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Real power? An examination of the involvement of people with learning difficulties in strategic development in Cambridgeshire
- Authors:
- DEARDEN-PHILLIPS Craig, FOUNTAIN Rob
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33(4), December 2005, pp.200-204.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Securing meaningful involvement in service development and provision can be seen as a particular challenge for people with learning difficulties. This paper is written from the perspective of Speaking Up – a voluntary organisation that has developed the 'Parliament' model to give people with learning difficulties a strong collective voice. Through self-advocacy taking the leading role in shaping the way people with learning difficulties and statutory providers communicate, it is argued that the Parliament model enables people with learning difficulties to genuinely influence services. After considering the link between self-advocacy and user-involvement, this paper describes the Parliament as it has developed in Cambridgeshire and discusses whether what has been achieved represents a real increase in power for people with learning difficulties. It concludes with a short assessment of the potential for replicability of the Parliament as a model for other areas of the UK.