Here is the latest blog from our friends at Lemos and Crane:

Action Against Cruelty: Combating cruelty, harassment and abuse against people with learning disabilities. 
Focus on: Civil action in cases of targeted cruelty towards people with learning disabilities. 

Dear Yvonne Davies

Lemos&Crane’s new free website, Action Against Cruelty, provides practitioners and service users with guidance on tackling cruelty towards people with learning disabilities. Welcome to our newsletter. Simply click the links to login and read more in each section. Click here if you do not have a password.

This newsletter focuses on the Civil action section of the website, which covers practical steps that can be taken by civil organisations – in particular local authorities and social landlords – to identify and deal with targeted harassment and cruelty. Guidance includes:
Investigation
This section focuses on effective communication when gathering information about suspected instances of targeted cruelty towards people with a learning disability. This includes information on effective interviews with victims and witnesses including specific guidance on effective communication with a victim or witness who has a learning disability.
Evidence
The investigation and evidence section provides guidance on preserving evidence in cases of suspected targeted cruelty. This includes guidance on keeping incident diaries, CCTV and information and case examples of using heresay evidence. This section also includes information on responding to perpetrators of targeted cruelty.
Responses, partnership and monitoring.
These pages provide guidance on delivering and following through with responses to incidents, including warnings, acceptable behaviour contracts and injunctions. The partnerships pages consider ways of working with other organisations such as the police and local schools. Pages on monitoring focus on using IT to monitor incidents over time.
NEWS
New resources and petition from the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities.The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities have developed new accessible resources for adults with learning disabilities on staying safe when out and about and when using social media online. Read more
The FPLD have also set up a petition calling for a change in the way people with learning disabilities are represented on television and radio. You can read and sign the petition here. The petition is accompanied by guidelines for broadcasters on improving the way they present learning disabilities in media. Read More
Anybody who is concerned about learning disability hate crime can call the Stop Learning Disability Hate Crime helpline on 0808 802 1155. All incidents disclosed to the helpline are reported to the police, although callers can choose not to include their personal details. The helpline is open 24 hours a day every day of the year, and is free. For more information visit the website or email James Gibbs at Stop Hate UK.
Action Against Cruelty is based on our 2012 report Loneliness and Cruelty: people with learning disabilities and their experience of harassment, abuse and related crime in the community. The site has been developed by Lemos&Crane as part of the Voice and Community project with the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation .

 

Your feedback 
If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions for Action Against Cruelty, feel free to contact us by replying to this email or emailing Sarah.
Your work
If you are involved in or aware of innovative work tackling targeted cruelty towards people with learning disabilities, we’d love to hear from you. You can get in touch by replying to this email, or emailing Sarah.

 

 If you would like to display a link to the website on any of your organisation’s communications do not hesitate to get in touch and we will supply you with what you need.If you feel Action Against Cruelty might be useful for others do feel free to pass it on or publicise in any way you feel is appropriate: Forward to a friend
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