Advice and Guidance
Making sure that adults who have a learning disability and / or autism have access to the information that they need in order to live an independent and happy life.
Alongside provision of care and support for the people we support, the Aldingbourne Trust also do what we can to make advice and guidance accessible to as many people as possible. From parents and carers to our members and volunteers, sharing knowledge and transparency is crucial for getting the right services to the right person at the right time.
The Aldingbourne Trust has a drop-in centre where adults with learning disablities and / or autism can go to access support, workshops and guidance. There are also workshops designed specifically for carers and parents to help navigate the systems we work across.
The Aldingbourne Trust has a drop-in centre where adults with learning disablities and / or autism can go to access support, workshops and guidance. There are also workshops designed specifically for carers and parents to help navigate the systems we work across.
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Briefings
Understanding the experiences of people with learning disabilities and dementia.
Both learning disability and / or autism and dementia can be difficult issues to cope with in isolation, when combined they can become frustrating and demoralising for people affected. Please click here for guidance for adults with learning disabilities and dementia:- 
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Parents & Carers workshops
The Aldingbourne Trust is well connected with local experts and has a wide reaching network that can be drawn on to assist parents and carers in supporting people with learning disabilities and / or autism.
Although our guidance is far-reaching, we are always pleased to introduce external experts from social care, the police and the health service who run sessions for our visitors and answer the questions that are best left to these specialists. Contact us for workshop dates | ||
Advice, Guidance and Support
The information we provide is current, easy to understand, accessible and covers the following areas:
The information we provide is current, easy to understand, accessible and covers the following areas:
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Support Planning:
We are currently reviewing our support planning, looking at the best way to use tech to have great communication to support people. We are doing this with people we support to make sure they steer the way we do things.
Finding paid or voluntary work:
We've supported over 1,300 people into work. The Aldingbourne Trust’s Workaid service is a one size fits one, bespoke approach. By working closely with employees we also help with job retention & ensure happy employees = happy employers.
Developing new skills is key for success in finding a job so we can also help find the right courses or learning programmes available locally. Health and Recreation
Our team can recommend and run health and exercise classes, offer help on how to eat and live healthily. We have good working relationships with local health services and sources like Arun Wellbeing (& other areas) to provide more tailored support.
We maintain an up to date programme of events and activities hosted by the Aldingbourne Trust and other organisations and the information is freely available from our No 73 drop in centre. Having fun is a key element of independent life and we help to find appropriate community events, arrange group activities and even run a social club. Independent Travel
We can support adults with learning disabilities and / or autism with planning travel routes, finding information on bus or train timetables, applying for disabled travel cards or even using our free internet to book travel tickets. If more one to one support with travel is needed, we can help find the most appropriate services.
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Housing:
Aldingbourne Trust offers a number of housing options directly and there are many more in the local community. Our team can help the people we support to navigate their options and put together an appropriate plan. We can advise on tenancy issues, coordinating across different types of benefits and help by finding the right kind of ongoing support to ensure everything runs smoothly.
We will shortly be sharing our on line individual housing plans to help with thinking and making decisions about what housing is right for you. Personal Budgets and Benefits:
Our team regularly attends training on all relevant benefits and tenancy issues to keep our knowledge up to date and can help answer a wide range of questions. We also have a strong relationship with local Citizens Advice services and benefits advisors who can help with more complicated issues.
Personal budgets or Direct Payments are subject to very specific rules and the best information is to be found on the West Sussex County Council web pages. We can of course discuss this on a case by case basis if further help is needed. Budgeting and Paying Bills
Staff at Number 73 will be able to help people to get their finances in order and support them with any paperwork they may have by reading through any correspondence with the client or supporting them to contact the Citizens Advice services or other organisations that may be able to help.
This includes signposting to debt charities and other support services if professional advice is needed. Getting and Staying Organised
Using today’s technology is key for people to feel engaged with the wider community so we can offer advice and the opportunity to practice on surfing the net, using email and calendars, making important phone calls and organising paperwork.
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Community Solutions Consortium
One of our ways of working is to collaborate. We are part of the Community Solutions Consortium:-
- This is a sector led group focusing on West Sussex, who work closely alongside the Health and Wellbeing Board & commissioners. The alliance includes Carers Support West Sussex, 4sight, Independent Lives, Health Watch, Age UK West Sussex, West Sussex MIND, West Sussex Citizens Advice.
- We support the work of the voluntary and community sector, share info, & support the Health and Wellbeing Board programmes and working groups.
- Effectively support and inform the development of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and the delivery of a range of person and community centred solutions to achieve strategic objectives and improve health and wellbeing outcomes in West Sussex.
