L’Arche is currently exploring the prospects within Perth for launching a new community.
It offers:
- More than forty years’ experience in the UK
- the first community in Scotland was in Inverness
- Edinburgh is the second Scottish location of the ten in the UK
- there are 148 across the world
Service provision is one aspect of L’Arche, whose shape reflects the desire of local people with learning disabilities, their networks of relatives and friends, and the commissioning plans of that area’s Social Work team. Local plans reflect the existing strengths of the area.
Usually this provision begins with supporting people at home – sometimes in a new home.
But L’Arche is open to seeing what people in a local group would most value.
L’Arche fulfils all the accreditation steps and referral or SDS arrangements that go with the provision of dual-registered care services with the Local Authority and the Care Inspectorate.
When L’Arche consider the options for a third community in Scotland, the key criteria are
- whether there is a local desire among people with learning disabilities and their networks of friends, relatives and advocates for what a L’Arche community may be able to offer, as part of that area’s existing communities and organisations
- whether that desire is matched within Social Work, health and regulatory bodies
- and third by the interest shown by local people getting involved as volunteers, to build momentum and provide skills for future project development and governance.
- A network of people with a growing desire to see L’Arche grow in Perth comes before the plans, resources, and buildings that make it a reality – and local people helping lead such a ‘Seed group’.