North Yorkshire Disability Forum - Terms of Reference

    Terms of reference

Key aims

  • The primary aim of the North Yorkshire Disability Forum is to improve the lives of people with physical and/or sensory impairment in North Yorkshire
  • As a user-led forum and from the perspective of disabled people, to work in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) to provide a collective voice for disabled people to inform strategy and service development of NYCC and other statutory partners
  • To help NYCC and partners to understand the experience of disabled people and the impact of plans and policies on the lives of disabled people
  • To work in partnership with NYCC and partners to co-produce solutions
  • To liaise with other North Yorkshire forums and boards to work together on shared issues and themes
  • To work within the social model of disability
  • To provide leadership, influencing other partners and agencies in order to create cultural change and raise the profile of the social model of disability and issues of concern to people with physical and sensory impairments
  • To enable sharing between local disability forums and provide direction if required


To help to achieve the above aims, North Yorkshire Disability Forum members will:

  1. Contribute to constructive discussions and provision of feedback to service providers
  2. Raise issues of importance to disabled people at local disability forums and at NYDF
  3. Promote NYDF and local disability forums to other disabled people
  4. Encourage other disabled people to get involved in NYCC, regional and national consultations
  5. Represent the views and concerns of disabled people to influence policy and practice
  6. Build partnerships with local groups/organisations to share information and work together
  7. Think about the solutions as well as the problems


Scope

The North Yorkshire Disability Forum will use a broad and inclusive definition of people with physical and sensory impairments:

  • People with physical impairments, whether or not their condition is congenital, acquired or progressive
  • Deaf people and people with a hearing impairment
  • Visually impaired and blind people
  • Deafblind people
  • People with serious ill-health and/or long term conditions

The primary focus is on disabled people of working age and older.


Membership

  • Disabled people

The Chairperson and one other disabled person representative from each of the local disability forums (five as at March 2021):

  • Craven Disability Forum
  • Harrogate District Disability Forum
  • Ripon Disability Forum CIO
  • Selby District Disability Forum CIC
  • Yorkshire Coast and Ryedale Disability Forum CIO

Additional local disability forum members may attend NYDF meetings by agreement with the Chairperson and lead officer.

Local disability forums should nominated a member to substitute for the Chairperson if required.

Other representatives of disabled people may be invited to join the Forum with the agreement of the members.

  • North Yorkshire County Council Health and Adult Services - Participation and Engagement Team

Participation and Engagement Manager (lead officer for NYCC)

Participation and Engagement Officer

  • NYCC elected members
  • NYCC service representatives
  • Other statutory and voluntary organisations covering North Yorkshire
  • Healthwatch North Yorkshire
  • Disability organisations/charities
  • Carers' Centres/carers' groups
Representatives may attend the NYDF by invitation or request.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Governance

  • North Yorkshire Disability Forum is supported and funding by North Yorkshire County Council
  • The Chair and Vice-Chair will be elected from the local disability forum representatives on a three-yearly basis at the Annual General Meeting.
  • The nominated representatives of the local disability forums will be entitled to vote for Chair and Vice-Chair
  • Maximum term for Chair and Vice-Chair: three years; however, should there be no new nominations for Chair or Vice-Chair, current post-holders may continue on year-by-year basis
  • Frequency of meetings: quarterly (four meetings per year)
  • There is no set number of members in order for meetings to quorate; however, the Chair in consultation with the lead officer may decide to defer certain items if attendance at any meeting is very low
  • Members may act as a representative of NYDF to other bodies by prior agreement of NYDF
  • The aim of NYDF is to provide a collective voice. Members should not represent their personal views as the views of NYDF
  • Members should not act in a way that brings disrepute on NYDF or North Yorkshire County Council
  • Members will abide by the NYDF Code of Conduct (see below)
  • Local disability forums will sign up to the NYDF Code of Conduct or produce their own local Code of Conduct which will reflect the NYDF code as a minimum standard
  • Requests for media involvement as a representative of NYDF, such as press interviews or requests for quotes, should be agreed with the Chair and NYCC lead officer.

 

Resources

NYDF is not directly responsible for any budgets.
 

Standards for involvement of disabled members

  • Meetings to be held in accessible locations or online
  • Papers to be made available in accessible formats as required and in Arial font point size 14 as standard
  • Communication support such as BSL interpreters to be made available as required
  • Papers to be distributed at least one week prior to the meeting
  • Every effort should be made not to bring papers to meetings after distribution
  • Expenses will be reimbursed for volunteer disabled representatives, to include travel and personal assistants if required (by discussion and prior agreement with NYCC lead officer)
  • People who wish to participate but who require support from a paid carer or personal assistant to do so should make their own arrangements for such support
  • Structured breaks to be built into meetings
  • Members may also request a break if needed during a meeting

 

Communication

The North Yorkshire Disability Forum has a closed Facebook group for internal communication.

Information will be posted on the North Yorkshire Partnerships website after each meeting to update the wider community about progress: http://www.nypartnerships.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=16811

 

Reporting / accountability

To be confirmed (currently under review)


Frequency of review of these terms of reference

The Terms of Reference were formally approved on 23 September 2016. They will be reviewed every three years.

Review history: reviewed during 2020; updates agreed 18 June 2021

Next review: 2023/24
 

Contact details for further information

Shanna Carrell
Participation and Engagement Manager
Health and Adult Services
North Yorkshire County Council
01609 532992
shanna.carrell@northyorks.gov.uk 

 

North Yorkshire Disability Forum: Code of Conduct

The North Yorkshire Disability Forum (NYDF) aims to improve the lives of people with physical and or sensory impairment in North Yorkshire. Members play a critical role in developing and promoting the credibility and positive reputation of the Forum. 
 

This Code of Conduct has been developed to ensure members and visitors understand the expectations for NYDF meetings. It should be read in conjunction with the NYDF terms of reference.
 

At NYDF meetings members and visitors should feel:

  • Listened to
  • Respected
  • Safe


Members should always:

  • Treat other members and visitors with respect
  • Address their points through the chair
  • Allow others to speak and listen to their views
  • Observe confidentiality when referring to, or being able to identify, individuals and their personal circumstances


Members should not:

  • Dominate the meeting with their points/questions
  • Speak on behalf of NYDF or use its name without the consent of the members
  • Use membership of NYDF as a vehicle to express personal agendas
  • Act in any way which brings the name of NYDF into disrepute
  • Link NYDF to issues which are unconnected to its aims and objectives


Members are asked to observe the same principles when representing NYDF at other meetings.


Members who do not observe these principles may be asked not to attend meetings for a period of time. Depending on the circumstances, local disability forums may be asked to select another representative to attend NYDF.


This will be decided by the Chair of NYDF with a minimum of two chairs of local forums.  If a concern relates to the Chair of NYDF, the matter will be considered by three chairs of local forums.

 

Approved by NYDF, 7 December 2020