Applying for a place on the CIC’s 2024/2025 Care & Support Legal Rights Course

Our Legal Rights course costs £75 for the whole year (for 14 Wednesday evening sessions) …

Here is some feedback from a few of our participants from previous annual courses: 

“This  course is one of the most exciting things to happen to me in years!!” 

“I am gaining loads from the course – it’s so informative – and the knowledge I am gaining is incredibly useful on the ground.” 

“I would like to take this chance to say how much I am enjoying the course, my knowledge and confidence are growing exponentially.” 

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity to improve my knowledge, I love your passion and we do need people like you to keep reminding us what the important stuff is.” 

Course dates: The next Legal Rights course will begin 18 September 2024 and will finish 16 July 2025. Please see the full list of dates at the end of this page. The sessions are every three weeks or so, but we stretch them out to avoid Xmas, Bank Holiday weeks both before and afterwards, and try to end before the school holidays begin.

IF YOU WANT TO BUY LAST YEAR’S RECORDINGS, it’s possible to do so, by getting in touch with leeforster@cascaidr.org.uk who will arrange a means to pay £100 and then get the recordings and links to you in due course.

Course format: All the sessions take place online, via Zoom, on a Wednesday evening, led in person by Belinda Schwehr. Each session will last 2-2.5hrs. Each session will consist of a 1.5 hour lecture, followed by a break-out session and then a whole group Q&A session for questions raised in the Zoom Chat or the break-outs. Sessions end between 9pm and 9.30pm depending on the pace and the number of questions.

Each session is recorded, enabling you to access the recording again later (and for a period of up to 3 months at the end of your course or otherwise by special arrangement).

Each session also comes with detailed slide presentations for you to review, as well as curated reading material for preparation for the following session or consolidation after the lecture.

Who’s it for? People drawing on care and health services, family carers, informal supporters, and generic or formal advocacy suppliers and peer support groups.

What will I get out of it? This course equips you with the critical tools needed to secure legally sound Adult Social Care budgets and care plans for yourself or your loved ones. It could make you adept at identifying when a council or NHS panel or commissioner’s decision lacks a legal footing and teach you how to address it, without needing to go to court.

Course content: We’ll study 14 topics arising from and ‘butting up’ to the Care Act – please see the full list of topics at the end of this page – using past and current case law, and delving into case studies and reading links. 

We’ll also be looking at how accountability can be made to work in practice, given the state the nation is in, and regard for legal rights is declining. And given that two different legal frameworks of health and social care somehow need to operate together, with councils and ICBs trying to integrate to do a better job for the clients and patients to whom they owe duties.

Do you provide certificates? Yes, on application, if you have had reasonable attendance or we can see you’ve accessed the recorded materials.

What does this course cost? £75 (no VAT applicable) to be paid in advance of the course start date, payable by PayPal. We won’t make refunds for anyone who decides it’s not for them, or feels unable to continue for any other reason, although we will offer you a place if the course runs again, if you drop out before session 4. You get the recordings anyway, so you don’t lose out.

What are the technical requirements for taking part in the course?
– Computer/Laptop with Windows 10 or above, or Apple Mac.
– Internet connection, preferably 10Mbps or above.
– Zoom software (a basic ‘free’ account is fine).

What are the entry criteria for taking part in the course?  There are no formal entry criteria, other than being able and willing to do the Guided Learning and Supported Study reading, between the sessions which are approximately 3 weeks apart. You can attend for just the lectures but honestly, you will find doing the reading speeds up your learning.

You will not be able to be helped, one to one, outside of whatever is feasible via your Learning Circle, because we don’t have the resources – nor examined, formally, but you will be encouraged, enthused and motivated – and we hope there will be many ‘lightbulb’ moments.

I want to join! What do I need to do now?
– Please send an email to leeforster@cascaidr.org.uk, expressing your interest in the course and outlining your key reason/s for undertaking it. You need to do this by the 31st August 2024.
– Please tell us if you will be paying or whether it will be someone else, like an employer – that’s fine by us.
– We will acknowledge receipt of your application within 7 days and if we have enough applicants to run the course, whom we think can benefit from it, we will then send you details as to how to make payment and other relevant information. That will be by way of a paypal button/card payment system, to keep costs down.

IF YOU WANT TO BUY LAST YEAR’S RECORDINGS, it’s possible to do so, by getting in touch with leeforster@cascaidr.org.uk who will arrange a means to pay £100 and then get the recordings and links to you in due course.

Dates and Topics covered in the Legal Rights Course

**Please note dates are subject to unavoidable change, although changes are very rare**