of interest for any of the carer rep roles, the two Board co-chairs will hold informal interviews with each person to select the rep.

Other opportunities

In addition to these rep roles, there will be other opportunities for carers to work with the Board on the strategy working groups. Please contact Christine to find out more.

Sheffield also has an all-age Autism Partnership Board.