Tizard News and Events

The House of Lords Committee appointed to consider and report on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 has now published its report.

Prof Glynis Murphy, Co-Director and Professor of Clinical Psychology and Disability at the Tizard Centre commented, “The Tizard Centre welcomes the House of Lords MCA 2005 Post-legislative Scrutiny Report. We agree that the MCA 2005 is largely well-drafted and is helpful in defining capacity and providing a procedure for those without capacity to have good decisions made. We agree that implementation of the MCA has been patchy, with some services engaged in very good implementation but some services showing poor understanding.

We also welcome the recommendation that the DOLS should be completely re-drafted. They are over-complex and unwieldy. The DOLS wording resembles that of the MHA2007 rather than the MCA 2005, and this is regrettable. Nevertheless our evidence is that it has sometimes been used in admirable ways, for people whose behaviour is risky, to help them stay safely in the community when in other circumstances they would have been hospitalised.”

To view the full text:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldselect/ldmentalcap/139/139.pdf

An easy read version is also available:
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/mental-capacity-act/mental-capacity-act-2005-easyread.pdf

An overwhelming demand for our postgraduate courses in 2014 has led us to announce an early closing date for admissions on all of these courses.

Please note that all applications received before April 4^th are guaranteed to be considered for 2014 entry.

However applications received after April 4^th will only be considered for 2015 entry. It may be possible in exceptional circumstances to consider some post-4^th April applications for 2014 entry, should spaces become available through students being withdrawn.

It is essential that all students offered a place for 2014 entry should meet their conditions of offer by May 23^rd. If this is not done, we will have to defer them to 2015.

Representatives of the University of Kent and the Tizard Centre  were presented with a Queens Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education by the Queen during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday 27 February.  The Prize was for the work of the Tizard Centre and its contribution to improving the lives of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and their families.

Dame Julia said: ‘I am delighted that the Tizard Centre should receive such an accolade. It is a tribute to the outstanding work of the staff and students at the Centre and to the difference they make to the lives of people with disabilities and their families.’

In a joint statement the Centre’s Co-Directors, Professor Glynis Murphy and Professor Peter McGill, said: “We are very honoured to receive such a prestigious award. The Prize not only acknowledges the work of both the staff and students at the Centre, it reflects the legacy of its founder, the late Professor Jim Mansell.”

http://www.kent.ac.uk/campusonline/updates/campusnews.html?id=qap_buckingham_palace.txt

Dr Nick Gore, Lecturer in learning disability at the Tizard Centre, is the lead author of this Local Government Association publication.

http://www.local.gov.uk/documents/10180/12137/L14-105+Ensuring+quality+services/085fff56-ef5c-4883-b1a1-d6810caa925f

The aim of this Core Principles Commissioning Tool is to support the commissioning of high quality and safe services which meet the needs of children, young people, adults and older people with learning disabilities and/or autism who display or are at risk of displaying behaviour that challenges, together with the needs of their families, throughout their  life.

The University of Kent has increased the number of study hubs across the Canterbury campus.  All locations have WiFi, a nearby printer and student PCs.  Students can check whether there are PCs free by either looking at the link: http://www.kent.ac.uk/itservices/pcs/free.html
Rutherford study hub offers a  flexible study environment for group or individual study.  You can use your phone and food and drink is allowed. Or if you would like to work in a silent environment the Senate Chamber study hub is available, offering 17 PCs on individual study desks and 34 study desks with power for your laptop.

We have been contacted by MCCH who are currently running a recruitment campaign to find additional staff for their challenging behaviour service at Holly Lodge in Hildenborough.

For full job details and an application form, please see their web site: http://www.mcch.org.uk/currentvacancies/index.aspx

We are delighted to announce that the Tizard Centre and PSSRU  at the University of Kent, have been successful if their joint application to be intramural members of the new refreshed NIHR School for Social Care Research.  The School for Social Care Research funded by the National Institute for Health Research, formally began work in May 2009.  Led by Prof Martin Knapp, with a budget of £15 million over five years, the SSCR was a partnership between six leading academic centres in social care research in England (including the Tizard Centre).  The first 5 years of operation will end in April 2014 and the new SSCR will take over in May 2014.

http://www.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/default.aspx

The NAS Conference is being held on the 4th & 5th March 2014, at Harrogate International Centre in Harrogate.  A 2 day international conference for senior professionals to discuss best practice and to share learning.

The Conference is aimed primarily at education professionals from mainstream schools, special schools and local authorities, commissioners, directors and senior autism leads with responsibility for local authority autism service provision, directors and senior managers of adult services, and clinicians across the professional field including psychiatrists, psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and GPs.

For more information or to register: www.autism.org.uk/conferences/professional2014

The fourth lecture in our Seminar Series is due to take place on Wednesday 26th February 2014.  This is being held in the lecture theatre at Kent Business School 1700 hrs.  The talk will be given by Dr Paul Cambridge who is currently an independent trainer, teacher and consultant  with recent research and development experience in the policy and practice  of adult safeguarding and the sexuality of people with intellectual  disabilities.

The talk will be followed by a short informal drinks reception to which everyone is welcome.  If you wish to come along please email J.Ruffels@kent.ac.uk

On 19th December 2013 the Tizard Centre held the inaugural meeting of the Kent Learning Disability Research Network. The event was very popular, with about 50 people attending, including Kent psychologists, psychiatrists, other health care staff, social care staff, commissioners, managers and a head teacher from a special school. Prof Glynis Murphy introduced the event and then Tizard staff and PhD students presented their research posters. There followed a presentation from Nicole Palmer on Research Governance and Sponsorship, plus a very lively discussion about the possible role for the group and the areas that need further research.

The next meeting will be on 10th April 2014, 3.30-5.30. Please contact j.ruffels@kent.ac.uk to book a place.  Please note that places are limited.