It’s difficult enough to be a teenager but young people with learning disabilities who are making the transition to adulthood have an even tougher time. That’s why Norwood has created a new drop-in service at Norwood’s Kennedy Leigh Children & Family Centre and Pears Wing in Hendon every Wednesday between 10am – 1pm.
Young people between 13 – 19 years can receive advice and support from Daniela Rodrigues who is the Transition Social Worker for Norwood, the UK’s leading charity supporting children, families and adults, coping with disabilities and social disadvantage, in the Jewish community and beyond.
This service is part of Norwood’s person-centred approach to find out what is important to each person and then support them to ensure their individual needs are met to achieve greater fulfilment, and ultimately fuller inclusion in society. Daniela supports young people to identify their goals and take steps to achieve them. This could mean going to college, having a job, going out and having fun, moving into supported housing, or getting extra help to increase your independence while living at home.
As well as supporting young people to build confidence and develop new skills, Daniela works in partnership with all organisations responsible for young people’s care, including the Local Authority, social worker, a volunteer, the school, Connexions, and anyone else who is very involved with young people and their families.
Talking about the work she does, Daniela said, “At Norwood, we believe that young people with learning disabilities should have the same opportunities in life as everyone else. It should be easy for young people growing up, and their families, to get the support that they need as they make that difficult transition from being a teenager to being an adult.”
Anyone interested in the service should contact The Kennedy Leigh Children & Family Centre and Pears Wing, and ask to speak to the Duty Social Worker on 020 8457 4745.
For further information, photos and interviews, please contact Naomi Creeger, Public Relations Manager at Norwood, on 020 8420 6942 or email naomi.creeger@norwood.org.uk or pressoffice@norwood.org.uk
