Yorkshire and Humberside

Yorkshire and Humberside

We're always looking to work in new areas.

Take a look through our existing services or use our contact form to get in touch.

Grimsby and Cleethorpes Networks

Rotherham Support

Self-Advocacy Service

Sheffield Support

Grimsby and Cleethorpes Networks

Manager: Sadie Monteith - 07943 828 695 - sadie.monteith@keyring.org

Support to live your life your way in Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

Your support

It is your support so it looks different for everyone. You’ll talk with your support worker about all the things that you love doing and the things that you’d like to do more of. You’ll set some goals and a plan for making them happen. You’ll also talk about how you can be more independent so that you can do more things.

You might ask us to help you with:

Looking after your money.
Looking after your home or even finding a new one.
Filling in and understanding paperwork like benefit claims.
Doing things that you love. This could be getting a job or finding new hobbies.
Being healthy or healthier.
Getting to know your local area.
Meeting new people and making friends.
Keeping safe.
And anything else that helps you reach your goals or be more independent.

Your connections

The great thing about KeyRing is that you won’t just get support from the KeyRing staff team. You’ll also meet other people that we support. They’ll share their skills, time and experiences with you and you’ll do the same. So you might join in with the pool group and pop for a pint afterwards. If coffee’s more your style you might meet a new friend for a cuppa before doing a food shop together. If you’re interested in getting out and about to explore the rest of the country you might plan a trip with other people. And if you're a Grimsby Town FC fan we are ready and waiting to connect you with fellow Mariners (if you’re not in the know that’s what the footy round here are known as).

You can start by meeting Members at our local hubs.

What do I do next?

For most of the people that we support in the area, the cost is covered through a contract with the local council. We will talk with you about whether this is the best way for you to get support from us. We can also talk with you if you would like to use your personal budget (direct payment or individual service fund).

If you are interested in finding out more for yourself or someone you know then we’d love to have a chat. Give me (Sadie) a call on 07943 828 695 or drop me an email at sadie.monteith@keyring.org.

Two men sat on a sofa with a dog

Woman with hands in the air

Rotherham Support

Manager: Steve Pritchard - 07939 724 820 - steve.pritchard@keyring.org

Flexible support in your area.

Your support

If you live in Rotherham, we can support you to build your skills, work through any problems you are facing and connect you with your local community.

We have been working with people in Rotherham for over 20 years. Most of the people we support have a learning disability or autism.

Some of the things we can help you with are:

Letters and paperwork
Setting goals and planning for the future
Money, finances and budgeting
Getting to know new people
Housing and tenancies

You will design your own support to suit what you need and your skills. Sometimes you might need a little extra support, that’s ok. Your support is flexible.

You will be introduced to other KeyRing Members (people we support) who will share their skills and experiences. We want your life to be about more than support hours!

Your Hubs

Hubs are group sessions where you can learn and have fun while getting to know other KeyRing Members. Staff and volunteers are at the Hubs to help out but what happens is up to you!

Hub sessions are weekly and offer opportunities to learn new skills and try new things. We also organise Pop Up hubs around Rotherham so everyone can be involved.

My Home

We can work with you wherever you live in Rotherham. People we support have their own homes – rented or owned.

We can help you settle in to a new property, support you to set up utilities, find a dentist and a local GP and work with your landlord to make sure everything is OK.

Get in touch

If you have a social worker, please speak to them about being referred to KeyRing.

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.

If you want to talk about whether KeyRing is the right choice for you or for someone you know then call Steve Pritchard on 07939 724 820, or email steve.pritchard@keyring.org.

Picnic in the park

Football on grass

Shaun

Shaun didn't always believe he could get a job. Now he is an international project worker for a human rights charity.

A photo of Shaun in an orange circle

Shaun had worked in a hotel and a warehouse but he was not given any opportunities to progress. He had also been bullied by his colleagues. His KeyRing worker helped him apply for a job at CHANGE, a human rights organisation where people with and without learning disabilities work together as equals.

Shaun has now worked there for 21 years. In that time he has worked on projects about parenting, hate crime, respect, inclusion and making information accessible. He was travelled the world training young people with learning disabilities. Now he is working on an LGBTQ+ project.

Shaun also works at St Mary's Hospital in Leeds as part of the Involvement Team. They make information accessible in booklets and leaflets on different health issues.

In between these jobs Shaun does freelance work. He works with Photosymbols, another range of pictures for use in easy read documents. As a result of this work he has been offered other freelance jobs too.

Having a job has meant that Shaun has been able to travel abroad. He also likes going out with friends and having his own money to spend, and being able to spoil his wife! They have even been able to buy a house together in the Philippines. "You can make a decision about what you spend your money on. If I wasn't working I couldn't do that".

Self-Advocacy Service

Contact: Dawn Hague - 07977 019 407 - dawn.hague@keyring.org

KeyRing North Yorkshire self-advocacy service supports people with a learning disability and/or autistic people to speak out about things that are important to them and make changes happen.

Read about how we celebrated International Day of People with Disabilities

Download our latest newsletter

Download some of our mental health and wellbeing activity packs

Download our Money Activity Pack

We work closely with the Participation and Engagement team at North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) to deliver this service by supporting people with a learning disability and or autistic people to be included and engage with the North Yorkshire Learning Disability Partnership Board and associated groups.

Working across North Yorkshire, we facilitate a number of self-advocacy groups where we encourage people to talk about local/national issues and campaigns, co-produce work, for example, working with NYCC to deliver their learning disability strategy and take part in local/national consultations.

Self-advocates can elect to join other groups which interest them and are linked to the Learning Disability Partnership Board. They also have the opportunity to attend conferences and workshops both locally and nationally with support from the KeyRing team.

KeyRing self-advocacy groups are usually run on a monthly basis for either one or two hours and these are held at a venue central to the local community where people live. We currently facilitate groups in Northallerton, Easingwold, Scorton, Skipton, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Selby, Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale but we welcome the opportunity to run groups in other areas if these are needed.

If you would like to find out more about the work of North Yorkshire self-advocacy service, please visit this website: http://www.nypartnerships.org.uk/learningdisabilitypartnershipboard

One of our projects with the North Yorkshire Learning Disability Partnership Board has been to produce a guide to saving money on energy. The 'Top Tips for Saving Money on your Energy' booklet contains advice on how people can save money on their energy bills.

Self-advocates were involved in a video about the experiences of people with learning disabilities accessing Primary Care and Annual Health Checks.

The X logo @KRSelfAdvocacy

The facebook logo - a white f in a blue square North Yorkshire Self-Advocates

Sheffield Membership

Support in Sheffield is designed around you and your aims.

Manager: Steve Pritchard - 07939 724 820 - steve.pritchard@keyring.org

Welcome to KeyRing Membership in Sheffield. The journey starts with you, your goals and skills. We will work together to create your personal plan to build on your strengths and connect you with opportunities that are important to you in your local community.

Because life is about more than a support provider.

In Sheffield most of the people we support have a learning disability but we can work with anyone who thinks our support is right for them. We have different options so we can be flexible. We can talk and agree which is the best approach for you.

KeyRing Membership

This is a flexible support option for people looking to build their independence and skills. It includes access to KeyRing Connect

KeyRing Connect

If your main aim is to find things to do with your time, meet new people and do more things with others then Connect is for you

KeyRing Additional Hours

Sometimes people need a bit more support. These hours can be added on to a KeyRing membership for people that need it.

KeyRing as your ISF holder

If you have a personal budget paid as an Individual Service Fund (ISF) KeyRing can be your ISF holder. You can talk to your social worker or contact steve.pritchard@keyring.org to find out more about this.

Your KeyRing Membership will include weekly one to one support and access to our KeyRing Connect package. You'll also have access to our 24 hour support line.

Sheffield Members Faith, Robert, Richard and Steven sitting on a bench in Sheffield station. They have rucksacks with them as if they are going on a trip together.

Sheffield Members on a very busy high street. Richard is holding up his blue satchel. There are lots of people in the background and union jack bunting hanging across the street.

How much one to one support will I get?

KeyRing Members have a support worker who will meet them at least once a week in their home. In between, you can call your support worker if you need to. You’ll also be encouraged to come to group activities where a support worker will be on hand to chat about things that might have come up.

Your KeyRing support will be very flexible. This might mean that some weeks you need to see us more often or other weeks you might be too busy to see us at all... and that’s fine.

We can also talk about our additional hours if you need more support for a long period of time.

What types of group activities can I get involved in?

KeyRing Connect access is a key part of your membership. Connect offers a great opportunity to build friendships and learn even more skills. You can choose what you want to do and help plan activities. People have done things like:

setting up a gaming group
organising digital workshops to help them stay safe online
planning trips, outings and holidays
learning new things

There are lots of things to do in Sheffield and Connect can help you get involved.

‘We recently went cycling in Hillsborough Park. It was my first time on a bike and I loved it’- Faith, Connect Member

We currently run two hubs in Sheffield. The hubs are designed to support you to learn new things and build connections with people that have similar interests. But it's not just about the hubs. It's about the activities that you and other Members organise. Planning a holiday or exploring volunteer opportunities. Joining a gym, developing cooking skills or getting more from your smartphone.

What if I’m receiving support from another provider?

No problem, you can purchase the Connect Membership for social and group activities.

Our hubs are also a safe space to talk about anything that’s worrying you, get some advice from our team and reach out for help and support. No more hiding scary letters under the microwave!

Hubs vary week to week because they are designed by you and other Members.

I like the sound of Membership but what if I need additional support?

Your KeyRing Membership is very flexible and can include more support when needed. If you need additional support this can run alongside your KeyRing Membership. You may have additional support from another provider, or you can speak to KeyRing about providing this support.

This is an example timetable. Activities may vary.

Sheffield Members on a very busy high street. Richard is holding up his blue satchel. There are lots of people in the background and union jack bunting hanging across the street.

A word about ISFs (Individual Service Funds)

An ISF (Individual Service Fund) is money given to you by your local authority for you to spend on your support. You can choose KeyRing to help you manage this. We will be your ISF holder. Your ISF holder will work with you to decide what you want from life and help you use your funds to get you there.

At KeyRing, you'll have your own ISF trained staff member. You will be supported to understand the budget you have available for your care and support. You'll talk about your goals as well as your needs. This will help you create your support plan so that you can live the life you want.

You will think about all sorts of different things including your family, digital solutions, assistive technology and things you can access in your community to help you on your journey. You'll choose activities and opportunities to build your skills and independence. Some of these activities won't cost anything which will mean more money left over for other things in your plan. Making the right choices to reach your goals and get the support you need.
You may choose KeyRing to provide all your support but whichever provider you choose you will get the information to decide which one is right for you.

You can still choose KeyRing to be your ISF holder even if you don't get any other support packages from us. You will still get all the information you need. We will help you understand how much of your ISF you've spent and how much you have left. You will have our support to manage this and we will meet for regular reviews.

It's your budget and we will help you get the best out of it so that you can live your best life.

Kyle

"After only a couple of months I can get the bus myself and have lots of new friends."

A photo of Kyle playing a role playing game

“Hi, I’m Kyle. I’m part of KeyRing Connect in Sheffield. I love gaming. I like RPG games (RPG games are role playing games) and know a lot about most popular table top games such as Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon plus Dungeons & Dragons & Hero Quest. One of the things I really wanted was to mix with other humans.

When I first joined KeyRing Connect I was worried about travelling on my own. I wanted to make new friends but that was quite scary. After only a couple of months I can get the bus myself and have lots of new friends.”

Kyle’s Connect support worker, Shaun says, “When I first met Kyle he was anxious and feeling low. He didn’t get out of his room much. I talked with him about his interests and what he wanted to achieve. We worked out how he could achieve his goals and how I would help him with it. His key goals were to travel independently and to make new friends. Connect offers lots of opportunities to meet new people and I knew we were supporting some people with similar interests to Kyle so it was exciting to talk with him about the opportunities.

Kyle had used buses before but at various points, he’d fallen asleep and missed his stop, got the wrong one or got off at the wrong place. His parents were convinced that he needed someone with him any time he was travelling but I had every faith that Kyle could travel independently.

To start with I did travel with him to Connect meet ups. I showed him the route and helped him get used to it. We talked about the times and explored the First Bus app. Being able to see when the bus is due, plan the route and see any delays was helpful for both Kyle and his parents. Next, I met him halfway on the journey. Finally, I waited at the bus stop with Kyle and talked him through the plan. We introduced him to the bus driver and told his mum that he was on his way so she could meet him off the bus. Kyle is still building on these skills and will eventually do it all himself.

Kyle has made some great friends who love the same things as him. He meets them face to face at our Connect sessions. He can also chat with them online through gaming forums and our WhatsApp sessions. He is much happier and is always keen to be involved in the opportunities that KeyRing Connect offers.”