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Six years ago today the States agreed a Disability and Inclusion strategy.
A complex piece of legislation with a wide range of work streams, work is still ongoing to try and improve the lives of disabled islanders and their carers.
Much of the work that has been done in the six years so far has centred on capacity laws. These are important for people with dementia, learning disabilities and mental disorders, and help to protect people's freedom and right to make decisions about their own life.
When people aren't able to make decisions for themselves, Capacity law allows them to hand over decision-making responsibility to a trusted person, and provides sensible checks to make sure they aren't being exploited, and their personal preferences and best interests are not forgotten.
Pictured: Deputies Michelle Le Clerc and Emilie Yerby, who are currently revising the Equality Law.
Following a targeted consultation this summer, the Capacity law for the Bailiwick is being finalised and will be published shortly by Health & Social Care, for consideration at a States meeting in early 2020.
The Guernsey Employment Trust was also created early in the life of the Strategy. A partner for Employment & Social Security, it supports disabled jobseekers and gives advice to employers looking to be more inclusive. GET in turn has created the Employers’ Disability Charter, designed to set out good practice on disability in the workplace. It has now been signed by over 35 local employers, the States being one of them.
A lot of more recent work has been done in the form of different Frameworks. HSC are currently developing the Framework for People with Learning Disabilities, and work on a communication difficulties Framework has also been started.
Pictured: Earlier this year, a series of initiatives around Equality and Human Rights issues were organised for businesses and individuals.
This is all off the back of a disability audit HSC held in 2017, allowing them to identify areas where public services and practices could be more inclusive.
Most recently though was the States granting £75,000 to ESS for it to continue developing its Equality Law proposals in light of all of the community feedback. The Committee has revised the scope of the work and will be revisiting several key issues, including the definition of disability, before finalising proposals to bring back to the States early in 2020. The Committee is also progressing plans for an Equality & Rights Organisation to provide information and advice to those who need it – especially small businesses and employers who may not have access to HR or legal advice – which it aims to bring forward at the same time.
Deputy Michelle Le Clerc, President of Employment & Social Security said "The Committee fought hard for the Disability & Inclusion Strategy during the recent Budget debate, and I am pleased that the States agreed to provide £75,000 of funding to allow us to continue this important work in 2020."
A spokesperson for the States said the strategy was complex, with many work streams, "but there is ongoing progress towards its aims of improving the lives of disabled islanders and their carers."
Regular updates are available through the highlight reports.
Pictured top: The Equality Conference which took place earlier this year.
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