‘..alot of really good methods and a new approach towards the children’ ‘how to communicate better with disabled children’
Today I thought the trainer was
‘clear and gave me good information’ ‘Brilliant ...he has given useful information for communicating and working with disabled children more effectively...he was clear and informative’
Martin (DICE) has jointly created resources to promote the work of the Champion for disabled children and young people – Birmingham.
Martin has also worked with the Champion to facilitate and deliver consultation sessions with disabled children and young people around Short Breaks, and the inclusion of disabled children and young people views in the strategic plans for Birmingham Local Authority.
The quality of work supplied by Martin is of a consistent and high quality. Martin works in partnership to ensure that all key objectives and outcomes of the work is achieved in a timely fashion. His skills and knowledge of inclusion, engagement and participation has without a doubt enabled the success of these two areas of work. Tony Phillips Jones (champion for disabled children and young people)
pARTicipation
D.I.C.E provides accessible facilitation of projects that involve and consult individuals and groups (children, young people and adults) in the design and delivery of services which they use.
Creative approaches and user friendly action research tools are used to enhance and develop individuals’ thoughts, opinions and beliefs in a sensitive, meaningful and responsive way. Projects are child initiated and child directed creative work that listens and responds to children and young people in a child led and organic fashion.
Projects are led by creative facilitators who enable participation of people with a range of diverse needs and experience including working with people described as ‘hard to reach’ e.g people with autism, severe learning disability and profound and multiple learning disabilities.
D.I.C.E uses multi sensory methods that promote active choice and decision making and participation. Observation, documentation and reflection aid consultation participation and engagement approaches with hard to reach groups including children and young people with severe profound and complex disabilities
Creative facilitators support:
Creative conversations, in which child and facilitator jointly create.
Creative responses that enable the child to play and explore with an child inspired creation - engage and provide further opportunities to listen and respond to the child
The voice of children who do not use words to commuicate, to be heard through fun, interactive and communicative experiences.
D.I.C.E associates are skilled, trained and experienced in creative participation, consultation and engagement with disabled children and young people.
D.I.C.E participation, consultation, training and development services are based on respect for children, young people’s contributions, difference and value childhood and youth as part of a person’s identity.
D.I.C.E participation and consultation recognises the oppressive barriers within service systems and society and systematically attempts to overcome these barriers to reduce the effects of these barriers on disabled children and young people within society. We recognise the impact of disability, impairment, race, gender, sexuality, age and class has on disabled children and young people’s lives.
D.I.C.E works to raise the consciousness of issues amongst disabled children and young people and develops skills so they can explore and actively challenge barriers and oppression that often rule their lives.
D.I.C.E creates equal alliances and partnerships with disabled children and young people so that they can actively share power and control over personal, cultural and structural decisions that shape their lives.
D.I.C.E advocates ‘nothing about us – without us’ and supports people to share power and control.
D.I.C.E actively promotes the Social Model and Representational Model of disability.
D.I.C.E participation and consultation uses a range of creative techniques and approaches to give young people the widest range of creative options and enable children and young people to express themselves. These include art, music, dance, drama, story, puppetry and multi-media methods.
D.I.C.E wants all children and young people to be able to clearly see and understand the impact of their participation in consultation projects and provides ongoing feedback in meeting the aims of consultation. D.I.C.E wants disabled children and young people to have their efforts and contributions fully valued and acknowledged. D.I.C.E makes information accessible to children and young people using clear, simple language, symbols, pictures, objects, audio, Braille etc.
D.I.C.E believes in best ethical practice to consultation and participation work with disabled children and young people regarding consent, right to withdraw and fully weighs up implications for participants.
D.I.C.E ensures that Safeguarding practice and procedures are integral to work with disabled children and young people.
D.I.C.E is a learning organisation. We value children and young people’s contributions to our knowledge and practice. We are open to change and have effective methods of sharing good practice both within and outside the organisation and shall encourage other organisations to actively learn from disabled children and young people.
