Learning Disabilities Partnership Board (The Board)

Terms of Reference (ToR)

Purpose
To provide an opportunity for stakeholders to be involved in the decisions made that affect
them and their carers in Cambridgeshire. Stakeholders are adults who have learning
disabilities; young people preparing for Adulthood and others who have an interest, for
example, carers and service providers.
Reporting/Governance
A co-chair of the Board will attend meetings of the Adult Social Care Forum (ASCF) to raise
awareness of issues and influence strategic decision-making. The Co-Chair will in turn
report back to the Board. The Board will feedback on, and report to its members on any
local initiatives affecting people with a learning disability and their Carers.

Tasks:
1. Ensure that people with a learning disability and their Carers are continually involved in
the creation and delivery of Cambridgeshire County Councils (the Council) policies
and strategies;
2. Responsible for awareness of how national policies and legislation affect people locally
and reporting back to National government on Cambridgeshires compliance with the
legislation and guidance;
3. Champion people with a learning disability and their Carers (on behalf of their cared for)
views and needs with the Council;
4. Put in place a two-way communication system with people with a learning disability and
their Carers to both gain and disseminate information;
5. Provide linkage between service providers, encouraging joint working and
communication;
6. Provide a focal point for the Council that gives an overview of people with a learning
disability and their Carers services;
7. Provide challenge and comment on existing services;

8. Support services to tackle practice issues successfully by raising concerns via the
ASCF;
9. Work with the Council and service providers to celebrate success and share good
practice;
10. Provide a structure for producing service user case studies and stories, with the aim to
improve practice;
11. Help to avoid wasteful duplication across partners;
12. To work closely with the other Council Participation Bodies to identify and problem solve
common areas of concern;
13. To act as a critical friend to the Council and other providers to ensure that people with a
learning disability and their Carers are treated as full citizens;
14. To request information / reports on topics raised by the board from the stakeholders;
15. To provide feedback to members on all aspects of its work, including an annual report
of activities;

How I feel Sub-group

A sub group of the Board will meet 4 times per year with the specific aim of improving
access to healthcare for people with learning disabilities including those with profound
disabilities and complex care needs, Autism, Aspergers and challenging behaviour. This
group will report back to the full Board.

Key areas of work will include but not be limited to:

The Self Assessment and action plan

Access to Primary Care

Health Action Plans

Health Facilitation/Liaison, Community Nurses and GPs

Specialist health services

Positively promoting health and well being

Mental health

In addition to members of the Board this group will also have representatives from the
following service areas:

Specialist Learning Disability / Liaison Nurses

Healthwatch

Service Commissioners

Mental Health (CPFT)

Safeguarding

Public Health will be invited as corresponding member

Locality groups
Cambridgeshire is such a large County; local groups have been set up by the Learning
Disability Partnership (LDP). They are called Locality Networks.
The localities are:

Cambridge City, South & East Cambridgeshire

Huntingdonshire

Fenland

These networks meet 4 times per year and are responsible for meeting with stakeholders in
the local area to discuss issues, disseminate information, raise awareness of Learning
Disability needs within the locality and contribute to the local implementation of
Transforming Lives and report back to the full board. (See ToR for these groups for more
details.)

Task & Finish Groups (T&F)

Where relevant issues are raised at the Board which require detailed scrutiny, a Task and
Finish group will be convened, which will feed back to the Board on completion of the task.
There will be a maximum of 8 T&F groups per year. Membership of the T&F group will be
decided by the Board and a lead will be nominated, the Cambridgeshire Alliance for
Independent Living (the Alliance) will give support facilitating the meeting. If it is decided
that you will be part of this group you will be expected to attend or send someone
appropriate on your behalf.
3

Board Members (See current membership list for more details)

The Board will operate a two tier membership comprising:

1. Full members who attend and participate fully in Board meetings and have voting
rights;
2. Corresponding members who do not attend (all) meetings but receive all information
and minutes and are invited to participate and contribute via email / telephone etc.

Members only have voting privileges, invited guests may attend where appropriate but are
not members and do not have a vote.

To ensure the Board is representative it will aspire to a minimum of 50% of membership

(full and corresponding) to be made up of a range of the following groups, all of which are
full members:

1) Advocates for people with Learning Disabilities

These advocates will represent the views of people with Learning Disabilities across
Cambridgeshire and raise issues on their behalf; they will have specific representatives
for the following geographical locations and groups of people:

City & South

East & Hunts

Fenland

Young People

High Support Needs

Autism

There is an expectation that these advocates will engage regularly with people in their
area and participate in T&F groups.

2) Family Carers of people with a learning disability

Carers represent the views of their cared for individual and the views of carers more
widely. Carers on the Board play a crucial role in delivering lived experience expertise
and bring their own awareness of relevant issues to the Board.

3) Carers Support Service

A representative will be invited from the organisation which is commissioned by the
Council to provide carers support services. This representative is required to take
responsibility to use their networks and links to people with a learning disability and their
Carers to support voice and consultation activities when required.
4) A representative from Carers Partnership Board
will attend to ensure joined up working between the partnership boards and help to
identify common issues and themes;
5) Individuals with a Learning Disability
Individuals on the Board play a crucial role in delivering lived experience expertise and
bring their own awareness of relevant issues to the Board.

The remaining 50% of the full membership will comprise representatives from the following
statutory and independent organisations:

The Learning Disability Partnership (LDP)

o The Head of the LDP
o Service Development Manager
o Service Managers for North and South
o Young Adults Team

Childrens Services (CCC)

Healthwatch

Cambridge and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

Cambridgeshire Constabulary

The Councils provider services team

The independent sector of service providers

Additionally, a member of the Adults Committee will be nominated to, and expected to,
attend.
The following statutory bodies will have a corresponding membership:

Public Health

Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust (CPFT)

5

Furthermore, the membership of the Board should aim to be representative of the diversity
of Cambridgeshire.
Members will remain on the board for a period of 1-3 years; however, this can be increased
in increments of 1 year, at the discretion of the board.

Co-Chairs
The board will have 2 co-chairs whose roles are to facilitate the smooth running of meetings
and to ensure that the views of all members are duly considered. Elected co-Chairs will
remain in office for two years and may be elected for a further one year. Except in
exceptional circumstances, two meetings notice is required of resignation from the position
of co-Chair. One co-chair will be an advocate of people with LD, elected within that group;
the other will be a member of the LDP senior management team.

Prospective new Board members

Prospective new members will meet with the Cambridgeshire Alliance and / or the Chair (or
the Chairs nominee) who will give an overview of the work of the Board. Any member can
introduce a prospective new member by putting them in contact with the Cambridgeshire
Alliance. Prospective new members may be invited to attend as a guest in the first instance
and membership will be confirmed by a vote by the Board.

Pre-meetings

The Alliance will facilitate a pre-meeting with family carers, to discuss issues and decide
which of these have wider implications and therefore need to be raised at the full board.

A nominated person from the LDP senior management team will meet with Advocates for
people with Learning Disabilities to enable meaningful participation.

Arrangements will be made to support people to prepare for the meeting as appropriate.

Accessibility
The Board has produced a set of guidelines (appendix A) to ensure the meetings are
accessible which all members will receive as part of their induction and this will also be
given to guests prior to the meeting.
Frequency and agendas

Meetings will be held every three months.

Extraordinary meetings can be called by any of the board members, in consultation with
all other members and to be agreed by the co-Chairs

Any member of the board may suggest agenda items to Cambridgeshire Alliance at
least 4 weeks before each meeting to be agreed by the co-Chairs

Agendas will be sent out to members at least 2 week before each meeting; these will
also be available on the Cambridgeshire Alliance website

Referral Onwards
Where individual issues arise, which would more appropriately be referred on for individual
resolution with their allocated worker or local team, through the Complaints Process, or
through presentation at another specialist forum, members will be encouraged and
supported to do so.
Communications
Minutes and other relevant information will be publicised on the Councils and
Cambridgeshire Alliances website, on which there is a dedicated Learning Disability
Partnership Board page.
Lifespan of the Group

The Terms of Reference of the Partnership Board will be reviewed on a three yearly
basis.

Any developments or changes to the Board will be reflected in the amended Terms of
Reference.
These Terms of Reference were agreed by the Board on: 24th June 2015
They will be due for review on: 244th June 2018
7