New Year new blog

2018 was a big year for CASBA, with our 30th anniversary celebrations taking place in the summer and then the unveiling of Birmingham's first Learning Disability Heritage project in the autumn. Now we're looking forward to 2019 in our new offices at St Laurence Pastoral Centre.

While looking back at what we've achieved, we must also look at the challenges that we face in 2019. CASBA will be more strident this year in speaking out on the injustices that are damaging our citizens' human rights. Our development group are going to take part in a letter writing campaign to highlight some of the worst examples that we have come across and push for more action to create positive change.

It was good to see that the roll out of Universal Credit is being delayed again, although 10,000 people will still have the transfer trialed on them. We know from bitter experience the failings of the system and the desperation it pushes people into. If Universal Credit had been rolled out in full this year, we are not sure that we'd have been able to cope with the workload, when it has taken up to 50 hours of our advocates' time to resolve a single case! For those without access to the internet or the skills to use it, obtaining Universal Credit has proved to be even more difficult than for most. 

The changes to the slashing of Child Benefit after a legal challenge were also welcome. Welfare payments should not be open to being retrospectively removed, yet this is what the government was planning to do by denying those who already have more than two children the means to support them.

​​The cuts to services across the board are really biting hard now. This is affecting the human rights of people with Learning Disabilities so seriously that we are certain that more legal challenges will be necessary to protect the most vulnerable and ensure that they retain their rights to a decent quality of life. Whilst the Fairway Day Centre has won its battle to stay open in the short term, we are still very concerned that such provisions are still very much under threat. We know they are not suitable for everyone, but they are the only source of respite for some carers and the only place ensuring dignity for those requiring specialist facilities, so removing them when there is nothing to replace them is inconceivable.

---

We are delighted to be widening our offer to citizens this year in offering more training courses, as well as advocacy services. Thanks to funding from the Police Victims Fund, we are now offering a course on wellbeing, called "I'm Worth it" and another course on "Freedom" about domestic violence in addition to the "Protecting me, Being Free" course, which covers keeping yourself safe. Please get in touch if you would like to refer an adult with Learning Disabilities in South Birmingham to us, who you feel would benefit from these courses.

​CASBA is as determined as ever to make a positive difference to the lives of people with Learning Disabilities after 30 years. If you'd like to help us, we are looking for new volunteers, Trustees and people to raise funds for us, so get in touch.