Thursday 16th May 2013, British Library Conference Centre, Euston Road, London

The Reader Organisation’s fourth annual conference will explore how their pioneering shared reading project, Get Into Reading, addresses the need for social inclusion, meaningful activity, and better health in communities across the UK:

• One in four British adults will experience mental health problems in any one year
• 75% of adult prisoners have a dual diagnosis (mental health problems combined with alcohol or drug misuse)
• 29% of households consist of a single person living alone
• Levels of dementia are predicted to increase by 62% in the next 20 years
• One in four children are practically illiterate upon leaving primary school
• Over 60% of young people who offend have communication difficulties

The Reader Organisation has a proven track record engaging with many of the hardest to reach individuals in society to build stronger, healthier, and more connected communities.

This conference offers an invaluable opportunity for commissioners, practitioners, and leaders from across public and mental health, criminal justice, social care, community and education services, and professionals from the private and third sector, to examine the impact of shared reading projects as a whole population approach in the context of national policies and strategies.

Confirmed speakers and panellists include:

• Jane Davis, founder and director of The Reader Organisation
• Alan Yates, Director at Unique Health Solutions Ltd, former Chief Executive of Mersey Care NHS Trust
• Stephen Dalton, Chief Executive, Mental Health Network at NHS Confederation
• Professor Philip Davis, Director, Centre for Research into Reading, Information and Linguistic Systems, at University of Liverpool
• Professor Martin Orrell, Professor of Ageing and Mental Health at University College London
• Ciara Eastell, Head of Libraries, Culture and Heritage, Devon Libraries
• Pam Usher, Libraries, Arts and Heritage Manager, London Borough of Southwark

The morning session, Healthy People, will focus on public health, mental health, and dementia care, whilst the afternoon, Connected Communities, will focus on criminal justice, young people, addiction recovery, libraries and academic research.

For more information and to book your place