Our forums

We hold forums across Norfolk to engage with the people who use our services, those that support these people and the wider public.

These forums provide an opportunity for us, via the groups that host them, to:

• Involve people in our strategic plans
• Listen to people’s views
• Discover their concerns
• Understand their experiences

The following is a list of the main forums we commission.

The board seeks to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities.

They run locality groups across each area of Norfolk so that people can air and discuss local issues. A key focus is to address the priority outcomes outlined in the Norfolk Learning Disabilities Strategy. The board comprises of:

• People with learning disabilities
• Carers of people with learning disabilities
• People who work for Norfolk County Council, the NHS and other stakeholders

The board meets quarterly. For more information you can visit the board's website. 

The Autism Partnership Board was set up in response to the Autism Act. It aims to help develop improved services for autistic children, young people and adults and those who may be autistic.

It particularly seeks to influence the Local Authority and NHS Commissioners. It receives feedback from the Norfolk Autism Forum.

The board consists of:

• Autistic people
• Parents and carers of those with autism
• ASD Helping Hands
• Family Voice
• Carers Voice
• Healthwatch Norfolk
• Norfolk Constabulary
• Clinical Commissioning Groups
• Norfolk Community Health and Care, Child and Adult Mental Health Services
• Norfolk County Council (Adult Social Services and Children's Services)

It meets every two months. You can visit the board's website for more information. 

Making it Real is an independent user reference group, supported by NCC. It aims to ensure people with disabilities get involved in planning or changing social care.

It also aims to support people to have better choices and opportunities in their lives.

Making it Real seeks to:

• Ensure co-production occurs
• Have a shared understanding with NCC
• Be involved in planning changes to social care and checking the efficacy of changes
• Make sure NCC provides personalised services

The board consists of:

• Disabled people (including representatives of groups)
• Unpaid carers (including representatives of groups)
• Appointed NCC Councillors

It meets every six weeks.

Find out more on the Making it Real Norfolk Facebook page. 

Carers Voice is an independent charity representing carers in Norfolk and Waveney.

Through partnership working, it ensures everyone listens to the views of carers. This enables the design and delivery of services that reflect carers' needs and interests.

Co-production with carers occurs in every project undertaken by Carers Voice.

The charity is also an integral part of the co-production process within Norfolk and Waveney's Integrated Care System. It provides guidance on areas of strategic change that will support carers' wellbeing.

Carers Voice ambassadors consist of:

• People with live experience of caring
• Members of Carers Voice
• Contributors to the development and design of services used by carers within health and social care

It holds quarterly Carer Involvement Meetings in five areas across Norfolk and Waveney.

For more information, visit the Carers Voice website. 

In Spring 2021, Adult Social Services began a process of engagement with autistic people and representatives of the disabled community.

As part of this, we invited an independent Charging Reference Group of disabled and autistic people and family carers to help steer this work.

The Reference Group identified two priorities:

• To gather stories of people's lived experience that could help Norfolk County Council learn
• To make improvements to the system of Disability Related Expenditure

Following the introduction of an independent facilitator and independent chair for the group, its focus changed from October 2022. This focus is on the consultation preparing for Social Care Reform. They have three main areas they are collaborating on:

• What needs to be in the Charging Policy?
• How do Assessment and Support Planning operate?
• To engage creatively with Councillors

The group consists of:

• Carers Voice
• Disability Network Norfolk Group
• Equal Lives
• Family Voice Norfolk
• Healthwatch Norfolk
• Making it Real

The independent chair is Alison Donald and the independent facilitator is Esmee Wilcox. 

The group meets every six weeks. There are also small workshop meetings. These focus on the target areas and report back to the larger Reference Group Meeting.

To contact this group, email Alison.Donald@suffolk.gov.uk

The Direct Payment Support Services Advisory Group:

• Receives information and statistics from the Direct Payments team
• Provides feedback and highlights issues from people who use services
• Makes suggestions for change to the Direct Payments and Commissioning teams

In this way, it advises on improving the Direct Payments Support Service provided by NCC. The group consists of:

• Direct Payments Support Service (NCC)
• Visual Impairment Community
• Equal Lives
• Deaf Connexions
• Sensational Families
• Family Voice Norfolk
• Day Care Services
• Making it Real
• Opening Doors
• People who use services and their representatives

To contact this group, email dpssfeedback@norfolk.gov.uk.

The partnership's aim is for older people in Norfolk to lead independent and fulfilling lives. It seeks to ensure older people are fully involved in developing services and in decision making. It also:

• Shares information and good practice across agencies
• Identifies gaps in services
• Highlights areas of concern to older people

The group consists of:

• Representatives of older people's groups
• Statutory and voluntary agencies responsible for services related to the independence and wellbeing of older people

It has up to 45 members with the membership reviewed on an annual basis. Its Chair is Mary Ledgard.

Find out more on the Norfolk Older People's Strategic Partnership website.

The group intends to support, influence and challenge policymakers and commissioners. This is on the standard and type of services available to individuals with learning disabilities and/or autism, who are also described as exhibiting 'behaviours that challenge'.

Where possible, the group promotes access to community support and services. This is rather than admission to hospital settings.

The group was set up after the Cawston Park Safeguarding Adults Review in September 2022. It's co-funded by NCC and NHS Norfolk and Waveney and its host is the Norfolk Safeguarding Adult Board.

The group consists of:

• Local and national professionals from the statutory, voluntary and private sectors
• Family and carers of individuals with learning disabilities and/or autism who are also described as exhibiting 'behaviours that challenge'
• People with lived experience of in-patient settings and services pending recruitment happening later in the year

It meets every six weeks and its Chair is Sarah Stock, managing director of Independence Matters.