In Tower Hamlets we work together with service users to develop and deliver the range of support and interventions that can help adults with a learning disability live well.
The council is working with its partners on the Learning Disability Partnership Board to refresh its five-year Learning Disability Strategy, which we hope to publish in early autumn. This will detail how we intend to deliver against the priorities most important to us.
Our priorities
In advance of its completion, adults with a learning disability and their carers have identified six key outcomes and partnership actions most important to them which we expect to see embedded and delivered across all our commissioned services:
- Be happy and healthy.
- Live locally.
- Be part of the community and be involved in activities.
- Work or volunteer.
- Have choice and the right support.
- Be respected and safe.
Our services
Supported accommodation
Along with our extra care housing, accessed by everyone with an assessed level of need, we currently commission 52 supported accommodation units across a range of different settings. Our accommodation includes:
- Self-contained one-bedroom flats with ensuite bedrooms.
- Shared houses (three–five bedrooms) with 24-hour support, helping to prevent loneliness and isolation while promoting community living.
This level of provision does not reflect demand which means many individuals are placed outside of the borough. To address this, we are focused on working with individuals and their families to increase the availability of high-quality supported opportunities within borough boundaries over the next five-year period.
Residential respite:
Residential short-break respite support is available at our newly refurbished Hotel in the Park respite service. Following an assessment by our Community Learning Disability Team, individuals and their carers can access overnight, long weekends or longer breaks when booked in advance. The service is also available at short notice to support families in a crisis. Please contact LDDuty@towerhamlets.gov.uk for further information.