CIRCLES NETWORK
Address : Pamwell House, 160 Pennywell Road, Easton, Bristol BS5 OTX
Tel : ++44 / 117 93 93 917 | Fax : ++44 / 117 93 93 918
Contact person : Ms. Mandy Neville
- Working language(s) : English
- Principal disabilities and special needs catered for :
People who are isolated through disability and people with learning
difficulties, physical/sensory impairments, mental health difficulties.
- Members : Not a membership organisation, however we have over 500 subscribers and over 2.000 contacts on our database.
- Number of members : see above
- Age groups : all age groups
- Main services provided :
Circles Network aims to support people experiencing or at risk of experiencing, social exclusion, isolation through disability or long term illness, to become included in community life.
- Examples of your activities in the last two years :
- individualised support for disabled people living in their own homes crowley house families project-support + assistance to parent for disabled parents
- partners in policymaking - a unique course for disabled people + parents of schoolage disabled children.
- Types of exchanges/events to organize with other countries :
- seminar / training / conferences
- holiday exchanges, exchange of speakers/stafftrainers
- Project proposals :
- Families project - assistance with parenting for disabled parents
- Assistance/advocacy through court (legal proceedings)
- Developing circles of support throughout Europe
- Possibility of developing “partner in policymaking” in Europe.
SUMMARY :
A introduction to Circles Network
Cirles Network is a voluntary organisation, established in 1993, with an educational objective to build inclusive communities.
The organisational aims are to support people who are either experiencing
social exclusion or are at risk of being isolated through disability or
log term illness, to become included in community life. The primary
function of Circles Network is to assist people to develop circles of
support, building networks of friends who agree to support a person or
a family in a non-patronising, non-judgmental way to archieve the
dreams and ambitions they may hold.
Essentially the idea of a circle of support is a very simple one: to help someone establish a personal social network. In practice however, when people have experienced broken relationships, and systems that segregate and disempower,
creating such a network requires deliberate action to make
opportunities for natural relationships to develop.
Circles Network provides support, training and development opportunities to introduce and increase understanding about the concept of inclusion.
The underpinning values
Inclusion as a broad concept means creating communities where every member
belongs and is accepted as a contributing citizen regardless of ability
or label. All of the organisation’s work promotes this concept and
inevitable this takes us i nto every dimension of life. Thus, we work
in schools and colleges, in workplaces and in family and residential
homes, in hospitals and other institutions, in places of worship, in
community centres and in ordenary streets. Our work is with children
and adults and crosses all cultures.
Summary of current organisational endeavours
Circles Network provides a wide range of support. This includes:
- Developing and sustaining circles of support.
- Consultancy and training for statutory, voluntary and independent sector services.
- Individualised support for disabled people and people with learning difficulties living in their own homes in community.
- Unique support for parents who have learning difficulties and other
impairments who require assistance to effectively parent their children
at home.
- A wide ranging prgramme of courses, conferences, workshops and events open to anyone, which expand our learning about inclusion.
- Individualised support for people perceived as challenging who want to live in the community.
- Partners in Policymaking - a leadership programme designed to achieve policy and systems change involving disabled people and parents of school age disabled children. The programme is underpinned by a strong values base of inclusion and disability equality.