BME communities and Learning Disabilities

Over three-quarters of people with learning difficulties from black and minority ethnic communities in Britain are struggling without support, according to the Valuing People Report. These people often lack suitable information, advice and guidance about service provision available to them.

One of the key priorities of the Department of Health’s Valuing People Now is ensuring that the personalisation agenda is embedded within all local authority services and developments for people with learning disabilities and their family carers.

Support organisations

The following are some of the organisations that support black and minority ethnic (BME) communities:

• ARC (The Association for Real Change): The BME unit at ARC has an important role in ensuring that services, information and support delivered to people with learning disabilities within the UK reflects their culturally diverse requirements and the communities in which they live. 
• HFT offers a resource for BME family carers, Reaching and Supporting Diverse Communities: a guide to meeting the needs of people with learning disabilities, and family carers, from newly arrived, Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic (BME) communities.
• The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Crossroads Care were commissioned by The Department of Health’s Valuing People Now team to undertake a scoping exercise with Carers' Centres and Crossroads Care schemes, to establish how they are engaging with BME and seldom heard communities and what services they are providing. Read their report, Caring for all carers
• Runnymede Trust is the UK’s leading independent race equality think tank. They generate intelligence for a multi-ethnic Britain through research, network building, leading debate, and policy engagement. Runnymede is working to build a Britain in which all citizens and communities feel valued, enjoy equal opportunities, lead fulfilling lives, and share a common sense of belonging.