Midland Mencap - Reaching Out Project
Working in partnership with Birmingham City Council Adults & Communities Directorate, Midland Mencap have set up the Reaching out Project.
Aims of the Service
The Reaching out Project provides a Citywide Outreach, Information and Support Service for parent/carers and young people with a learning disability from the South Asian and Black communities.
The Reaching out Project also helps parent/carers to become better informed about workings of health, education, social care and welfare systems.
We’ve developed strong partnerships with Social Services, health teams and special schools. Critically, we have gained the trust of the parents, carers and young people we support.
The role of the service is to offer the following support across Birmingham:
- Advocate on behalf of parent/carers and young people
- Advice and guidance on learning disability issues
- Access to accessible information
- Befriending Service
- Benefit advice
- Sign Posting Service
Carers - do not be shy - if you are looking for information or advice, then the Reaching Out project are waiting to help you.
The team will also attend meetings with/on behalf of parent carers. This can be with the following organisations:
- Benefits Team
- Birmingham City Council
- Community Nurses and Health Teams
- Education SEN
- Respite Services
- Social Care & Health
- Various Voluntary Organisations
So, Carers, if you are trying to deal with a complex issue and are struggling to make your voice heard, then the Reaching Out project is ready to come to your assistance.
Following the success of the project in Birmingham our national associate, Royal Mencap, commissioned an evaluation of our work. This culminated in the publication of the Reaching Out Report and a DVD.
Carers - if you would like to gain real insight into the Reaching Out Project, then the Reaching Out Report makes very worthwhile reading. For further information about the Reaching Out Project, and for access to the Report, please see Mencap's website. The DVD highlighted Carer's stories about the difficulties they encountered with various issues around Caring. The stories have a 'before' and 'after' theme and shows how difficulties were overcome following the intervention of the Reaching Out Project. Although copies of the DVD of not available, video clips are available at the following Mencap website, http://www.mencap.org.uk/html/ethnicity/ethnicity_carer_case_studies_video.asp.
The project has also established two Parent/Carers Support Groups in Handsworth and Sparkhill, running monthly. Please click on the links to find out more:
Contact & Further Information
Reaching out project
Project Co-ordinator: Satpal Badhan
Phone: 0121 427 5703
Email:Satpal.Badhan@midlandmencap.org.uk
Midland Mencap - General enquiries
Call: 0121 427 5703
Email: info@bham-mencap.co.uk
Write to: Kennedy House
Bottetourt Road
Weoley Castle
Birmingham
B29 5TE
