LoveLife 2 Erasmus Project

Project Title

LoveLife 2

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Inclusion – equity; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

LoveLife the project was collaboration between 7 partners who all worked to support people with a learning disability.
Only 3 in 100 people with a learning disability are living with a partner in comparison to 72 of the general population.
The topic of personal relationships and sexuality was still considered as a taboo by professionals and families of people with a learning disability. This situation urgently needed to be addressed via coherent training and sensitisation activities so that the competencies of staff working in the disability sector and family carers could be enhanced, their confidence in dealing with matters could grow, with the ultimate goal of improving the well-being of people with a learning disability.

The objective of the project was to raise awareness around the rights of people with a learning disability to be supported to have meaningful relationships. To recognise that people with a learning disability are experts in their own situation and to empower them to deliver training to others who form part of the barriers to people accessing their rights.
Lovelife directly benefited 48 people, 24 of whom will had a learning disability and indirectly benefit a minimum of 1440 people. They included people with a learning disability, support staff, support services professionals and family carers.

Description of activities
Lovelife set out a number of activities in order to ensure that the final products were useful, and designed to suit the need of the trainers and support the desired outcomes for the project.
Through research and knowledge a Theoretical Framework was created.
All partners produced an up to date summary of research in each partner Country. The project then produced a glossary of terms in plain English and Easy read English to support the trainers who have a learning disability. Our partners from the University of Salzburg where then able to draw up a comprehensive curriculum guide for the courses the project would deliver. This then supported our experts in training the trainer who has a learning disability to produce a training manual to be used as we supported the tandem trainers to learn to deliver courses with good materials. This was delivered to the first cohort of trainers before it was reviewed for effectiveness before being taught to our second tranche of trainers.

As the 2nd part of the project the trainers delivered their Relationship training in their own partner countries to a mix of audiences. All partners delivered training to at least 40 people with some partners delivering to over a 100. On rolling out the training and evaluating to training and project as a whole the partners were then able to publish recommendations.

Results and impact attained
The whole project produced many good trainers who have continued to deliver training to other organisations and support providers beyond what was projected in the project. Evaluation for training delivered taught us that support staff felt more comfortable with the topic of sex and relationships. They reported that their work practice has now changed to be able to better support people to explore how they may have relationships or understand what knowledge and training they need before being comfortable with relationships.
For the individual trainers there was a notable change in confidence, what they wanted out of relationships, how they identified as sexual beings. Many explored their sexual preferences and were able to talk about being lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans for the first time.
Longer term benefits
We believe the project trainers will continue to deliver training, advocate for others and raise awareness of the rights of people with a learning disability to have sex and relationships. Some project partners will go on to develop more training and support more trainers. All partners will lobby their National and Local governments to better support people with a learning disability to have relationships.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 349179 Eur

Project Coordinator

Learning Disability Wales & Country: UK

Project Partners

• EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
• Pädagogische Hochschule Salzburg
• Stichting Pameijer
• Papillons Blancs de Dunkerque
• CENTER ZA USPOSABLJANJE DELO IN VARSTVO DOLFKE BOSTJANCIC DRAGA
• in.betrieb gGmbH Gesellschaft für Teilhabe und Integration