"At Prior’s Court, we don’t think the ‘care in the community’ has gone far enough"

A clip of a discussion on a news channel is currently doing the rounds, where a speaker's personal experience involving people with learning disabilities and/or mental health conditions in a community cafe setting, as well as some recent high-profile events (if you class nearly 10 years ago as recent).

For those lucky enough to have not seen it, we’ll spare you the full details. For those who did, sorry.  The conclusion of the discussion?  "That these people have too much access to children, they need help obviously and as a state we need to give them the help that they can get. But as a sort of care in a community, take them off to the zoo, give them experience working in a cafe, [its] gone a little too far."

Firstly, there is no logic to this statement or any of the suggestions made.  Yes, these incidents are harrowing for the individuals and families. But one or a few people of a particular population acting in a certain way does not equate to the entire population doing the same and/or being punished to prevent as much. And for that reason, the clip deserves no more airtime nor a direct response. 

Instead, a celebration of what ‘these people’ can access, just as any person can.  Yes, adaptions and preparation are likely to be needed.  Yes, a higher level of support is probably required.  But that is all achievable to provide them with the same opportunities and right to the community as everyone else so freely has.   

Young people at Prior's Court are autistic with severe learning disabilities, and many have other co-occurring diagnoses such as ADHD, epilepsy, and mental health diagnoses.  Our aim is to support the young people to be healthy, happy, more independent and have the opportunity to access the world of work.  All of these involve accessing the community.  In fact, it has been an organisational goal to give every young person access to at least two off-site activities per week in the evenings and weekends.  The right support doesn’t stop just because young people leave site. 

So where do young people who attend Prior’s Court go in the community? 

                                  As well as enriching experiences and the right to have fun, we are also supporting young people to have the opportunity to access the world of work.   

                                  We know this is possible because we have seen it happen. Young adults leaving Prior’s Court have successfully taken part in community-based work experience and supported employment, and some have gone on to secure unpaid or paid roles within Prior’s Court itself.

                                  These achievements are not exceptions; they are the result of high expectations and personalised preparation. 

                                  At Prior’s Court, we don’t think the ‘care in the community’ has gone far enough. 

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                                  Of course, not all young people can always access the community or access all opportunities without experiencing them somewhere familiar and safe first.  So we work hard to bring experiences to our young people and make adaptations so everyone can have fun and grow their confidence. 

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