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.
• Advocacy for All (AfA) started in 1997
• It is a charity that gives high quality advocacy, including statutory, non statutory and self advocacy groups
• AfA works in many London boroughs and in Kent
• Advocacy gives a voice to vulnerable people, such as those with Learning Disabilities (LD) and Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) to have bigger voices & better lives.
Introduction 6
Key Word List:
Empowering: the process of becoming stronger and 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
Key Word List
LD: learning disability
ASC: autistic spectrum conditions
This report is about the cost of living crisis and how it affects people with LD and ASC. This is a part of a two year project funded by the City Bridge Trust. This report will look at the different actitivies we did in Year 1 and Year 2.
The cost of living crisis in the UK started in late 2021, but for people with disabilties, COVID-19 was a time when they felt forgotten by society, isolated and starting to experience real poverty. AfA wanted to help their members tell their own stories and share money saving information (including dealing with scams).
Key Word List
LD: learning disability
The people involved The contributors on this project are LD/ASC members who belong to three different teams. The Easy Read Team, The A Team and The Media Team.
ASC: autistic spectrum conditions
They have been involved with presenting the project, running workshops, collecting answers, and creating social media posts, videos and podcasts. The work took place in Bromley, Bexley, Sutton. They talked to AfA staff in Swanley, and also delivered a workshop at the Positive Voices conference at Birmingham.
Money Matters Special Podcast
Cost of Living Crisis 9
Before we released our first Cost of Living Crisis report, our media team thought it would be a good idea to chat about how the cost of living crisis continues to affect people, including those with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum conditions.
They chat about what they spend their money, how expensive things are and what is happening out there in the community.
Please click on the square to the right → to play the podcast
10 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 Bromley members said.
12 What Bromley members said.
What Bromley members 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.
Labels are for jars and not people!
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 OAPs
• 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 October 2023
Our team delivering‘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 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.
Positive Voices Conference
Birmingham October 2023 24
At the end of the workshop 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 music video Money Money Money!
Positive Voices Conference
Birmingham October 2023
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 are the most common scams, and how it can feel to be a victim. Many thanks to Max for help and expertise...thanks to the media team for their contributions and producing this podcast.
Please click on the square to the right → to play the podcast
work in numbers
May 2023 to April
30 Speak Up Sutton members responses
What is the biggest challenge for you in the cost of living crisis? What worries you?
• Not being able to pay for activities
• Not being able to do my shopping
• Try to pay bills
• Price of food gone up
• Heat our flats
• Funding\education
• People can’t put heating on (heating bills have gone up)
• Petrol
31 Speak Up Sutton members responses
What is the biggest challenge for you in the cost of living crisis? What worries you?
• Health care
• Dentist
• Holidays are hard to find
• People are having to steal
• Paying bills
• Buying food when my parents pass away
• Rejection in the society
32 Speak Up Sutton 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
33 Speak Up Sutton members responses
What do you think should be done to help people with LD in the cost of living?
• Arrange more activities for people with a learning disabilities
• By giving more financial support and support from family relations
• Give to people out of the goodness of your heart
• They should make activities for people with learning disabilities
• Support people with independent living skills
34 Speak Up Sutton members responses
What do you think should be done to help people with LD in the cost of living?
• Companies sharing their profits
• Help people to 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 simple things in life
35 Speak Up Sutton members responses
What do you think should be done to help people with LD in the cost of living?
• make it affordable for people to afford the
• People with a learning disability should pay less for recreational activities.
• People with hidden disabilities should be given a choice of living in a supported living home
• food and bills should be more affordable
36 Speak Up Sutton 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 LD issues
• Cutting 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 members responses
What is a message you want people in power to hear?
• Understand people with a LD better
• Talk less but do more
• Create more opportunities for more employment for people with a learning disability
• The government should create more support in the education field for people with a learning disability
38 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
• 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 bank
• Look for cheap shops
• Bargains/online
• Know how to budget
• Food banks
• 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 2023
41 Bromley Mencap
Key Word List collaborated: we worked together with Bromley Mencap.
In year 2, we collaborated with Bromley Mencap who started their own cost of living project.
We attended their cost of living presentation in Orpington, and talked to them about how we can help each other.
2 weeks later we recorded a podcast with Martin who works for Bromley Mencap and is part of our media team.
Please click on the picture to ← the left to play the podcast
42 Bromley Mencap
Key Word List cyber incident: when someone tries to trick you online take advantage of you.
Advice Bromley Mencap have given us to help deals with scams:
• If you know how, you can block numbers from your mobile phone and block emails when they have tried a scam.
• If you have been a victim of a cyber-incident, you can report this online. Report a Cyber Incident - NCSC https://reportncsc.gov.uk/
• If you want to complain about a business you can click on the link: Find-local-trading-standards-office
• If you want to find out if the number calling is a scam, let it call and go to voicemail or stop. You can then search the number by clicking the link here: https://who-called.co.uk/
45 Bromley Mencap
Bromley Mencap have given us these stickers to cut out and stick to our windows.
46 Money Money Money Part 2
At the end of the project, the members wanted to write a second part to their original cost of living 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 music video Money Money Money! Part 2
47 AfA’s Team Day 2023
We shared our presentation with staff at Advocacy For All (AfA). We spoke to 51 advocates and staff from the charity.
We wanted to hear from people who work with people with learning disabilities to see what they thought about the impact the cost of living crisis had on the people they support.
“It was really important to speak with the team at AfA, as their opinion as professionals gave us information that was different from speaking with individuals with learning disabilities. It also meant we got to reach people who maybe don’t have a voice, as we spoke with their advocates who could share their opinions with us.
48 AfA’s Team Day 2023
What is the biggest challenge for you or your clients in the cost of living crisis? What worries you or them?
• I worry if young people are okay, they can come and talk to us.
• Paying bills
• Cost of activities and food, when we do socials some members cannot attend and do not come, it is hard to find places they can afford.
• Being able to do what they want independently, having to go along with what others decide.
• Some members pretend they are okay when they are not.
• People want council properties because they cannot afford private rent anymore but there are not enough council properties.
49 AfA’s Team Day 2023
What is the biggest challenge for you or your clients in the cost of living crisis? What worries you or them?
• Very little choice if accomodation
• Unexpected costs
• Cost of shopping (supported living)
• Continuing healthcare (CHC)
• Increased care needs not being met because of funding
• Financial uncertainty
• Mental health and anxiety
• Debt
• Rent increases
• For children- entering crime or exploitation/ grooming
• Increased care needs not being met because of funding
50 AfA’s Team Day 2023
What is the biggest challenge for you or your clients in the cost of living crisis? What worries you or them?
• Hunger
• Heating/bills
• Cost of prescriptions
• Food bills
• Local authority funding
• Funding of services
• Affording everything
• Waiting for health appointment
• Lack of affordable housing
• Cuts to services
• Unexpected costs
• Financial uncertainty
51 AfA’s Team Day 2023
Key Word List
LD: learning disability
ASC: autistic spectrum conditions
What do you think should be done to help people with LD and ASC through the cost of living crisis?
• Space to talk about it and support each other
• Community kitchens and cafes
• Easy read information from all services
• Training and support re budgeting
• Practical support
• Easy read information (accessible information i.e. BSL)
• Access to advocacy
• One off payments from central government
• Easy access benefit system
• Budgeting support through reviews- one to one support
• Support access to services
52 AfA’s Team Day 2023
As a group, what is a message you want people in power to hear?
• Listen better and act!
• More representation from real people, stop being detached from reality.
• Come see how we live and understand we feel.
• FUND US
• Listen and understand to the impact this crisis has on our lives
• Don’t put adult services under pressure to cut services
• Listen to what the people are saying
• Make things less complicated- universal credit, interest rates and access to housing
• NOT EVERYTHING SHOULD ONLY BE ACCESSIBLE VIA A COMPUTER
53 AfA’s Team Day 2023
What support do you know about already that you can tell others about? What tips do you have?
• Our speaking up groups are great support
• You are not on your own
• Warm spaces
• Citizen advice bureau (CAB)
• Food banks
• Community shop
• Grants and funding
54
Bromley coffee morning
What is the cost of living crisis?
• Not having enough money
• Everything is expensive
• Everyone is worried about money/prices going up
What are you most worried about?
• The council turning the street lights off
• Topping up my energy meters and it lasting long enough
• How much my shopping will cost at the till
• Not being able to buy the things I need and that make me happy/All my bills going up
• Our homes not being able to pay our careers
• Not having enough money to pay for our support\care
• Having to move somewhere new or away from family\ friends and support
55 Bromley coffee morning
What are you most worried about?
• Not having enough money to pay for our support\care
• Having to move somewhere new or away from family\ friends and support
What do you need?
• More money
• Government schemes to help with food prices
• Give up some luxuries
• Discounts on trips and leisure activities
• More support service’s
• More support to access the support services
• For the government to bloody listen
56 Bromley coffee morning
What could AfA do to help?
• More money based meetings
• More drop in lunches
• More Bromley SUG coffee mornings at community house
• More fundraising
• Drop ins for help with banking or budgeting
57
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 this Money Matters Project, we saw a need for an Older Persons’ project. We ran Older People’s sessions, with many members finding the challenges of getting older were made worse by the Cost of Living crisis.
58 Lunch club and Older Peoples group
We have been running monthly lunches, and inviting guest speakers, to help us explore this topic. We also had guests from the NHS, local authorities and charity sector workers.
These guests also came to our afternoon tea event, where we had presentations from our members and guests.
We listened to our members who this crisis is impacting in a big way, and what they feel they need and want to make things better.
Remembering Linda 59
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.
