London and the South East

Greenwich Networks

Manager: Richard O'Malley - 07958 482 962 - richard.o’malley@keyring.org 

Greenwich is world-famous as the traditional location of the Prime Meridian, it is home to the Cutty Sark, and, two miles down the river, it is home to our Woolwich and Plumstead networks. 

Interestingly, to many of our football loving Members, Arsenal’s founding team were from Woolwich. 

Our Support

In 1995, we established a partnership with Royal Borough of Greenwich. We currently support 18 Members to live independently in their own homes. We responded to the challenges of an aging population and support people of many different ages. We are well equipped at supporting people to access health related services. Our aim is that people can live in their own home for as long as possible. Where more intensive support is needed we can help facilitate this by working with other organisations across the borough. 

We also work with people who are taking their first steps towards independence and build on their skills and help them develop new ones. 

The networks are supported by Community Enablers. There is a weekly hub which is held in the local community. We encourage people to become involved in their local community and provide them with opportunities to share their skills with other Members and build friendships. 

The service is for people living in the borough who have a learning disability.

How to refer

We are happy to discuss whether KeyRing is the right option for you, feel free to give Richard a call. People who are not eligible for services under the Care Act should not be discouraged from getting in touch. 

You can speak with us about all of the different ways of accessing and funding our support including using a personal budget (direct payment or individual service fund) or through self funding.

Richard.O’Malley@KeyRing.org 

07958 482 962

Islington Networks

Manager: Lucia Fusko - lucia.fusko@keyring.org - 07852 868 077

KeyRing currently supports 19 Members across the Borough of Islington where we offer three tier membership to reflect the different levels of support that someone might need.

There is an opportunity for Members and newcomers to purchase additional hours of direct 1-1 support using Islington’s dynamic purchasing system.

Three Tier Membership details:

Full Membership: Full Members get direct support visits on a one to one basis every week.

For full-time Members this is a great opportunity to work towards their independence - some of them look forward to having someone visit them at home regularly, however a slow transition to associate membership with the back-up of the hub will eventually ease them in.

Associate Membership: Associate Members get direct support visits on a one to one basis every 2-4 weeks. Floating away from regular support is more applicable to Associate Members with the back-up of the hub. 

Linked In Membership: Linked In Members can phone our local Community Enabler and request one to one direct support in times of need.

In addition, all Members have an access to our community hub twice a week which is taking place every Tuesday and Thursday at the local accessible venues.

The hub provides a stable ‘go to’ in times of need but also serves as a social gathering which Members have grown accustomed to.

Introducing the drop-in sessions in forms of hubs has given us a great opportunity to be more accessible which consequently allows our Members to take more control of their daily tasks and activities, unlocks their potential and therefore allows them to be more spontaneous and independent.

We hold regular monthly network meetings which are a great way for our Members to give feedback and share ideas about what types of activities they would like to engage in (board games, drama activities, arts and crafts, knitting and cross stitching, group trips) and any issues they feel need addressing.

Our flexible approach and the tiered support system allow us to give additional hours to those who need it the most (support to hospital appointments, benefit assessments, Jobcentre appointments, etc.) However at the same time it also supports the slow transition to Associate and Linked In membership by progressing to more independence while being connected to the local community throughout the whole process.

For information about our services in Islington contact Lucia on 07852 868 077 or at lucia.fusko@keyring.org.

You can speak with us about all of the different ways of accessing and funding our support including using a personal budget (direct payment or individual service fund) or through self funding.

Lewisham Networks

Manager: Richard O'Malley - 07958 482 962 - richard.o’malley@keyring.org 

Our KeyRing Support Networks are based in New Cross Gate and Sydenham. There are nine Members in each network.

Support is provided by support teams, through group support, support from volunteers, other Members and the community. We have 24/7 helplines in case there are any problems.

A KeyRing Living Support Network helps people develop their independent living skills.

In Lewisham we have two networks which are each supported by a volunteer who lives in the area and knows the area well. These people are called Community Living Volunteers. We also have Community Connections Volunteers who can further support people to connect with their community.

We enable each Member to recognise their skills and explore what they want to achieve. Our focus is on helping them to become stronger and more connected.

We connect people with other Members of the network and encourage them to share their skills. This is called mutual support.

Our team of Community Enablers provide Housing Related Support. They are trained to start with what people can do and how they can increase independence. Support planning tools help our Members think about things they can do to improve their lives.

There are regular social events and a weekly coffee morning at Sainsbury’s, New Cross Gate.

A real sense of community and friendship underpins these services.

How to refer

You can speak with Richard to find out more information about our support in Lewisham.

You can speak with us about all of the different ways of accessing and funding our support including using a personal budget (direct payment or individual service fund) or through self funding.

richard.o’malley@keyring.org

07958 482 962

Westminster Network

Manager: Lucia Fusko - lucia.fusko@keyring.org - 07852 868 077

Westminster is one of the most central boroughs of London full of history and culture.

Our KeyRing Support Network is based in Maida Vale. Located mainly in the City of Westminster, with parts overlapping into the London Borough of Camden, Maida Vale is situated north of Paddington in West London, between St John's Wood and Kilburn.

In Westminster, we currently have one network which is supported by Community Living Volunteer – a volunteer who lives in the area and knows the area well.

We focus on all that people can do

By having an individual approach, we are focussing on what each Member can do. We support people with Learning Disabilities to achieve what they never thought is possible by awakening their inner potential.

This approach consequently allows our Members to take more control of their daily tasks and activities and therefore allows them to be more spontaneous, independent, empowered and less reliant on services.

We enable each Member to recognise their skills and explore what they want to achieve. Our focus is on helping them to become independent and more connected with their communities. Every Member, with their KeyRing Community Volunteer, therefore co-produces an action plan which details member’s specific goals (both short and long-term), actions needed and more.

We provide flexible support

Our flexible approach allows us to give more time to those who need it the most (support to hospital appointments, benefit assessments, Jobcentre appointments, etc.). It also supports the steady transition and progress to more independence while being connected to the local community throughout the whole process.

Members do not wait for their support day to experience crisis. Nor can they always fit their issues into their allocated support hours. Therefore, our connected approach, with peers, volunteers, and staff, means we can allow for the ups and downs of life.

How to refer

If you need any more information about our work in Westminster or would like to discuss whether KeyRing might be the right choice for you or someone you know, please contact Lucia on 07852 868 077 or at lucia.fusko@keyring.org.

You can speak with us about all of the different ways of accessing and funding our support including using a personal budget (direct payment or individual service fund) or through self funding.