Our support and services
Watford Mencap provides a range of services for people of all ages with learning disabilities.
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Advice and Information
Free advice, support and information that will help the community find solutions and move your life forward.
The Advice and Information Service offers free and confidential advice to people with learning disabilities and their parents and carers in South West Hertfordshire.
The service can help with many things, giving information as well as helping service users to decide next steps.
A few examples of how we can help are:
- Applying for benefits
- Housing choices
- Money problems
- Filling in forms
- Planning for the future
The adviser can also go to meetings with the service user to help communicate specific needs.
Parents and Carers - Caring for someone with a learning disability brings many challenges which our Advice and Information Service can help you to navigate. Our experienced adviser provides confidential and sympathetic advice to families and carers who need support and guidance about the services they are able to access.
“Very helpful, gave me all the advice I needed”
Anyone can use the service and can contact the service themselves or ask a friend or family member to do it.
If you would like to talk to someone about this please contact our Advice Team on 01923 713620 or email advice@watfordmencap.org.uk
The service has been awarded the Advice Quality Standard which is only awarded to organisations that pass checks carried out by the Advice Services Alliance. We aim to provide a good service and what you think about the service is important to us. If you have any comments about the standard of our service please contact the Community Operations Manager at our community Hub.
Work and Life Skills
Building your skills and confidence, increases life chances and achieving goals.
We offer disabled adults the opportunity to learn new skills, to have fun and to prepare for life and employment.
Café in the Library
Our community café in Watford central library is open Monday to Friday 9.30 – 4.30pm. The café is known for its delicious coffee and cake while also offering a range of hot and cold drinks and light bites
Our fabulous staff, including people with learning disabilities, are here to help so why not stop by?
The café provides vocational and practical training for people with learning disabilities to help build employability and social skills in a customer-facing environment. Our trainee opportunities are split into morning or afternoon sessions and can be commissioned or funded through direct payments and personal budgets.
Would this be suitable for me?
The staff team are here to support you, and we don’t expect people to be able to do things straight away, but you should
- Like spending time with others and communicating with customers, this does not necessarily have to be with words
- Be able to follow instructions as we must follow food hygiene rules and be safe.
- Be willing to complete tasks to help the café run smoothly, this includes cleaning and carrying things.
- Be able to stick to our dress code – clean, tidy and smart
Intensive 1:1 support is provided while you are learning, and we acknowledge some people may need this help for longer, but you will need to move towards some independence when completing tasks. All placements are offered as part of a trial period with regular reviews to ensure the service is right for you.
This is a working cafe where people have access to a range of catering equipment, knives etc. Our trainees, staff and customer safety are paramount to us so you will need to be able to show us you can work safely in this environment. We acknowledge this may be a new experience for you and will provide training, but we reserve the right to refer you to a more suitable WM project if this is not the right environment for you or reduce the frequency of attendance.
Interested in joining our team of trainees?
Contact Lorna Betts on Lbetts@watfordmencap.org.uk call: 07580815810
Training Kitchen
Our training kitchen is in our Community Hub in Langley Road in Watford and is well equipped with lots of space. The kitchen provides vocational and practical training for people with learning disabilities to help build confidence and practical skills in a safe environment. Our opportunities are split into morning and/or afternoon sessions and can be commissioned or funded through direct payments and personal budgets
Would this be suitable for me?
The staff team are here to support you, and we don’t expect people to be able to do things straight away, but you should enjoy food and cooking and want to learn more.
You may be moving on and want to learn how to cook for yourself or to live independently which the team can help you with
Support is offered on a 1:1 basis and can include:
- Planning what to cook
- Buying the food
- Managing your money
- Following a recipe
- Using equipment
All placements are offered as part of a trial period with regular reviews to ensure the service is right for you.
This is a fully equipped kitchen where people have access to a range of catering equipment, knives etc. Our clients and staff safety is paramount to us so you will need to be able to show us you can work safely in this environment. We acknowledge this may be a new experience for you and will provide training, but we reserve the right to refer you to a more suitable WM project if this is not the right environment for you or reduce the frequency of attendance.
Interested in finding out more?
If you would like to talk to someone about this please contact our Skills Team on 07580 815810 or email Cafe@watfordmencap.org.uk
Support at home
Our outreach team support people with a learning disability with a variety of things.
Sometimes for just a few hours a week while others need a lot more support. You might need support with budgeting, healthy eating, shopping, going out to do things or using public transport. Some people might have parents or carers who help, but would still like to have other people to support them and our outreach teams can help.
Our Care Quality Commission registered service works with children and adults and can help with a wide range of activities. They can even build a team to support you 24 hours a day if that is what you need.
If you would like to talk to someone about this please contact our Jeanette Collins, Outreach Manager on 07766 017200 or email jcollins@watfordmencap.org.uk
Children and Family Services
Our children and families team offer a variety of fun activities for all children, whatever their learning disability. Our fully accessible Hub has a playroom, a chill out room, a large sensory room, a fully accessible kitchen as well as an all-weather outdoor play area. We also have a Changing Places toilet which is available to use when the centre is open. Our support workers are all checked through the Disclosure and Barring Service. Our Child Protection Policy is available here.
We offer a range of activities both in the evening, at the weekend and during the holidays. Some of our services are part of Hertfordshire's Short Break Local Offer and can be accessed using your allocation of hours.
These services include:
- Weekend activities – term time sessions on Saturday in our community hub
- Youth Club – term time session on a Friday evening for young people aged 13 – 19 in our community hub
- Holiday Activities – session in all school holidays for children and young people. All sessions in our community hub but additional sessions run in a separate location during the Summer break.
- Buddying – 1:1 sessions out in the community with a support worker
We also run additional activity sessions straight after school which can be accessed via school transport. A substantial snack is included in the session.
If you would like to find out more please call the team on 01923 220816 or email ActivitiesCA@watfordmencap.org.uk
Residential Services
Our residential services provide a supportive environment for adults with learning disabilities enabling them to make their own choices every day. Support is available 24 hours a day with a member of staff sleeping in at night. Each individual has their own plan with identified goals and things they want to achieve.
“We like going out to Chorleywood for a coffee and going shopping”
"Staff help me when I need help"
"I go to the theatre, the cinema, bowling and lots of other things"
"I feel proud of myself, I like all the activities and working”
If you would like to talk to someone about any of our projects please contact Beth Smith, Operations Manager, by email at bsmith@watfordmencap.org.uk.
Watford Mencap has 3 residential homes.
It is important to Watford Mencap that we listen to everyone's views about the work we do, and support we provide. Please speak to us, calling the manager of the home, or if you would prefer contact the Operations Manager Beth Smith on
bsmith@watfordmencap.org.uk.
Supported Living
Watford Mencap has been delivering supported living services across South West Hertfordshire for many years. Many of the people we support live in their own homes, where we provide a staff team who are specially recruited for them. Some people have twenty four hour support, with support in their home overnight whilst others have fewer hours of support.
Watford Mencap strive to ensure that clients are always the primary focus and are fully involved in the planning and decision-making that affects all aspects of their lives. We operate a strengths-based approach to care, support and inclusion, looking first at what people can do with their skills and their resources and what can the people around them do in their relationships and their communities.
We currently provide Supported Living services for 10 adults aged between 24 and 62 years, across 4 different projects in Bushey, Watford and Rickmansworth.
If you would like to talk to someone about supported living please contact Beth Smith, Operations Manager, by email at bsmith@watfordmencap.org.uk.