Making life more accessible
Andrew is the director of Inspired Services.
Inspired Services has three main areas of expertise; publishing, expert advice and expert support.
Publishing consists of three main parts, the design and production of accessible and particularly easy read documents for disabled people and people with learning difficulties, a number of regular columns in a variety of journals and professional writing on a number of expert issues such as Direct Payments. This work includes a range of interactive media and the popular Valuing People clipart collection.
Expert advice is provided by Andrew Holman. He continues working as an independent consultant, advocate and service adviser, working nationally and abroad. He has basic and post qualifying social care qualifications and twenty seven years experience working with people with learning difficulties and mental health problems in a variety of settings, including Health, Social Services, Further Education and the voluntary sector.
Expert advocacy and support has included such work as the establishment of the National Forum of people with learning difficulties for the Department of Health, supported by a regional network. This group grew out of development work on the White Paper Valuing People. We also support people in their daily lives, from an advocacy service, usually working with more complex issues, helping people employ their own staff or enabling people to have a greater say in policies and procedures that affect your service.
Andrew’s work at Inspired Services (previously Community Living) since 1993, has included a range of consultancy, research, investigation and service evaluations for a variety of Health, Social Service and voluntary sector organisations. He has also undertaken court work presenting expert evidence with regard to people with learning difficulties. He was also the Editor of the Quarterly journal Community Care, until the title was sold in 2005.
Much more of our recent work has included people with learning difficulties as paid co-researchers, trainers or participants with the office employing a number of people with learning difficulties at all levels in the organisation.
Publishing work includes the production of a range of Government information in easy read formats (see references). Andrew has also acted as consultant and advocate to a couple with learning difficulties in the production of the ITV1 documentary ‘Unfit Parents’ and various other video materials and is still asked to make expert comment in the media, TV news and Radio on the subject.
Importantly, Andrew still retains a practitioner role and he is directly involved with several individuals and their support provisions, Andrew acts as a consultant to service provider organisations and as an independent advocate to a number of people and parents on both a long and short term basis. He has also acted as a service broker to people with learning difficulties using Direct Payments.
Past work includes being a member of the international advisory committee and programme planning committee for the international conference Funding Freedom and Citizenship in Seattle July 2000 and speaking at the Inclusion International Conference in Melbourne in 2002. He has organised assessments and care plans for people with multiple impairments still living in hospital, who have proved to be difficult for the Health Authority to resettle and been a member of the SSI reference group for an inspection of services for disabled parents. Andrew is regularly on research and advisory groups for academic and government projects.
Other recent work has included projects such as a DVD on how to complain made with a service user group in Tower Hamlets, looking at and supporting the implementation of Direct Payments for people with learning difficulties, supporting the development of user consultation and the development of a supported decision making process. He has also undertaken a variety of specific project management and consultancy work for the national advocacy organisation Values Into Action and the British Institute for Learning Disability, including the development of advocacy and user consultation, a video on innovative housing and support options for people with learning difficulties and continued work on the legal aspects of consent and supported decision making. In addition, he has supported several self-advocacy groups of people with learning difficulties both in the UK and abroad.