Learning disability charity Mencap has launched two nationwide employment and leisure services today as part of its ongoing service revamp.
The employment service, ‘Employ Me’, is a specialist programme of support to help people with a learning disability find and stay in employment and develop the skills they need in the workplace. Meanwhile, ‘Me Time’ is a leisure service that provides support for people to find activities in their communities, such as swimming, tennis, gardening, going to the cinema or meeting new people.
This is part of Mencap’s ongoing ‘Get More From Mencap’ campaign to relaunch its specialist support services, which aims to make its services more accessible and user-friendly. This includes using bright colours to distinguish between services and one word descriptions. Mencap says the rationale behind the relaunch is to try and ensure its services are easily understood by the people it supports. This is increasingly important as greater numbers of people with a learning disability move onto personal budgets and have more choice about the support and care they receive.
Simon Parkinson, director of Mencap’s employment services, said: “As a result of research carried out with people with a learning disability, their families and carers and frontline staff, Mencap has relaunched its support services to ensure that the people we support can easily pick and choose from a wide range of services.”
