Personalisation and Learning Disabilities

A collection of contributions exploring key roles, outcomes and leadership in personalisation approaches for people with learning disabilities. This book is divided into three sections: part one focuses on leaders by experience, part two explores creating the conditions, and part three examines the broader picture and what's next for personalisation. Together, the three sections consider the experiences and reflections of individuals and groups who are directing their own support, and how self-directed support changes the responsibilities, roles and relationships of people surrounding the person. They also consider the changing system and what needs to happen for personalised services to succeed.

Andrew Tyson is a health and social care practitioner based in Oxford. He works as an independent facilitator, trainer, writer and speaker, and is a registered social worker and an accredited interpersonal mediation practitioner. He has worked as a manager for around 30 years and has been a commissioner of health and social care services since 1999, mainly for people with mental health issues and for people with learning difficulties. Andrew is currently a staff associate of In Control (England), Community Catalysts and the Social Care Institute for Excellence.

Between 2005 and 2011 Andrew worked for In Control, where he had a variety of roles, including lead for the social care programme, which at one point had 120 English local authority members. He also led work on personalised commissioning, the role of professional social work and on helping people use their personal budgets to get a real job. Andrew continues to work for In Control on a number of projects, both with local authorities and with provider organisations.

Andrew has had more than 20 articles published in a range of journals. He was involved in producing many of In Control's publications between 2005 and 2011 and in 2011 he edited Personalisation and Learning Disabilities: A handbook on behalf of In Control.