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Community Futures Kent organise meeting with MP for government consultation
20 February 2012
Community Futures Kent recently arranged a meeeting with MP for Sevenoaks Michael Fallon to discuss the Office of Disability Consultation paper ‘Fulfilling Potential’. Several other local groups representing disabled people across the Sevenoaks District also came along to have their say on the ten key questions posed by the consultation document.
The Fulfilling Potential consultation aims to pull together a government strategy for helping disabled people to fulfil their potential. Further information about the ODI consultation can be found on their website at http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/odi-projects/fulfilling-potential.php
Simon Goldsmith, of Community Futures Kent, said: “We are pleased that Michael Fallon gave us this opportunity to ask a range of groups and disabled people across his constituency about this very important consultation. The meeting was attended by 25 people representing 9 community groups working with disabled people across the Sevenoaks District. This included Sevenoaks Mencap, Self Unlimited, The Swanley Volunteer Centre and Simon Paul Foundation.
“The meeting was also attended by several disabled people who were able to use their own personal experiences to highlight many of the points raised. The meeting looked specifically at the most important points that people wished to make with regard to support for young disabled people and making things better for disabled people within the community more generally. These points were recorded in notes and also in large drawings to show how many of the themes were linked.
“There was a strong plea at the meeting for the Government to look at using resources in a better way on services which help people at an earlier stage rather than costly crisis intervention when things go wrong for a person or their family."
Michael Fallon said that he would be writing to Maria Miller MP, the Minister for Disabled People with a summary of the things he had heard. A short report on the consultation will be prepared for submission to the Office of Disability Issues before 9th March.
