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Empowerment

Empowerment is about giving information to people so that they know their rights, supporting people to consider their options and make their own choices and decisions. This is called informed choice and it means that people can have a voice. It is important that people feel they have been listened to and that they feel they have equal rights.

Support can be given in many different ways. For example:

• Preparing with a Chairperson before a meeting so that the Chairperson knows what the agenda is, what issues need to be raised.
• The Chairperson also makes sure that everyone sticks to the rules.
• Rules include things like respecting each other, making sure that everyone has a chance to have their say, making sure people speak one at a time, no swearing or shouting.
• Reading through papers or letters with someone.
• Writing a letter for someone or helping them to write a letter.
• Contacting professionals.
• Attending a meeting with someone and raising their issues on their behalf or helping them to raise their issues themselves.

What is the difference between the Empowerment service and other POhWER services?

• The main difference between the Empowerment service and the generic and ICAS service is that the Empowerment team work with groups of people.
• Sometimes during a group meeting one person might need support with a problem they have, or might want support at a meeting they need to go to.
• If this happens then the Empowerment team would refer them to either the ICAS or the generic advocacy teams.

Traffic light cards

In the past people have complained at meetings that other people spoke too fast, often more than one at a time and that when decisions had to be made they were not able to vote.

• A traffic light system – using coloured cards - has now been introduced at lots of meetings so that everyone can slow the meetings down and participate equally.
• Being able to hold up a different colour card when people wish to ask questions, vote or slow conversations down has made a much wider range of people more able to join in on the meetings they attend, equally with others.
• All the cards also have pictures on one side and the word on the other side, for example the green card - thumbs up on one side and “Yes” on the other.

Traffic light system

RED: To Stop the meeting / No (when voting)
GREEN: Yes (when voting)
WHITE: To ask a question
YELLOW: Slow down the meeting

Valuing People work

• This work involves facilitating the Valuing People Working Group (VPWG).
• The Valuing People White Paper was produced by the Government and it is about involving people with learning disabilities in the decisions made about their lives.
• The areas it covers are:
 Housing
 Transition
 Transport
 Employment
 Person Centred Planning
 Health
• This group links in with the Hertfordshire Partnership Board.
• The Hertfordshire Partnership Board reports to the Valuing People support team and to the government.
• The people who attend the VPWG meetings are from learning disability groups in Hertfordshire.

Group work

• POhWER Advocates are involved in some group work as part of their job.
• Some Advocates support self-advocacy groups by going to the meetings and helping the Chairperson to run the meeting or helping someone to write down what is said at the meeting.
• Some Advocates support groups in hospitals.
• These groups are called Patients' Councils. This is where the patients meet to have their say about what they like and do not like in hospital.
• This can include things like food, being able to use the kitchen during the night.
• In the past, Advocates have supported patients to raise issues about rooms that need decorating. This resulted in the hospital agreeing to redecorate a smoking room.

Members

There are over 100 members of POhWER. Members receive 2 Newsletters a year and they can vote at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Only members can become Trustees. Advocates and the Empowerment team support members at the AGM.

Trustees

• There are 15 places on POhWER’s Board of Trustees. Most of them have used services in the past.
• Trustees go to 6 Board meetings a year where they talk about what is happening in POhWER and where POhWER needs to develop.
• There are also 6 pre-meetings. These take place before the Board meeting. This is where the empowerment team support some Trustees to go through the papers for the Board meeting and prepare any questions they might want to ask at the Board meeting.
• The traffic light cards are used at all Board meetings. This makes sure that everyone is able to take part in the meeting.
• The empowerment team also supports Trustees by making the minutes accessible. This can involve putting pictures with the words, using easy words, using big writing.
• Each year 1/3rd of the Board has to seek re-election.
• Only members can put themselves forward to be a Trustee and only people who are members of POhWER can vote for who they want to be a Trustee.
• Members are also asked to vote on other things. For example, whether or not POhWER should change its name from POhWER (People Of hertfordshire Want Equal Rights) to POhWER. This was an important vote because POhWER had wanted to expand its work out of Hertfordshire.
• POhWER now provides advocacy in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire and Essex as well as in Hertfordshire. Trustees have also been involved in consultations, for example the “Single Assessment Process”

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Empowerment Spidergraph [23 kb]

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