Campaigns
Introduction to our Campaigns
Policy submissions
Media & press releases
Politics
Current campaigning
How to get involved - campaign with us
Policy & media contact details
Introduction
ACT has always been very aware of the injustices that many children and adults with learning disabilities face - so we thought we should use our experience and knowledge to try and change things for the better.
We know from many of the clients that we have contact with that children and adults with learning disabilities sometimes have difficulties getting access to justice; perhaps they are treated badly by the police, or find it hard to get someone to take them seriously when a crime has happened to them.
We campaign along with two other learning disability charities, VOICE UK and Respond. This joint approach is more effective than working alone as we can share information and knowledge. ACT also works with charities including Mencap and Sense as well as the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and other organisations working with vulnerable children and adults.
Our campaigning focuses on injustices in the legal system, measures to prevent abuse and on making sure that those who are employed to work with children and adults with learning disabilities are suitable to do so.
We also focus on preventing and tackling sexual abuse and violence against children and adults with learning disabilities as our experience tells us that they are at increased risk of sexual abuse. Also, research studies that have been carried out back this up, one study of the sexual abuse of people with a learning disability suggests that at least 1,400 adults with a learning disability are likely to be reported as victims of sexual abuse each year (Brown, Stein and Turk, The Sexual Abuse of Adults with a Learning Disability). It has also been shown that disabled children and adults may be up to 4 times more likely to experience abuse. Despite this there was a low conviction rate of those who sexually abuse people with learning disabilities.
Policy
As part of our policy work, we respond to Government consultations and participate in stakeholder steering groups on public policy. This ensures that our views and the needs of children and adults with learning disabilities are heard by those who make the law.
Some of the formal and informal consultations that we have been involved in are:
• Valuing People Now
• Crown Prosecution Service Violence Against Women Action Plans
• Improving Health, Supporting Justice
• Improving the Criminal Trial Process for Young Witnesses
• Independent Police Complaints Authority Guidelines on Discriminatory Behaviour
• Discrimination Law Review - A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain
• Cross Government Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse
• Extending direct payments to people lacking capacity
• Independent Inquiry into Access to Healthcare
• Making Experiences Count (Government proposals on reform of healthcare and socialcare complaints procedures)
• Witness Charter
Media & press releases
We keep people informed of our work by publicising our campaigns in the media. Our regular comments on events and abuse cases also highlight issues regarding abuse prevention and securing justice for vulnerable victims of crime and abuse.
Links to our recent press releases are below.
• Caustic soda rape - praise for sentence increase
• Caustic soda gang rape - charities condemn light sentences
• Healthcare Commission report causes concern that adults with learning disabilities are at risk of abuse
• A little card is a big hand for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses
• Sentence for encouraging care home residents to fight is too short
• Home Office "forgot the vulnerable"
• Coalition of anti-abuse charities condemns institutional abuse that beggars belief
• Foreign convictions records failure is "giant breach of trust" and "reminiscent of Soham"
For media enquiries, please contact our Director, Deborah Kitson, on 0115 9515400.
Politics
We regularly meet with MPs and Peers to discuss our campaigns, and how they can get involved.
ACT has given written evidence to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry into the human rights of adults with learning disabilities. We have also met with members of the Joint Committee to answer their questions. Our evidence describes how crime and abuse violate the human rights of adults with learning disabilities and suggests recommendations the Joint Committee could make to ensure adults with learning disabilities enjoy their human rights. Our original evidence prepared for the Joint Committee can be downloaded by clicking here and our supplemental evidence can be downloaded here. Additional evidence about disability hate crime can be found here (clarification of this evidence can be downloaded here)
Parliament recently debated the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Bill and we used this opportunity to highlight the hidden problem of the forced marriage of people with learning disabilities. Jo Swinson MP kindly tabled an amendment to the Bill to ensure the needs of people with learning disabilities are met when courts consider forced marriage cases and you can read our briefing on this amendment here. Our original evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights also described this serious issue and suggested reforms to public policy. Further information can be found in our main submission to the Joint Committee and in our supplemental evidence. This is an issue on which we are continuing to campaign.
Current campaigning
• Disability Hate Crime
For information on our work to tackle disability hate crime and what we want to see done, please click here.
• No Secrets Guidance - Adult Protection
While we believe that No Secrets represented a significant and valuable step forward in dealing with abuse against vulnerable adults, ACT believes it is time to examine how this guidance has been operating in practice and how we can build upon it. We are delighted that the Government has announced that such a review will be taking place and look forward to being involved in determining the shape of future policy to tackle abuse of vulnerable adults.
• British Crime Survey
We believe that the British Crime Survey under-represents people with learning disabilities and misrepresents their experiences of crime. This makes it less likely that crime affecting people with learning disabilities will feature in political debate and is likely to hamper efforts to tackle crime against people with learning disabilities. We are currently in discussions with the Home Office on what form reform might take.
• Forced Marriage of People with Learning Disabilities
From our contact with professionals it is clear that forced marriages of people with learning disabilities are far from rare and are likely to make up a notable minority of the cases of forced marriage that occur every year. This is an issue which the Ann Craft Trust is campaigning to bring to wider public attention and to improve official responses to.
• Vetting and Barring
The Ann Craft Trust is committed to ensuring that potential abusers are prevented from working with children and vulnerable adults. A key part of such prevention is effective and proportionate vetting and barring measures. Read more about our work in this area by clicking here.
How to get involved - campaign with us!
If you have any ideas for campaigns that we could look at please let us know! If you want further information about campaigns and the work we are doing, please get in touch.
Contact details
For further information contact Deborah Kitson on 0115 9515400 or email ann-craft-trust@nottingham.ac.uk
|