The meetings across Norwich, North, West, South, and East focused on two main themes:
- Update from the Learning Disability Partnership Board
- Employment and Day Services (with Norfolk County Council)
🧠1. Learning Disability Partnership Board Update
- Lee Gibbons updated groups on the recent Learning Disability Partnership Board meeting.
- Curators of Change shared progress on The Real Care Deal, including a new website featuring real-life stories.
- Housing updates were discussed, including new community housing schemes being built in Norwich, Swaffham and King’s Lynn, ready from 2026.
- Information was shared about Supported Living, Shared Housing, and Shared Lives.
- Easy-read guides about benefits and safety have been uploaded to the partnership’s Easy Read Library.
- Links were provided to the full Board notes for anyone wanting to read more.
đź’Ľ 2. Employment and Day Services (NCC)
- Anna Fairhurst and Alice Dyson introduced their project to improve day services for learning disabled and autistic adults.
- They gathered feedback from group members about:
- What a job is
- What having a job means
- Hopes, skills, and challenges around work
- Worries about employment, including confidence, transport, bullying, qualifications, benefits, and support needs.
- Members shared what jobs they would like to do, including animal care, retail, admin, gardening, creative work, caring, cleaning, and more (full list in appendix).
- All feedback will help shape a new employment support project.
- Anna and Alice will return to the Locality Groups once next steps are confirmed.
âť“ Questions Raised
- Can the Council praise good employers?
Yes — NCC has a team who work with and recognise supportive employers. - Does NCC offer work experience?
Yes — opportunities are available for learning disabled people.
🗣️ Any Other Business
- No additional issues were raised at any locality group.
- No other events or updates were reported.
To read the full easy-read Locality Notes, click on the easy-read image
