Ann Craft Trust
ACTing Against the Abuse of Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities

Welcome to our site

The Ann Craft Trust is a UK based organisation working with staff in the statutory, independent and voluntary sectors to protect people with learning disabilities who may be at risk from abuse. We also provide advice and information to parents and carers who may have concerns about someone that they are supporting. Find out more....

ACT, the Ann Craft Trust, and BILD are collaborating on a two year project, funded by the Department of Health. The aim of this project is to produce a training pack that will be available and accessible to all people supporting people with learning disabilities with their financial management. It will also incorporate training for people with learning disabilities themselves in order to raise their awareness about all aspects of safeguarding their finances. Advocates, deputies, IMCAs, brokers and carers will benefit from the training materials that will offer them sound financial management advice and information about prevention and detection of financial abuse.

This resource will develop guidance on financial abuse and the balance between risk, choice and autonomy with reference to human rights and the Mental Capacity Act. Very little work has been done on tackling abuse through advocacy good practice, although training for advocates and those in contact with vulnerable people is crucial. The personalisation agenda supports personal choice and control, but may potentially give rise to new opportunities for financial abuse. New avenues for financial crimes also arise from new technology such as phishing and internet scams alongside an increasing use of the internet by people with learning disabilities.

This project will provide accessible training to all those who may be responsible for safeguarding people with learning disabilities from abuse, as well as people with learning disabilities themselves. Prevention, detection and reporting of abuse will be covered in the training pack. It will promote best practice in financial management and its outcomes will include support for people to manage their finances independently; how to make support arrangements clear, safe and accountable; considering the balance between independence and security; and effective record keeping.

The project aims to gather information from a network of advocacy services and financial support organisations including banks, brokers and deputies to establish the key areas of concern that need to be addressed through training. This will include looking at financial abuse that has occurred and the risk factors that had been evident and avoidable. We will ensure that equal opportunities and human rights are central to this project, including looking at culturally specific good advocacy practice.

For more information about the project, please email us at ann-craft-trust@nottingham.ac.uk

ACT is currently working with the Judith Trust on a research project funded by the Forced Marriage Unit. We would like to hear from any professionals who may have been involved in cases of forced marriage of adults or children with learning disabilities.  Please contact Rachael Clawson on 0115 9515400 for further information. To find out more information about Forced Marriage please click here

Meet our Patrons!!
	"I am proud to be a patron of the Ann Craft Trust"                                                 Bill Nighy
	"People with a learning disability sometimes need others to speak up"                                                    Paula Sage

Donate to the Ann Craft Trust straight from your salary!! Find out more about our Give as You Earn scheme

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The Ann Craft Trust is a registered charity No. 1086592 and is a company limited by guarantee No. 4080805. © 2010 Ann Craft Trust: Protecting People with Learning Disabilities from Abuse. All Rights Reserved.

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