Severe and enduring mental ill health
We took over a project for people with severe and enduring mental ill health and have helped change the lives of hundreds of people in the Barking, Dagenham and Havering areas.
We believe the opportunity to experience training and work is the best medicine
possible so our focus is on offering progression through training and work
opportunities in a supported environment.
High standards
The standard of our training and facilities are second to none. Our project has a
state of the art IT suite, professional standard catering kitchen and fully equipped beauty room all offering a range of accredited training which leads on to college courses or employment.
"The only alternatives in the area are drop-in centres where people sit around and are going nowhere," said Shaw Trust Project Manager Margaret Plaxton.
"We are the only provider offering unique and innovative opportunities to regain
confidence, build new skills and progress into education or work."
Revolutionary changes
When Shaw Trust took over the existing project from the NHS Trust three yeas ago the change in approach was revolutionary. Previous attitudes meant people were only offered time-filling activities such as basket weaving or painting. Many people were institutionalised and had no expectation of self-improvement or
progression into work of any kind. Shaw Trust has changed all that.
Helping more people
We now offer state of the art training facilities in a modern new building. We have increased the client base hugely so that some 130 clients every week now attend a range of training and work projects aimed at developing skills and maximising work potential. Each person has an individual learning plan that is regularly assessed and clients are moving on to access full time education, work experience and part time and full time jobs.
The training on offer suits all ages and interests including IT and office skills, personal development and confidence building, beauty therapy, horticulture,
recycling work, carpentry, catering. All courses are accredited, which means people are aiming for and gaining certificates often for the first time in their lives.
We help give people confidence and self esteem coupled with the skills they need to move on into mainstream education or employment.
The chance to progress
No-one else in the area is offering people with enduring mental health problems the kind of real alternatives and opportunities to progress in their lives.
To offer the most flexible and varied solutions possible for our clients and we work closely with a number of local organisations. For example, in one scheme we collect cardboard for recycling and make it into animal bedding which is used by a local farm. We then recycle the bedding in our wormery and the resulting fertiliser which is then sold on. There is also an allotment on the farm where fresh organic produce is grown and sold and carpentry courses are run. We work closely in partnership with Havering College where, having provided a large glasshouse on site, horticulture courses are run using both college and Shaw Trust staff.
