Deafblindness and the Care Act 2014 – your legal responsibilities

Free webinar for local authorities!

24th June 2024 | 2-3pm 

Join us during Deafblind Awareness Week to explore what the Care Act 2014 says about deafblindness, what it requires local authorities to do and who is responsible for this.

During this webinar we will hear from experts at Deafblind UK and LAWDIG, both of whom represent specialist expertise in deafblindness. Throughout the webinar, we will explore:

• The inclusion of deafblindness as a unique disability within the Care Act
• The statutory responsibilities around deafblindness that the Care Act places on Local Authorities
• How LAWDIG is both a peer support network and a point of expertise which is sought out by Government
• Examples of how to meet the statutory obligations

This webinar is designed for all Local Authority senior leaders and is not limited to those with sensory responsibility.

Click here to book your free place. 

Meet the speakers

Liz Duncan, Deafblind UK

Liz leads on Learning, Research and Assessment for Deafblind UK and has worked in the Deafblind sector for over 30 years. She has been involved with the certificate and Diploma in Deafblind Studies since its inception. Liz was a member of the Deafblind Guidance task force, advising the Department of Health and Social Care on the development of both the Guidance issued in 2004 and the updated guidance, which was incorporated into the Care Act 2014.

Dr Peter Simcock, Birmingham City University

Peter is Associate Professor of Social Work at Birmingham City University and Course Lead for the Certificate and Diploma in Professional Studies (Deafblind Studies) programmes. He has published widely in the field of deafblindness, and has academic qualifications in law, social work, and gerontology.  Peter is the Chair of the Deafblind International Acquired Deafblindness Network (ADBN) and an Ambassador for Deafblind UK. Prior to working in academia, he was a specialist social worker for d/Deaf and deafblind people.

Jo Brady, Thurrock Council

Jo is a senior Social Worker who has worked for Thurrock Council for the last 28 years. She has worked in the sensory service since 2012 and qualified as a deafblind assessor in 2017.  Since 2014, Jo, alongside her Thurrock colleague, Tracey Osbourne, have co-chaired and organised LAWDIG. During their tenure, they have actively been involved in increasing membership across local authorities in England and Wales and been instrumental in promoting peer support within the network.  In addition, LAWDIG has successfully raised awareness of deafblind issues by launching an e-book in the UK Parliament in 2019 and in 2024 will be giving evidence to the BSL health and Social Care board with a goal of influencing legal frameworks. Jo and Tracey co-edit the publication for the international Acquired Deafblind Network.

Tracey Osbourne, Thurrock Council

Tracey qualified as a rehabilitation worker, graduating from Birmingham City University in 2008 and joining Thurrock Sensory Service in 2013. She received a certificate of deafblind studies in 2016 and completed the diploma in 2017. Further to this, Tracey chairs LAWDIG alongside Jo Brady, bringing together professionals from all over the UK. Tracey is jointly responsible for editing the Acquired Deafblindness Network (ADBN) newsletter.

Stella Kamangirira, Enabled Living Healthcare  

Stella is a Senior Practitioner for Dual Sensory loss at Enabled Living in Newham. She is currently the interim manager of the Sensory Team. Stella is a qualified Deafblind Specialist, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, a qualified teacher for the Visually Impaired, a Braille Teacher and Level 1 BSL signer. She has been working in the field of Sensory Impairment over 30 years.

Catherine Thurbin, Oxfordshire County Council

Catherine joined Oxfordshire County Council in 2001 as a qualified social worker in the sensory impairment team.  In 2008 she qualified as a deafblind specialist through completion of the diploma in deafblind studies.  In 2014, Catherine passed the NVQ level 3/4 BSL course. She is passionate about her role as Deafblind Lead and feels so lucky to say she loves her job!  She is also a Best Interest Assessor having completed the graduate certificate in professional practice.

Bernadette Wakeling London Borough of Barking & Dagenham

Bernadette is a Dual Sensory Worker and works with adults who have a sight and/or hearing loss with ages ranging from 18 to 107! She has the pleasure of meeting people from all walks of life with varying degrees of ready-made life skills and autonomy that impacts on the challenges people face.

Bernadette’s role is to identify and meet the needs of people with combined sight and hearing loss. She does this through various projects and events, groups, drop-in services, referrals, signposting, and service interventions.

Click here to book your place!