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The four main points at the heart of Valuing People are rights, independence, choice and inclusion.

A recent social services inspection of learning difficulties' services found that the Valuing People policies were slowly starting to make a difference. But as co-chairperson of the National Forum of people with learning difficulties, I and my colleagues are only too well aware that changes are not happening fast enough. For example, for the past 30 years it's been government policy to close long-stay hospitals for people with learning difficulties. But it didn't happen for thousands of people and so it was made a priority in Valuing People. All long-stay hospitals in England are meant to close by April 2004. From our work on the forum and reports from the support team to the task force we know this isn't going to happen in most cases. We really need to sort this out.


Even where they do close, all too often people are put into group homes, which are like mini-institutions, where they are no better off. Why can't we have our own place the same as everybody else?

Meanwhile, the National Forum's work on the task force, which is meant to make sure Valuing People happens, is coming to the end of its first year. It feels really good that we have set most of the agenda for the task force. For example, raising the issues of money for advocacy services, the representation of people with learning difficulties on the Care Standards Commission and cuts in health and social care services for people with learning difficulties.

Next year we want to make sure that priorities include stopping bullying and harassment, getting long-term funding for advocacy and sorting out problems over getting proper treatment in hospitals.

Another area I'm very concerned about is the continued discrimination against people with learning difficulties. Just look at the proposed Mental Health Bill where learning difficulties is included in the definition of having a mental disorder. I'm worried that people with learning difficulties don't know about this proposal as the bill hasn't been made accessible. When they find out that you could be locked up just because you have learning difficulties there will be uproar. It's all been done behind our backs and goes against one of the main principles of Valuing People: inclusion.


And many people with learning difficulties are also not considered capable of receiving direct payments. The new guidance is even suggesting there may be a different scheme for people with learning difficulties. The law is meant to be giving control to people with disabilities but it is excluding our whole group. Why should we be treated differently? It's discrimination.

Finally, I want to raise sex education or rather the lack of it for people with learning difficulties. On the courses I run a lot people hardly know the basics and that is why so many are sexually abused.

All these points are in Valuing People but we need to ensure that words are translated into action. People with learning difficulties have waited a long long time for all this to happen. And too many are still waiting.

- More details on the National Forum at www.valuingpeople.org.uk