Keeping yourself safe

It is always important to look after your safety as well as the safety of your friends and family. For more information about staying safe as an adult you can contact Care Direct.

Have a look at this Home Office guide to staying safe for more information about staying safe as an adult. See some top tips below.

• When you’re out with friends, try to stick together.
• Always tell someone where you’re going.
• If someone is making you feel scared or unhappy then make sure you tell someone else that you trust.
• Only give personal details to trusted people.
• Never get in a car with a stranger.

Sometimes, people with learning disabilities have so-called ‘friends’ who may exploit them. When someone pretends to be your friend but treats you badly, this is called Mate Crime. You can report this to the police.

The Barnado’s app – Wud U? gives advice and guidance on how to avoid being sexually exploited and stay safe.

Staying safe online

For more information about staying safe online please visit the ‘Online Safety’ section of this website.

How to deal with an emergency

• Always try to remain calm- it can really help in an emergency.
• Always try to tell someone where you are or where you are going.
• If your life is in danger, people are injured or if immediate action is needed then call 999.

Getting involved in social activities

Social and community skills are an important aspect of growing up and being involved in community groups can help build self-confidence and independence. Below is some useful information about how best to get involved in social activities.

Finding and joining leisure activities

Pinpoint is an excellent way of finding out about local social groups. There is a range of services for young people and community facilities that you can access and that will support young people with different needs.

Devon Voluntary Action (DeVA) is a service that helps people volunteer locally. They aim to make volunteering in Devon as easy as possible for everyone, no matter your age or background.

Help with finding social activities

Personal Assistants

It is possible to hire a Personal Assistant (PA) to help you find social opportunities in your local area. A PA is someone who is employed to help you live more independently and enable you to get involved with the activities that you want to.

Devon Choice and Support Services for Independent Living can help you employ a PA or an Enabler. This can be funded through Direct Payments which are payments that total the cost of the care that would have been offered to that person by the local authority, so that they can pay for their own care.

Online

You can go online and use the internet or social media, but make sure you stay safe online and protect yourself against cyber-bullying and exploitation – look at the ‘keeping myself safe’ section for more information.

How to make it easier for yourself

To make getting involved in social activities easier it may be a good idea to set yourself some goals. Some questions that you may want to think about are:

1. What do you want to achieve with your life?
2. Would you like to go to college or further education? Would you like to have a job? What knowledge or qualifications do you need to achieve this?
3. Do you want to volunteer some of your time to a good cause?
4. How would you like your home life to be in the future?
5. Do you want to develop a skill in a particular activity or hobby?

Now that you have thought about these things you can make a SMART plan to help you achieve your goals.

S– Specific- you will need to have a specific goal in mind

M– Measurable- think about how you are going to measure your success

A–  Achievable- make sure that the goal is achievable

R– Relevant and Realistic- make sure that your goal is relevant to you and realistic to your skill set.

T– Time- Set yourself limits to achieve your goals

You will need to learn to manage your work and leisure time well in order to achieve your goals. The Priority Matrix, from skillsyouneed.com, can help you decide what you need to do straight away and what can wait until later.

Useful links

• Young People’s Housing Advice – your options for local housing support
• Human Rights Act 1998 – information about the rights and freedoms that everyone in the UK is entitled to
• The Equality Act 2010 – information about equality and protected characteristics
• The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 – your legal rights if you have a disability
• Easy Read Guide – The Mental Capacity Act 2005 – what is mental capacity and how does it affect you?
• GOV.UK – Court of Protection – what the court of protection does for people who can’t make decisions for themselves
• Devon County Council Supported Living – support and accommodation for people with disabilities or mental health problems
• Shared Lives – For people who are looking for somewhere to live in a family environment with additional care and support.
• Housing and Support Alliance – now called Learning Disability England, this group brings together self-advocates, families, professionals and academics alongside our organisational members to create a strong voice.

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