1. Introductions

Catherine welcomed the group. Everyone introduced themselves.

2. Group discussion 'What do the Council actually DO?'

Services:

• Provides public services- administrates public money
• Charges us taxes
• Leisure services
• Social services
• Libraries

• Complex administrative setup
• Evolving
• Has too many temporary staff and high paid, short term consultants
• Has elected Councillors
• Is inaccessible and has poor communication
• Institutional
• Never see the same person twice
• The Council is restructuring but not reorganising
• Services for Disabled People are hidden. Not clear where to go / who provides services for disabled people

• Staff assume they know the ability of the individual before getting to know the person
• Staff humiliate Disabled People, e.g. having to be observed walking along a corridor to receive companion badge.
• Alienate people
• Make Disabled People feel like they don't exist and have no rights
• Acts like Disability Issues are a high priority when in reality they do little for Disabled People.
• Have no education/awareness regarding Disability, e.g. understanding what 'degenerative' means
• Staff have the power to assess but are not medically trained
• Have no communication skills
• Only make access to services available for Disabled People during working hours so Disabled People who work cannot access, making the assumption that disabled people don't work
• Make you repeat yourself / your case again and again
• Don't recognise people with invisible Disabilities

• Assessment and Care Management
• Direct Payments
• Hackney Recruitment Partnership (assisting those with learning Disabilities to access work)
• Learning Disabilities Service
• Mental Health Service
• Adult placement team
• Mobility
• Emergency Respite
• Leisure/ Parks
• Library
• Regeneration

• Access to leisure facilities (financially and physically)
• Dial-a-ride services/taxi cards and companion badges
• Housing
• Planning, e.g. home alterations and public services/places
• Education- adult education and the disadvantages of being Disabled and seeking employment. Work to provide training and reduce unemployment.
• Support for carers
• Planning, e.g. home alterations and public services / places
• Youth services, access and availability
• Communication from Council to Disabled People, current methods are patronising, e.g. Hackney Today
• Long term provisions, services that are needed but not available e.g. Physiotherapy

• The Forum should first focus on Assessment and care management at the Council.
• Mobility issues, e.g. blue badges, dial a ride
• The Forum should focus on all areas of the Council and find out about the services

• Access team
• Adult and Children's services
• Highways and contractors, repairs and getting about
• Parking Badges
• The Council in general and why there is inconsistent customer care

• Senior officers from the Council should be invited to attend the group and listen to what the group has to say
• Notes and results from the Forum should be sent to the relevant departments and Cabinet
• The Forum should be available online
• The Forum should raise awareness within the Council and community by publicising through. youth services, GP's and Libraries
• Large meetings should be organised
• Smaller specific groups should meet to discuss specific issues
• Diversity needs to be represented
• The Forum should have the power to influence changes and decisions
• Positive dialogue between Forum members and Disabled People who might be isolated
• Empower Disabled People to take action
• Make people take notice of Disabled People and understand what its like to be disabled in Hackney.

• Relevant Council officials should come to the group to talk about the service that they represent.
• Specific focus groups should be established to allow for people to focus on different topics.
• The sessions should be around understanding the Council services and knowing what they are aiming to achieve.
• The Forum should bring better understanding
• The group should have targets, action plans from every meeting and long term goals

• The Forum should be a network, not a group. The influence of the Forum should go wider than the meetings themselves
• There should be a brief terms of reference agreed by the group
• There should be good communication between the Forum , its members who don't access the meetings and the community
• Inclusive, collective
• User led, community focussed
• People representing themselves not organisations.
• Forum should be considered as 'critical friends' not 'critical enemies'