Learning Disability Services
FACTS
- 1 in 3 people with LD say they do not have any contact with friends
- 1 in 20 have no friends
- 1 in 3 do not feel safe using public transport
- 1 in 3 say someone has been rude or offensive to them in the last year (mainly a stranger).
SERVICE OVERVIEW
We've delivered learning disability services for almost 20 years and currently support around 200 service-user customers. Our services support adults with a range of learning disabilities who may also have additional support needs including autism, challenging behaviour, communication issues, dual diagnosis, physical disability, sensory impairments and complex needs.
Person Centred Working is central to our philosophy and practice.
Our service user customers lead and are actively involved in planning the lives they want to live through Person Centred Planning.
These plans are facilitated by a circle of people around that person and say what support is needed to enable the person to achieve the outcomes they want.
We have trained all our staff in Person Centred Thinking and have Active Support facilitators accredited by the Tizard Centre at the University of Kent.
We also work in partnership with Speech and Language Therapists to deliver Total Communication training as a core unit of our corporate Learning and Development Programme.
Our supports range from accomodation based services to community support, accredited or informal training, volunteering and work opportunities.
Customers are supported to engage with their communities and to participate in social and leisure activities of all kinds, this includes Kings and Queens, a 'nightclub' night run by service users for service users.
Our Travel Buddy scheme helps our customers get out and about by building their skills, experience and confidence in public transport travel.
At Southside, we are committed to fulfilling the potential of every one of customers. We encourage them to apply for jobs at Southside, consult them via ‘consumer panels' and our ambassadors program ensures they have a say in what we do at the highest level.
We are constantly evolving and developing our programmes to stay ahead of demand and the changes bought about by the personalisation agenda.
Customers with learning disabilities will soon be offered a menu of services through 'My Choice'; an exciting new way for people to take more control over what support they want to buy.