For parents and carers

We provide a range of programmes and activities to support the person you care for to grow their independence and confidence in a safe and welcoming environment. 

We recognise and respect that everyone is unique, and we’re committed to providing person-centred care. We work closely with our students, and their families and carers, to help them identify and work towards their personal goals. 

We run regular meetings for families and carers to share stories, raise concerns, and discuss their needs. This helps us stay connected with our students’ wider networks. Whilst we love chatting with people in person, we understand that not everyone can attend, so we also run the meetings via Teams for those who wish to join by video link. 

We often invite guest speakers to talk about things like healthy eating and nutrition, and relationships. 

Our dedicated wellbeing team work with families and carers to provide encouragement and guidance to support students to continue their learning at home. This includes signposting and referring families and carers to other agencies and services where needed.

Opening times

Student sessions run from 10am until 4pm Monday to Friday (except for Tuesdays when they run from 11am until 4pm). We're open all year round and we close on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. 

Safeguarding

The welfare of our students is paramount. All our staff and volunteers are trained to recognise possible safeguarding concerns and act accordingly so that any issues are dealt with in an effective and supportive manner.

Staff

All our tutors and volunteers are DBS checked and bring a wealth of experience and talent in their respective fields. Many are proficient in Makaton and all staff undergo regular learning disability and autism awareness training to better understand people's needs. 

Autism accreditation

Share is accredited by the National Autistic Society (NAS), which runs the UK’s only autism-specific quality assurance programme to evaluate organisations providing services for autistic people.
Our autism-friendly measures include:

• An accessible environment that reduces sensory triggers (e.g. lighting, sound, colours)
• Clear signs and easy-to-understand language
• Structure to our courses and day-to-day activities to provide clear routines
• Relaxation spaces

You might be feeling unsure about what the person you care for could expect if they decide to attend Share. To help with this, we've created an accessible document with photos explaining what happens hour by hour on a regular day. This is based on attending Share Clapham Junction. It might be slightly different at another Share site, but the structure of a typical day is very similar at all our locations.

Referrals are usually made using our online referral and application form.

If the person you care for does not have a personal budget they can be referred by their social worker, health worker or other professionals such as Disability Employment Advisers and Support Brokers.