Helga Sneddon

Lady with long blond hair standing doing a presentation at a conference. Behind her is a slide describing the work of the Social Care Collaborative ‘Citizens at the heart of care’

Man with short grey hair standing doing a presentation at a conference. Behind him is a slide describing the Managed Budgets project. It includes a photo of the TILII group of adults with learning disability who are experts by experience

Abstract for the presentation

Abstract for the presentation continued

Great presentation by Jillian Martin and Aiden McCullagh at today’s @niscc.bsky.social conference. They were talking about #SelfDirectedSupport, the Social Care Collaborative Board, the two @impadultcare.bsky.social SDS projects and the new SDS Network for NI @sdsnetworkni.bsky.social.

Want to know more about SDS Network NI? Lots of our @sdsnetworkni.bsky.social Steering group members at the @niscc.bsky.social conference today inc Aiden McCullagh and Jillian Martin (who are presenting), Deena Nimick, Susan Hughes, Suzanne McStravick and Agnes Lunny. Or pop along to our stand!

Jillian and Aiden are talking all things SDS today at the @niscc.bsky.social conference in Belfast:
- work of the Social Care Collaborative Board
- 2 IMPACT projects on Implementing Managed Budgets, and Making Supported Planning more outcomes focused
- and of course our lovely SDS Network NI!

Are you at the @niscc.bsky.social Social Work and social Care Research in Practice conference in Belfast today? Pop along to our stand and say hi!

SDS Network Leading the global development of self-directed support

SDS Network NI brings together people with lived experience, family carers, practitioners, providers, commissioners, policy colleagues and anyone committed to making SDS work better in practice. Find out more and sign up for FREE membership at selfdirectedsupport.org/hubs/norther...

SDS Network Leading the global development of self-directed support

Come to our online launch event on 26th March 2pm-3pm and hear:
• Dr Simon Duffy, focusing on global learning and core principles of SDS
• Lived experience and carer perspectives demonstrating what is possible when budgets are used creatively
• about our upcoming community of practice sessions

Logo of the SDS Network NI consisting of colourful part circles. It is surrounded by colourful dashes and stars. There is a slogan ‘People coming together to shape and improve SDS’ , a QR code and the website address www.selfDirectedSupport.org/hubs/northernIreland

Find out more about the Self-Directed Support (SDS) Network for Northern Ireland, register for free membership and our online launch event on 26th March at selfdirectedsupport.org/hubs/norther.... Please share!

#SelfDirectedSupport #SDS #CommunityOfPractice #Disability #NorthernIreland #socialWork

SDS Network Leading the global development of self-directed support

SDS Network Northern Ireland is part of the global Self-Directed Support Network. Our network provides a space for people across NI to connect, learn and work together to develop self-directed support. Find out more and sign up for FREE membership at selfdirectedsupport.org/hubs/norther...

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio) YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free

To explore our longlist and application process, and answer your questions, we're hosting briefing sessions on:

Monday 15 September, 2pm
Tuesday 30 September, 2pm
Wednesday 15 October, 11am

Register now to receive joining details: forms.office.com/e/9d7EzRA7fa

We're looking for organisations to host IMPACT projects in 2026-27

We're looking for sites of all sizes, from individual services to whole regions

View the long list of possible topics here: impact.bham.ac.uk/contact-us-2...

Last night, we welcomed lots of our new starters to Birmingham, as part of the 2025-26 induction

It’s exciting to hear about the work that’s already happened, just a couple of weeks in to the project year, and reconnect with some of our colleagues who have been part of IMPACT for much longer

Three people doing a role play in front of an audience

Four adults (two men and two women) laughing at a joke.

A man standing at the front of a room giving a presentation. His presentation shows an image about who should be involved in supported planning processes

Great training this morning on how to do person centered planning with Aiden, Louise and @arcni_teamTILII. All part of the @impadultcare.bsky.social Managed Budgets project @arcni @healthdpt #Coproduction

Discovering You're Autistic YouTube video by Thriving Autistic

First up is Discovering You're Autistic, about the experience of realising you're autistic, and the things we've found most valuable for anyone starting out on that journay.

Realising that there are many other people out there with similar experiences is so powerful.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eDv...

Lightbulb Moments: Being Autistic YouTube video by Thriving Autistic

The other animation is Lightbulb Moments: Being Autistic.

So much about Autistic experience is still missing from most professional accounts, which have been formulated from the outside.

Many people talk about all these little epiphanies: 'I thought it was just me!'
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O6h...

Neurodiverse defendants deserve a fairer chance in the Criminal Justice System | BPS Dr Bernard Horsford, Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, calls for you to get involved in a study that seeks to drive change.

Neurodiverse defendants deserve a fairer chance in the Criminal Justice System.

Dr Bernard Horsford, Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, calls for you to get involved in a study that seeks to drive change.

www.bps.org.uk/psychologist...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Our Special Issue on The Social Model in Autism Research is now available online & all articles are free until 11th September!

journals.sagepub.com/toc/AUT/curr...

Here are some of the brilliant things you can find in it...

#AutismResearch #AutRes

Covid inquiry hears of ‘huge rollback’ in rights and support since pandemic Disabled people have undergone a “huge rollback” in their rights and social security support since the pandemic, a disability rights campaigner and adviser has told the Covid inquiry. Despite polit…

“Building back better” rolled off the tongues of politicians during the pandemic, disabled campaigner tells #Covid inquiry. But all that's happened has been a 'huge rollback' of disability rights.
www.disabilitynewsservice.com/covid-inquir...

NEW
Practitioners as researchers – experiences of four people working in hybrid roles in two local authorities and a university
John Woolham et al
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Group of ladies smiling at the camera - 4 are sitting and 2 are standing. They are in a large office

Absolute pleasure to meet the Bangor @arcni_teamTILII group & hear them Telling It Like it is. Great discussion about how to do assessments, provide support & do reviews & how important choice is for living your best life. Thanks Lou for organising! @arcni.bsky.social @impadultcare.bsky.social

Auditory environments influence the link between Autistic traits and quality of life - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Auditory environments influence the link between Autistic traits and quality of life

Autistics aren't merely "sensitive" to sound; autistic tendencies also include "expanded access to auditory information, heightened perception to pitch, difficulties dealing with speech in background noise, and taking longer to adapt to auditory environments.":

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Members of the TILII group in Belfast standing and smiling at the camera

Another great session with the ARC TILII group in Belfast finding out what makes a good life & how to ensure assessments, support & review processes keep individuals with learning disability at the centre. Massive thanks to Lou & the awesome TILII members! @impadultcare.bsky.social #Coproduction

@impadultcare.bsky.social

Group of around 16 adults looking at the camera and smiling. They are in a room that has pictures up of all the activities available in the centre

Group of around 16 adults looking at the camera and smiling. Some are sitting, some are standing and one is lying on the floor in front of the group doing a strong man pose flexing his bicep! They are in a room that has pictures up of all the activities available in the centre

Great morning with ARC NI team TILII finding out what it means to have a good life & what we need to be thinking about when we’re doing assessments, finding support & doing reviews. Big thank you to Louise from ARC NI & the team at Fresh Focus for all the help! #Coproduction #ImpactManagedBudgets

We're looking for one representative from Northern Ireland who draws on care and support, and one unpaid carer representative from Wales to join IMPACT's Co-production Advisory Group.

Find out more about the roles and apply here: buff.ly/7Kq2zhB

Fill | IMPACT Northern Ireland Briefing - 13 June, 10am-11am Please register below if you would like to attend.  Please save the date in your diary - you will receive a follow up email including further details closer to the event date with a joining link.

Don't forget to register for our online briefing on IMPACT’s work in Northern Ireland!
buff.ly/QgxJgdi

13 June 2025 10:00 - 11:00

Hear about IMPACT’s Delivery Models – in action across NI. Learn how evidence is transforming adult social care, explore how you can get involved & connected!

In 2024/25, 18% of children diagnosed with autism did not have any special educational needs, and 63% were classified at Stage 3 of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Assessment, indicating they had a Statement of SEN.

Using the NI Multiple Deprivation Measure (MDM) ranking, in 2024/25 the rate of autism in the most deprived MDM decile was 38% higher than the Northern Ireland average.

The Northern Ireland urban population has a statistically significant higher prevalence rate of autism than the rural population.

There was a marked difference in the prevalence rates of autism between the sexes, with males 2.5 times more likely to be identified with autism than females.