Mencap Background and Organisation Structure - Essay Example

of affiliation: Background/history Mencap began in 1953 by a group of parents and carrier from Leeds (UK) who saw the urgency to respond to the plight of children with special needs. During this period, Leeds and even the entire Uk hosted very few support services for people with special needs. Such is the case that parents who gave birth to babies with disability were often asked to surrender them to particular institutions and forget them completely; painful words for any parent. Consequently, many babies were left to suffer such a fate. Tired of this disgrace, parents with special kids, living within Leeds, began holding meetings in their houses and later formed a committee to serve the Leeds society. This committee named National Society of Parents of Backward Children became functional on 8 April 1953, immediately after its inauguration (Mencap, 2013). The inaugural meeting took place at Leeds Museum and was attended by squire Holye , the then Executive Officer of Leeds Health Department(its former name). In 1956, the organization changed its name to Leeds and District Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and later took the name Leeds Mencap Organisation structure (local&international) Mencap depicts a democratic leadership. This simply means that all people have equal chance to present their opinions, in addition to the fact that the organization ensures full support for individuals with learning disabilities, their relations and carers. The day-to-day running of Mencap depends entirely on six important groups of people. This includes 1) The members 2) The board of trustees 3) The staff 4) Districts 5) Regional and country committees 6) National assembly members At present, Mencap proudly maintain 6,800 committed staff who works across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. This takes in every employee from staff dealing directly with persons with a learning problem in support services to employees working in other key areas like administrative roles and campaign. The organization also has a number of employees with a learning disability. Members can generally influence the manner in which Mencap operates through districts and the committees. All associates of affiliated local organizations, which run as independent charities, form part of Royal Mencap society. The current individual membership and that obtained through local groups is approximately 50,000 people (Mencap, 2013). . Trustee’s board comprises; the chairperson, a maximum of seven voted in trustees and a maximum of five co-opted trustees. This group manages the activities of the organization and ensures its operation reflects the pre determined policies, budget and the laws. Lastly, the organization has members of the national assembly drawn from all the committees in the nine English regions, the Northern Ireland country and Wales trustees and committees. This assembly provides an avenue for hearing the views of the members. Mencap Organisation Chart Values/statement The values held by Mencap include: Being people centered Empowering, including and respecting all people Challenging wrong ways of thinking about learning disability Transforming lives Being brave and developing new ideas Funding model Men cap is a charity organization that purely depends on grants, gifts and donations offered by well-wishers. This includes donations from other charity organizations, government grants, corporate and individual’s contribution. Additionally, the organizations hold events and activities geared towards raising money for this course. Here, the management initiate activities such as Breaking Point appeal, selling of Christmas cards and Winter raffle winners and also establish Exclusive deals to raise funds Partnerships Mencap collaborates with both individual and corporate partners across its operational zone. The corporate partners range from small to major blue chip companies. Corporate and individuals can collaborate with Mencap at strategic level, establish an integrated business relation or even initiate an employee engagement partnership through fund raising. Some of the most common partnerships are: a. Strategic relationships Irrespective of the organization size or the commitment level advanced, Mencap can still incorporate any organizations services to help difference in the life of persons with learning disability. b. Charity of the year Partner’s can become part of the real social change by selecting Mencap as their choice charity of the year. Through this avenue, Mencap works alongside partners to tailor programme of fundraising activities. This includes Mencap events, individual challenges and workplace activities. c. Sponsorship Through sponsorship partnership with Mencap, partners gain from product publicity and PR activity. Mencap can help establish openings with high-profile events across the nation, Mencap publications & services and corporate entertainment, among others( Mencap sponsorship, 2013). . d. Cause related marketing Linking a product or brand to a cause like Mencap can help boost sales, establish customer loyalty, maintain, or recruit members. Mencap works together with interested partners to create exciting ventures and produce mutually beneficial results. The best example is Mencap relations with Executive Perks and Suit the City. e. Volunteering packages Mencap can tailor a package to fit partners objectives, from decorating, gardening, or offering mentoring with the aim of supporting persons with a learning disability (Mencap volunteer, 2013). Involvement I.e. community, national and international Involvement in the Mencap activities varies from community, national to even international level. The following avenues are provided for individuals and corporate wishing to get involved. a. Take part in an event: Running events, Cycling events, Extreme events, Challenge events, Social events dodgeball events and carols services. b. Corporate partnerships c. Raise money for Mencap: accomplished through Breaking Point appeal, buying Mencap Christmas cards or winter raffle winners and being part of the Mencap Exclusive deals d. Competitions: this includes taking part in Spellathon and Snap! Competition e. Volunteer: Mencap offers wide range of volunteering opportunities. Examples of activities and practices Mancap activities vary largely, but they all seek to better the lives of persons born with a learning disability. These activities include: 1) Advocacy: making choices It seeks to help people with a learning disability voice their grievances and make decisions on matters that are of great importance for their wellbeing. 2) Housing: a place to call home Provides housing options that have been tailored to fit the specific needs of individuals regardless of their preferred location. 3) Learning: a place to learn Offers education services to support people suffering from a learning disability right from the period they leave school upto their adulthood. 4) Leisure: enjoy your life Includes a range of leisure opportunities tailored to suit individuals with a learning disability, both the young and adults. 5) Support: help when needed Maintain services to assist persons with a learning disability carry on with their lives in a manner they choose, irrespective of them being at home or in the community. 6) Work: help finding work Mencap offers training services to help individuals with a learning disability find paid employment. Additionally, they offer them jobs. References Community. (n.d.). Mencap. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/communitylp Corporate partnerships. (n.d.). Mencap. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/get-involved/corporate-partnerships MENCAP act as the voice of learning disability in Northern Ireland, everything that they do is about valuing and supporting people with a learning disability, and their families and carers.. (2011, August 14). Sunday Life (Belfast, Northern Ireland), pp. 7,8. (2012). Mencap concerned by government’s failure to offer funding plan. Learning Disability Practice, 15(5), 4-4. (2013). Mencap receives funds for child-development centre in Belfast. Learning Disability Practice, 16(7), 6-6. Mencap to Get Helping Hand from Solicitors. (2009, May 7). The Birmingham Post, p. 4. Mencap | Leading UK charity for people with a learning disability. (n.d.). Mencap | Leading UK charity for people with a learning disability. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/ Our projects. (n.d.). Mencap. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/what-we-do/our-projects Our services. (n.d.). Mencap. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/what-we-do/our-services Our vision, mission and values . (n.d.). Mencap. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/about-us/our-vision-mission-and-values Raise money for Mencap. (n.d.). Mencap. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/get-involved/raise-money-mencap Smellie, I. (2009). The Perspective of a Local Mencap Society. Mental Health Review Journal, 14(2), 20-21. Take action. (n.d.). Mencap. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/campaigns/take-action Take part in an event. (n.d.). Mencap. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/get-involved/take-part-event Volunteer. (n.d.). Mencap. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer What we do. (n.d.). Mencap. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/what-we-do local groups . (n.d.). Partnership working. Retrieved February 26, 2013, from http://www.mencap.org.uk/local-groups/information-local-groups Read More