History of Headway South Bedfordshire Ltd

     Dissatisfied with the lack of specialised statutory services in South Bedfordshire for people with an acquired brain injury, a few carers and family members formed a self-support group in 1989. Meetings were held in the founder members' homes where they talked about the different day-to-day problems and experiences they had caring for their family member who had an acquired brain injury. They found that sharing their problems with people in a similar role gave them strength and a united voice to improve services.

The group grew in numbers and after a little research they found a national organisation, based in Nottingham, that offered support to people with an acquired brain injury. The group became affiliated to Headway, the brain injury association, and became a non-profit voluntary organisation by registering as a charity, under the name of Headway South Bedfordshire and District, with the founder members as the Board of Trustees.

By proactive approaches to the local statutory services through a series of meetings and demonstrating the need for appropriate services for people with an acquired brain injury, they secured funding to employ a development worker and a community support worker. An office was rented to provide a base for the flow of information to new clients, families and carers while a Day Centre, supported by volunteers, was opened in a church hall providing recreational and social opportunities to clients for two days per week. This also provided much needed daytime respite for the carers.

The need to place the office and Centre in a focussed and more permanent base, as well as the need for professional Centre staff, was recognised. Funding was successfully achieved by applying to private trust funds and through lengthy negotiations with the Luton Primary Care Trust and Luton Social Services.

In 2000 Headway South Beds became a Company Limited by Guarantee and purchased premises in central Luton. After extensive refurbishment, a fully accessible Centre with on-site offices was opened, and a Centre and Deputy Centre Co-ordinator employed. A Service Manager was also recruited to continue the development of services to meet the continued increase in demand, to ensure the quality of service delivery and to develop strategies for long-term sustainability.

Headway successfully negotiated with Barnfield College of Further Education to provide accredited basic courses to clients within the Centre, which was initially open four days per week. This was extended to five days by 2001 to accommodate the number of clients requesting to attend. However, due to the limitations of space and increased demand, a limit on client attendance to a maximum two days per week had to be introduced in 2002. By 2004 the average attendance of the Centre had increased to 60 clients attending either one or two days per week.

As the Centre service flourished so did the Community Support service. Utilising the offices above the Centre as a base, the Community Support Manager provided a wide range of support to an average 120 clients per year by 2004.

Unlike the limitations of the Centre the need for support within the community continues to expand. September 2005 will see the launch of a new support service, utilising community based volunteers to meet these increasing demands and providing a wider variety of support to clients, families and/or carers within the community.

We will continue to develop close working links with Luton and South Beds Social Services teams, Luton P.C.T. and other voluntary and health related agencies who professionally acknowledge the experience and achievements of Headway South Bedfordshire.

Support Ethos

  Our ethos is to enable clients to achieve their fullest self-potential, to live as independently as possible and to move forward with their lives. This is mainly achieved by building on personal skills, increasing self-value, confidence and ability to make an informed choice. We also help clients to 'move forward' by supporting and promoting educational, recreational, employment and social opportunities within their community, leading to increased social inclusion.

Due to the complexities and nature of the disability it is not possible to determine a time schedule of achievement for all clients' short or long term personal goals. In fact, we acknowledge that not all personal goals may be achieved or they may, and very often do, change to what is more important or relevant at that time. Our ethos is to continually review these goals and support wherever possible.

Part of living as independently as possible means having less dependency on statutory and voluntary care and support services, including ours at Headway. Therefore, our ultimate aim must be to enable the client move on from Headway altogether, or to receive from us nominal or infrequent support. This is a major step forward.

Having 'moved forward' there is always a possibility that clients may require support at some point in the future. Personal circumstances change, people may face a crisis in their life, relationships may break down, or they may need updated benefit advice. Headway South Beds will always aim to support clients whenever there is a need.