We work with people to find and take part in sustainable activities happening locally, and provide opportunities to develop their skills and interests, build relationships, and experience new things.
The service also offers travel training if needed. We can help people to look for paid or voluntary work, look at their employability skills and help them experience work tasters.
We work with the person directly for up to 12 weeks. We can look at courses at college and adult education centres. They can also look at supported employment opportunities. We can support the person to gain information and guidance, and signpost or refer them to other agencies.
Activities for people with learning disabilities
Community Connectors also supports people with a learning disability or autism look for day opportunities.
The main aim of the service is to work with people for up to 12 weeks to find creative and exciting opportunities during the day, evening or weekends to help develop new skills and become engaged in their local community.
We take into account the capacity, skills, knowledge, existing networks and potential of those accessing the service and we can be flexible in how we deliver the support.
The support will also engage the local communities to help people to achieve their aspirations. We aim to empower people to be meaningful members of their communities, setting goals and outcomes with strength-based approaches. We aim to help give people real opportunities to have choice and control in their lives.
The staffing ratio within the service will provide the opportunity to work on a one-to-one basis with those accessing the service so allowing a focus on achieving those aspirations identified by the person and their personal service plan.
For a very small number of people, community-based opportunities may be unsuitable due to their complex level of need. In that instance, building based support can be provided. This could be a building-based provision in either the private sector or in one of our own day opportunities. No referrals can be made directly to our day opportunities but would need to be referred through the Community Connector Service.
Day opportunities
Our 4 day opportunity provisions are:
Alderbrook Centre
Buxton Road
Chinley
High Peak
SK23 6ES
Tel: 01629 531000
No Limits (formerly Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD)
West Street Resource Centre
West Street
Chesterfield
S41 8LJ
Outlook
99 Briar Gate
Long Eaton
Nottingham
NG10 4BQ
Tel: 01629 531872
Parkwood Centre
Alfreton Park
Alfreton
DE55 1AL
Tel: 01629 531838
The Connector team can help people become involved in leisure and social activities, linking into existing activities and creating new activity groups with peers of similar interests. We can help people to form and establish new friendships and relationships.
The Connector team cover the whole of Derbyshire working weekends and evenings if needed.
Aims of the service
Community Connectors aim to work with people to:
- meet their individual goals
- make stronger community links and relationships
- explore new skills and interests
- develop or maintain relationships and friendships
Using the service
Currently the service can work with people in Derbyshire from 14 upwards through transition, and 16+ to adults of all ages who have a diagnosed learning disability or autism.
How the service works
Once it has been confirmed that a person is eligible for the service and is likely to benefit from community-based support, they'll be assigned a named connector.
The connector will then make contact, usually by phone to introduce themselves and arrange a meeting with the person and, if appropriate, their carer(s) and social worker. At the meeting the connector will discuss with the person what they'd like to achieve by using the service.
This could be any of the following:
- accessing community-based activities and groups
- using local services
- meeting new people
- gaining paid or voluntary work
- taking part in education courses and learning new skills
- sign-posting
- digitally connecting
- using public transport independently
After the initial meeting, the connector will research what opportunities are available in the person's local community that best match their interests and goals. The person will then decide which opportunities they'd like to explore further, and the connector will make arrangements to accompany the person to their chosen activities providing encouragement and practical support.
Accessing the service-referral process
A person doesn't have to have an adult care social worker to use the Community Connector Service, but the process for accessing the service is different for those people who do.
Professionals and carers or family members can refer a person to the service as long as they have the person's consent.
For people who have an adult care social worker
If a person wanting to use the service already has a Derbyshire adult care social worker, they (or the person making the referral) should speak to their worker in the first instance.
If it's felt that a referral to the Connector service would be appropriate, the worker should make the referral electronically through the Derbyshire adult care case management system. A manager of the Connectors team will review the referral and get in touch with the person or their carers to discuss things further.
For people who don't have an adult care worker
People who don't already have an adult care worker should make initial enquiries about the Connector service to our Call Derbyshire contact centre, email contact.centre@derbyshire.gov.uk or tel: 01629 533190.
Our team at Call Derbyshire will carry out an initial phone assessment and find out what the person would like to achieve by using the Community Connector service. The referral will then be passed to the Connector team who will get in touch with the person or their carers to discuss things further
Contact
If you need more information and would like to find out more about Community Connectors, please contact: