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IN THE BEGINNING ...
In 1975, a group of parents in Hackney, North London, decided that they wanted to give their learning disabled children a better quality of life than was then available. In those days it was very courageous to stand up and be counted, but they were determined to ensure that their children would not be left sitting at the back of the class, without adequate provision.
They first opened a play group, which rapidly expanded into a full evening and weekend programme. They undertook a survey of local schools to assess the need and were surprised to find that 10% of children in mainstream schools had special educational needs. This encouraged them to develop their services further and they set up a Helping Hand - Yad Voezer - as a Registered Charity in 1978.
AND THEN ...
In the intervening years, the Charity developed a range of new services and now caters for an ever increasing number of learning disabled children and adults. A dedicated and experienced staff manages three residential homes which are registered with the National Care Standards Commission, furthermore, three supporting housing projects are managed for people with learning difficulties who wish to live more independently within a Jewish environment. A wide range of respite and support services include welfare advice, social activities, vocational support, independent living skills, holiday schemes, family and domiciliary support, advocacy and counselling.
AND TODAY ...
The organisation achieved Investors in People accreditation in 1996 which has been consistently maintained. It has also been awarded three National Lottery Charities Board grants to develop an environmental awareness project - "Reach Out" for people with learning difficulties and a Mentoring scheme, - "Hand in Hand" to enable people who have always been cared for, to move on to a more independent life.
It is now working towards achieving Government Accreditation and recognition as a model of excellence in the provision of high quality services for people with learning disabilities and their families.
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