“Things
Introduction 5
Key Word List: statutory advocacy: where local boroughs have to provide certain advocacy services as a legal right.
Non-Statutory advocacy: this type of advocacy is very important and is sometimes called General advocacy. Local councils are not required by law to provide this.
LD: learning disabilites
ASC: Autistic Spectrum Conditions
• Advocacy for All (AfA) started in 1997
• It is a charity that gives high quality advocacy, including statutory, non-statutory and selfadvocacy groups
• AfA works in many London boroughs and in Kent
• Advocacy gives a voice to vulnerable people, such as those with a learning disability (LD) and those with
Learning Disabilities (LD) and Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) to have bigger voices & better lives.
Introduction 6
Key Word List
Inclusive: including everyone.
Empowering: the process of becoming stronger and more confident, with more control of their lives and rights
Person centred: a service where the client is at the centre of everything (the planning and the running of a project
• AfA support many people who do not have a voice. The people we work with are often:
◦ isolated
◦ unable to access services
◦ have less social employment opportunities
◦ have poor mental & physical health
◦ experience abuse in a variety of ways.
• This is a human rights issue
• Our service is person centred, empowering and professional
• We provide quality services that include everyone
• We are passionate about helping our clients to speak up
About this report 7
• The cost of living crisis in the UK started in 2021
• People with disabilities were feeling forgotten by society
• They felt isolated, like they did during the Covid-19 pandemic
• Many were starting to experience real poverty
• Advocacy for All wanted to help their members tell their own stories and share money saving tips
• The work took place in Bromley, Bexley, Sutton, with Advocacy for All staff abd professionals from CLDTs/partnership boards, and self advocates from the Positive Voices conference.
The contributors
Key Word List Contributors: people involved in writing and collecting information. Also helping with videos, podcasts and photos.
• The people involved in the project are our group members, who had learning disabilities and autism
• They belong to 3 different working teams
◦ The easy read team
◦ The a team
◦ The media team.
• They have been involved with
◦ Presenting the project
◦ running workshops
◦ Collecting data and asking questions
◦ Creating social media posts, videos and podcasts
9 Message from Jon Wheeler CEO of Advocacy for All
“...Everything is getting much more expensive, so working with you to find out what we (AfA) need to do to help is really important...we need to hear the things that are difficult for you...what you tell is so important.”
• The above quote is taken from the first event we had for the Cost of Living project.
• This was the Money Matters conference in Bromley.
• The following pages will show all the work we have done from May 2023 to April 2024.
10 Money Matters Conference, Bromley, July 2023
In this video below we show highlights from our Money Matters conference, looking at the ‘Cost Of Living Crisis affecting people with LD/ASC.
Please click on the square to the right → to play the video for this conference.
11 What the people said.
12 What the people said.
What people said.
We asked the members here two questions. We wrote their answers at the bottom of the graph, and the coloured bars tells us how many times we heard those answers with the numbers on the left hand side.
Members Monthly Meeting, Bromley Together
• On the next pages, we have the responses from our members at our Members Monthly Meeting.
• They meet once a month to discuss what is important to them and are part of Bromley Together. The meeting took place Monday 6th November 2023.
• We talked about what the cost of living crisis is, how it makes people feel and what people worry about.
• We then asked the members what the government can do, and what AfA can do to help.
Members Monthly Meeting Bromley Together 15
Please click on the picture of Brian with his son Jonathan to play a video message for our 25th Birthday. Bigger Voices, Better Lives. What is the cost of living crisis?
• Raising prices
• Things are more expensive and its harder to do things
• Food prices have gone up so I really have to think about what I buy and eat
• It’s higher energy bills, It isn’t very good
• Lack of stock on shelves as everything is so expensive
• Home improvements aren’t possible because materials are too expensive
16 Members Monthly Meeting Bromley Together
What is the cost of living crisis(continued) ?
• Food packages are smaller but the same price
• Child care costs are so high so I have to stay so much more and rely on my family more
• My money now only goes a short way
Everyone we interviewed said that the cost of living crisis has affected them in many ways.
It
has made them poorer, and nothing is being done to lower any of the prices.
17 Members Monthly Meeting
Bromley Together
How does the cost of living make you feel?
• Miserable
• Let down by the government
• Sad, angry, depressed
• Worried
• Annoyed
• Disappointed
• Stuck
• Helpless
• Stressed
• Lied to
• Out of control of things
•
18 Members Monthly Meeting, Bromley Together
What worries you about the cost of living?
• How I need to spend my money now Christmas is coming
• That it will go on forever
• The prices of energy
• Being able to live of dads pension
• How I’ll cope when dads gone
• The cost of getting married and if it will ever happen
• The price of food and being able to stay healthy
• Running out of money
19 Members Monthly Meeting Bromley Together
What worries you about the cost of living ?
• Keeping an eye on my money and keeping it
safe
• Keeping a roof over my head
• I worry about everything
• Food packages are smaller but the same price
For our members, living under stress because of money worries is now becoming normal.
This has meant that members now ask AfA about creating mental health projects.
20 Members Monthly Meeting Bromley Together
What can be done to help?
• The government/council could help with saving schemes
• More gift card schemes for shops to help with shopping
• Lower prices
• Ask the government for more help
• Lower fares for older people
• Give everyone a pay rise
• Members of the government to take a pay cut
• Put financial letters and advice in easy read
21 Members Monthly Meeting Bromley
Together
What could AfA do to help?
• More advice drop ins
• More lunch drop ins
• More coffee mornings
Find out info about
• Savings
• Where to go for help
• What support is there
• Benefits
• Schemes that are available
22 Positive Voices Conference
Birmingham September 2023
Our team sharing the ‘Money Matters Project’ at the Positive Voices conference. It was great to meet the other self-advocacy groups and individuals, share our work with them, and hear their views on an important subject.
Please click on the square to the right → to play the video for this conference.
23 Positive Voices Conference
Birmingham October 2023
We asked the people there here two questions. We wrote their answers at the bottom of the graph, and the coloured bars tells us how many times we heard those answers with the numbers on the left hand side.
Positive Voices Conference
Birmingham October 2023 24
At the end of the workshop and presentation, we showed our music video based on the Abba song “Money, Money, Money”. The song lyrics were written by our members about how the cost of living crisis affects people with disabilities.
Please click on the square to the right → to play the video for this conference.
Positive Voices Conference
Birmingham October 2023 25
What do you want to tell people in power about the cost of living crisis?
Positive Voices Conference
Birmingham October 2023
What support do you know about already that you can tell others about? What tips do you have?
Spotify Podcast
How To Deal With Scams with Max Finney.
In this special episode, Max talks to us about:
• scams
• what the common scams are
• how it can feel to be a victim
• Many thanks to Max for his help and expertise
• Thank you to the media team for their work on this podcast
Please click on the square to the right → → → to play the podcast.
Our work in numbers
30 Speak Up Sutton and Action Voices members responses
What is the biggest challenge for you in the cost of living crisis? What worries you?
• Not being able to pay for my supported living
• I am worried that I won’t be entitled to any other benefits
• I am worried going to supported living
• Paying for bills
• Not being able to go out to do social activities eg. coffee
• Not being able to afford anything decent when it comes to clothes
31 Speak Up Sutton and Action Voices members responses
What is the biggest challenge for you in the cost of living crisis? What worries you?
• Not being able to pay for my activities
• Not being able to do my shopping as the price of food has gone up
• People can’t put heating on as heating bill have gone up. I can’t heat my flat
• Funding
• Education
• Petrol prices
32 Speak Up Sutton and Action Voices members responses
What is the biggest challenge for you in the cost of living crisis? What worries you?
• Health care and dentist costs
• Holidays are hard to find and afford
• People are having to steal
• I worry about buying my food when my parents pass away
• Rejection in society
33 Speak Up Sutton and Action Voice members responses
What do you think should be done to help people with learning disability in the cost of living crisis?
• Arrange more activities for people with a learning
• disability
• Give more financial support
• Give to people out of the goodness of your heart
• Support people with independent living skills
34 Speak Up Sutton and Action Voices members responses
What do you think should be done to help people with learning disability in the cost of living crisis?
• Companies should share their profits
• Help people gain work experience and get in house support
• Making people aware of hidden disabilities
• People should get more money when on benefits
• Help each other if they need help
• Increase the disability living allowance for the simple things in life
35 Speak Up Sutton and Action Voices members
responses
What do you think should be done to help people with LD in the cost of living crisis?
• supported people with independent living skills
• People with a learning disability should pay less for leisure activities
• People with a hidden disability should be given a choice of living in supported living
• Food and bills should be more affordable
36 Speak Up Sutton and Action Voices members responses
What is a message you want people in power to hear?
• Provide enough benefits support for people with a learning disability
• Have more respect
• Listen more and take action on the importance of learning disabilities issues
• Cut down on food prices
• Make it easier for LD people to have access to benefits
• People in power should earn less and give more to people with LD
37 Speak Up Sutton and Action Voices members responses
What is a message you want people in power to hear?
• Understand people with an Learning Disability better
• Talk less but do more
• Create more opportunities for employment for people with a learning disability
• The government should create more support for education for people with a learning disability
38 Speak Up Sutton and Action Voices members responses
What support do you know about already that you can tell others about? What tips do you have?
• Spend more money wisely and think about how much money you spend on things
• Think about how much money you spend on things
• Bring up issues without complaining
• Cooking skills
• Learning how to budget
• Paying your bills
• Do not spend too much money on clothes, make the ones you have last longer
39 Speak Up Sutton members responses
What support do you know about already that you can tell others about? What tips do you have?
• Get help with money problems
• Go to the food banks
• Look for cheap shops
• look at bargains online
• Know how to budget
• Charity work
• Help the homeless
40 Speak Up Sutton members responses
What support do you know about already that you can tell others about? What tips do you have?
• Spend money wisely
• Warm hubs- Sutton
• Winter fuel money
• Personal Independent Payment (PIP)
The interviews took place in Sutton on Thursday 8th February
41
Lunch club and Older Persons group
We have run 40 lunch time sessions, with an average 4-6 people attending. The lunches are important to our members they tell us:
• “they bring people together” “they help to keep us warm in this cold weather”
• “they help us to have chats and feel part of our community”
Because of the lunch sessions, we saw a need coming out of the Cost of Living research.
42 Lunch club and Older Peoples group
• We have started running our Older People’s sessions
• Many members said that finding the challenges of getting older were made worse by the cost of living crisis
• We have been running monthly lunches, and inviting guest speakers, to help us explore this topic.
We had guests from the BHS, local authorities and other charities. We heard from members how the crisis is impacting them.
Remembering Linda 43
While we were doing this research on this great project, we sadly lost our lovely Linda. Linda was a big part of this community, and one of the original members of Bromley Together. Her absence is felt by all of us.
We were honoured to call Linda our friend, and she was a true advocate. She was an incredible help on this report and all the activities by AfA.
We were honoured to call Linda our friend.
