Newsletter December 2011 Camphill’s future – a families’ perspective
Camphill is in the middle of great changes. This newsletter focuses on how families can help and support Camphill in dealing positively with the many challenges and demands of the modern world. There are ways in which every family can help.
Meeting with Huw John Almost a hundred members attended our meeting with Huw John, the new CVT Chief Executive Officer, on 26th November at the Sheiling School Thornbury. It was the largest gathering of Camphill families that we have ever had, all keen to find out more about Huw’s view of Camphill’s current dilemma. There were two sessions. The morning session was a presentation by Huw John, followed by considerable discussion on How can Camphill maintain its values and practices in the face of all the challenges it faces? During the afternoon session Huw spoke separately to families of Botton residents while others continued the discussion of matters of importance to families, particularly about carrying forward developments arising out of the meeting with Huw. A full report is included on pages 3 - 6.
Next steps –ways to help Camphill The CF&F trustees will continue to meet with Huw to take forward the developments which we would like to see within the CVT. We are also conscious that the non-CVT communities should be part of this onward process of consultation. Further meetings for families. • A meeting will be held on 3rd March at Delrow. Please see the attached/enclosed invitation for details. We hope it will be an informative and productive meeting. • A meeting will be held in the north of England at which Huw John will speak again. • A brand new Scottish Families and Friends group is in the process of being set up. More details will follow. Retaining the Camphill ethos The desire to retain the Camphill ethos, features and practices came through very strongly at the meeting and remains our main concern. Some ideas are included on pages 6 – 7 below for discussion among families and with communities. This will be the subject of our next meeting. Involving families Camphill has not traditionally involved families very extensively but the feeling of the meeting, strongly endorsed by FFC, is that proper partnership working should be established 1
on a community basis – and possibly wider in the Camphill charities that have more than one community. Some communities already have parents’ forums and parents’ groups, although they might not operate full partnership working. Achieving such a partnership might not be easy but we encourage families to join with other families to develop a strong partnership group. Achieving an effective partnership might not be an easy task but it is worth discussion among families and with the charity/community. Some ideas for what a Families’ Partnership might look like are included on page 7 below. However the main point is to get an embryonic partnership started among families.
Other News
State Benefits Families alerted us to the fact that the Government’s policy of putting as many people as possible onto the new Employment Support Allowance instead of Income Support has already started to happen to Camphill residents and is causing serious problems. It is essential that families know of this process and are able to be present at interviews with Department of Work and Pensions consultants. We believe that those families who are appointees for benefits will be informed directly of the process but it is important that those whose appointees are community members should be asked to alert families to the situation. CF&F agreed to find out what lobbying is taking place on this matter within the learning disability community and to join it if possible. Elder care Some families were interested in elder care for their relatives being provided within Camphill. While ideally this might take place within each community this will not always be possible. One potential development will hopefully take place at Camphill Communities Thornbury, where a facility for retired co-workers, and residents from all communities is being planned, although it is still at an early, tentative stage. Enquiries are sought from any families who might be interested – please contact Evan Davies on 02920 707751 or at evanandjennifer@hotmail.com . Elder care is matter which we would like to raise more prominently in the future as it is of vital interest to all families.
A reminder of what Families and Friends of Camphill does There is a lot of confusion in people’s minds about what CF&F does. Many people also confuse us with Camphill Pages and with the Camphill Family fundraising project. CF&F exists to support people with learning disabilities living in Camphill communities. We hold two or three general meetings a year to inform people of issues of social care and developments in Camphill and to enable families to keep in touch with Camphill and with one another. We keep members informed of relevant events and issues through our own newsletter and through our slot in Camphill Pages. We respond to government 2
consultations, often in conjunction with Camphill, on Report on adult social care, ordinary residence, the combined social care and funding proposals. We liaise and lobbying, most recently in our Camphill One Voice presence, and we have run large scale projects for person centred planning project.
such as the recent Law Commission Dilnot Commission and the current with Camphill on matters such as PR proposal to develop a stronger public Camphill such as our advocacy and
We represent over two hundred families of Camphill residents, approximately a third of the total. We find it difficult to reach our potential members because of data protection restrictions so we would be grateful if you would mention us to any other Camphill families you know. The person to contact about membership is Annie Singleton at annie@anniesingleton.com or 020 7585 0140. Your comments We would greatly like to encourage discussion among members on any of these matters. Please would you send your views to Evan Davies (please contact Evan Davies on 02920 707751 or at evanandjennifer@hotmail.com ) and we shall try to publish your letters in a future newsletter.
We wish all our members a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year
Reports and ideas for discussion Report of the CF&F regional meeting of 26th November 2011 1. Morning session: How can Camphill maintain its values and practices in the face of all the challenges it faces? A report on Huw John’s presentation and the following discussion The presentation a. Initial reflections • Huw covered his own career in the Learning disability sector and his introduction to Camphill. He has visited all CVT communities, including the whole spectrum of varied provision from village communities to independent flats, and engaged with co-workers, residents, Camphill groups and families • The Learning disability sector is reeling under revolutionary changes, such as the personalisation agenda, the Charity Commission’s developments in governance and the reduction in the number of charities, the drive for social enterprise and partnership working, funding cuts. Amid all this the charitable sector has the strongest voice. 3
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All of this requires much more imaginative responses especially in the area of personalisation, which must already be implemented. Huw believes in providing the best, happiest, most cared-for and safe personalised life in the context of an intentional community. Huw has difficulty representing Camphill to the sector, in which he has played an active part, because Camphill does not have a good reputation there, being regarding as insular and dinosaur-like.
b. A SWOT analysis • Strengths: a unique and varied care model; wonderful resources in land, assets £90m+) and some phenomenal people. • Weaknesses: very fragmented; lack of a shared vision; poor governance; poor communication; poor relations with the sector. • Opportunities: Big Society and family involvement and support; potential for innovation and change with varied models of care; experience in social enterprise; wealth. • Threats: the revolutionary changes taking place in the sector; poor reputation, especially the reputed lack of accountability and the perceived weakness and paternalism of the co-worker model; Camphill’s inward focus, inertia and denial. c. Particular challenges in the Camphill context • To respond to external regulation, to keep pace with the sector and to join the sector. • To improve Camphill’s reputation within the sector and outside it. • To face the decline in co-worker numbers and the increase in employees. • To infuse the co-worker body with professionalism. • To adapt the co-worker model to modern practices, including payment. d. Big questions • What are our models of care? We must set new models based on modern needs. • What does the Camphill ethos mean? We must adapt it. • What are the real financial costs? We need to know what these are as we do not know now, having had poor management accounts. • Why are things so challenging? Basically our Camphill ethos is colliding with reality. We know this very seriously from various investigations and inspections. Our governance has been wrong, has not made Camphill adapt and we have lost our way. e. Shall we change – and next steps • We must test the co-worker model, adapt, keep the brilliant bits and engage with society. • Twelve next steps: improved website and IT; CVT forum; evolution not revolution; Camphill relationships; co-worker forum; membership model; resident forums; family forums; Stepping Stones; newsletters; CVT support team, trustee workshops. • If we don’t adapt we won’t exist.
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Discussion points following the presentation a.
Huw’s presentation • A greater realisation was expressed about what Huw was trying to achieve and there was considerable support for his modernising efforts
b. The importance of Christian values and practices • Huw accepted the duty to maintain the Camphill ethos and stressed importance of anthroposophical study for all, including managers. c. The co-worker support model • There were several questions from families, all supporting passionately the vital importance of Camphill co-workers in providing the community life and community practices for our relatives, as well as the family-based households. Huw acknowledged their support and trust in his assurances about the coworker model and said there was no agenda to remove the co-worker model but to keep the ethos in the context of retraining co-workers. Huw stated that the trustees, along with the National Carers’ Forum director and the leading professional consultant Helen Sanderson, will discuss the model within the context of an intentional community. • Huw is opposed to the more paternalistic, controlling Camphill households but not to properly personalised households. The household model needs testing. It is often not the model but the personalities that cause the model not to fit in with modern practice. Some authorities also have reservations about children living on site. Huw stressed the importance of compliance with regulation etc and stated that, while the current household model does not yet comply, he will do his best to ensure that the model he agrees with will comply. • It was stressed that the true costs of the co-worker model need to be known. d. Personalisation • Huw stressed the importance of individual choice but not in an old-fashioned, uninformed and dogmatic fashion but as balanced, informed choice. He believed in a shared community life for those who want it. e. Elder care • Huw stated that this was an interest of his and he appreciated that families and residents wanted provision within the communities in which residents live. 2. Afternoon session / General discussion Huw met the Botton families in a separate meeting during the afternoon. During this session the majority of remaining parents discussed the following: a. Continuing the dialogue on how to retain the ethos and practices of Camphill communities • The CF&F trustees are to meet with Huw in six months time on this subject. • Another general meeting was decided on to take forward the dialogue, the speakers being managers with experience of retaining the Camphill ethos and 5
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other relevant speakers. The suggested venue was Delrow and the date 3rd March 2012. A newsletter will be produced as soon as possible to continue this on-going dialogue. A meeting will be held in the north of England similar to today’s meeting.
b. Benefits • The problems of our relatives having to undergo interviews with DOWP were discussed. • The importance of a family presence in such interviews was stressed, as well as the importance of a family member being the appointee, to whom letters are addressed. • It was felt that we should campaign and lobby on this, preferably by linking up with established campaigns e.g. MENCAP. The trustees would discuss this at their next meeting in January. c. Families’ Partnerships • While Huw had welcomed a CVT families' forum, it was also felt that members should try to develop proper partnership working at a community level. A discussion paper on this would be sent out shortly to members. d. Elder care • A proposal to build an eldercare facility in Thornbury for retired residents and co-workers was announced. Information about this will be circulated in the next newsletter.
Some ideas for a families’ perspective on maintaining the Camphill ethos etc in the face of the challenges facing Camphill What aspects of Camphill do families regard as important? 1.
A flat, consensual and inclusive style of governance and management as it is is legally possible to achieve within charity law and social care legislation.
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A very clear statement of the organisation’s commitment to anthroposophical principles (as in the Camphill Articles), including a clear statement of what an intentional community means for residents and others, being as wide and inclusive as possible, with residents and co-workers (needs based and employed) at its centre.
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A new, wider and more inclusive concept of community than at present, incorporating other groups as well as residents to a greater or lesser degree, i.e. co-workers, employees, trustees and families. Such a trend is already developing within the Camphill movement.
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The importance of spiritual and cultural features, including services, festivals, study, gatherings and other community activities.
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An emphasis on the particular Camphill beliefs and attitudes surrounding the support and care of people with learning disabilities.
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The pursuit of genuine personalisation and other regulatory requirements within the setting of a strong intentional community.
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Special attention need to be paid to retention of co-workers as those who mainly deliver the Camphill ethos and features of community life, whether they are needsbased or employed, live-in or live-out.
Some ideas for families’ partnership working What would be the features of an effective families’ partnership? 1.
Recognition of its distinct entity and role by trustees and management of each community and a clear line of communication between the charity and the Families’ Partnership.
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Independence, including the selection of its own representatives, its separate identity and its ability to meet separately.
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Its collective role: a. To help plan and monitor services generally within each community (not individually unless a general issue is raised by an individual case). b. To be informed and consulted on and to raise any matters affecting the lives of residents and the life of the community such as strategies, policies, new developments and changes in governance and management.
Contact Details General - Evan Davies, Secretary to the Trustees at evanandjennifer@hotmail.com or on 02920 707751. Membership - Annie Singleton at annie@anniesingleton.com or on 020 7585 0140.
THE ASSOCIATION OF PARENTS, RELATIVES AND FRIENDS OF CAMPHILL also known as ''FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF CAMPHILL'' is a Registered Charity no 1078930
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