South East London Learning Disabilities & Autism Forum (SELLDA)

The National Transforming Care Programme came about following the scandal at Winterbourne View in 2011. The Clinical Commissioning Groups and the NHS made a pledge to commit to a programme for change to “transform health and care services and improve the quality of the care offered to children, young people and adults with learning disabilities or autism who have mental health conditions or behaviour that challenges.”

Three Cs are helping the Clinical Commissioning Groups, the NHS and Local Authorities to transform care in South East London by supporting experts by experience to shape and improve services for the future. This work covers the Our Healthy South East London (OHSEL) boroughs of Lewisham, Bromley, Bexley, Southwark, Lambeth and Greenwich.

We facilitate the SELLDA Forum which is led by experts-by experience and aimed at influencing decisions and informing and shaping future services. We are also aiming to get feedback on people’s experience of current services by conducting interviews with people who have experience of Assessment and Treatment Units or Mental Health Hospitals or have a family member who is currently in/recently discharged from an Assessment and Treatment Unit or Mental Health Hospital.

“The SELLDA forum brings lived experience to the conversation. Members share their own families experiences of what works and what does not work in terms of support. We can help to shape future thinking around service provision. We are able to highlight gaps in service that might not be immediately obvious to commissioners plus we can highlight the type of interventions that may make a lasting difference. By reflecting on our family journey’s, we can often identify the times where earlier interventions might have worked. This can help to co-produce support which is more cost effective and hopefully prevent other families hitting mental health crisis.

The SELLDA forum is a team made up of families across South East London. We have our own local knowledge and can share this with others and our wider networks. Sometimes there are positive models that are worth emulating in other Boroughs or places to access that others may not know about. By working co-productively we hope to assist in shaping future services.

We want to see more user and family friendly services that support individuals at the earliest possible point in order to prevent crisis.”

Ros Luff
SELLDA Forum member

How to join the South East London Learning Disability and Autism Forum

If you have experience of this type of service, either directly or as a family member, and are living in Lewisham, Bromley, Bexley, Southwark, Lambeth or Greenwich then you are eligible to join the Forum. If you would like to help shape and improve services for the future and influence real change then we would like to hear from you.

Interested applicants should read the letter under the Download more info section.