Better opportunities for people with learning disabilities

Better training, work experience and employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities - that's the Royal Borough's commitment with the transfer of the Bridge That Gap training café from the Town Hall to the new £1m community resource centre at Boyn Grove.

Cllr Simon Dudley, Cabinet Member for Adult and Community Services, said he was confident that this would open the door to an improved range of experiences for the 26 people currently supported at Bridge That Gap - and for many more who will benefit from Boyn Grove's new links with Ways into Work.

He said: "We would not be proposing this unless more disabled people could benefit. The reality is that while Bridge That Gap provides an excellent service it is only to a limited number of people and is not geared towards exploring a wider range of training, work experience and employment opportunities.

"By bringing together Bridge That Gap and the Ways into Work team under one roof at Boyn Grove we will be widening services for people with learning disabilities who will have more options, more choice, more access to employment opportunities and increased independence."

Cllr Dudley highlighted Ways into Work's track record of helping people with learning disabilities into training and employment, making it well placed to support more people attending Boyn Grove, not just those currently working or volunteering at Bridge That Gap.

He said: "We want to give people with learning disabilities more, not less, access to ways of fulfilling their potential. However, we appreciate that change can be difficult and we will be providing full support to everyone as we make the transfer from the Brunel Centre to Boyn Grove. All the volunteers will be moving from the Brunel Centre anyway so that there will be new and different opportunities ahead for them. Many already have jobs or volunteer elsewhere."

Bridge That Gap will transfer to Boyn Grove Community resource centre after it opens in the spring to replace the current out-of-date Brunel Centre. The café will offer hot and cold snacks not only for those taking up the 100 learning disability and 75 dementia places per week but also for the public using the nearby park and offices.

There are plans to market the café's service across the immediate area and, if successful, it could be extended to work in partnership with other providers in other parts of the town.

Ways into Work - the award-winning service that finds paid employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities - will work directly with centre users to explore their strengths and preferences and find the most appropriate placements.

Cllr Dudley said: "There has been an understandable public concern about the transfer and impact. The cabinet has listened to these concerns and considered them carefully along with professional advice. We firmly believe that this transfer will provide a wider offer for more disabled people to go on to employment in the commercial world as well as retaining volunteering opportunities.

"We are pleased that there will be close monitoring and involvement with the service volunteers through the Learning Disability Partnership Board to make sure that the change will be successful."

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