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  2. Good to know
  3. Family partnerships
  4. Our family library

Our family library

Expert resources to put families in the know

Resources for all families

Transition: your child’s journey into adult services

Our Transitions guide aims to help you understand your child’s transition from children’s to adult services and what choices are available to you.

This was written with involvement from both families and a range of professionals, aiming to make a complex time for you as simple as possible.

We also have a handy checklist – check it out here. 

Let’s talk about communication

Intended for families, support teams and others, this guide outlines different communication methods for people with autism and learning disabilities.

Communication is a two-way process and the approaches, behaviours and systems outlined in this guide may help you pinpoint ways to improve your existing communication, even identify gaps you were previously unaware of. The content has been created by family experts and our behaviour support team working together.

Handling difficult situations in public
Securing suitable housing

Securing suitable housing has long been a barrier to providing successful independent living support. Here, our housing brokers discuss ways to maximise your chances of success.

Moving out of ATUs

Dimensions has successfully supported many people to leave ATUs, but thousands more remain stuck in the system. That’s why we have created this practical, can-do guide.

We’ve included a very wide range of individual stories; we hope they will inspire people – families and professionals alike – to believe that in almost every case, better is possible.

What makes a good neighbour

Building the right relationship with neighbours can make the difference between somebody living a difficult life and a great life, with all the consequent impact on community involvement, staff morale and retention, and so on.

This short guide describes a wide range of difficult situations that Dimensions colleagues have experienced, and how these have been resolved.

Family Factsheets

Who you can contact for advice

Referrals

If you have a personal budget in place and are looking for a support package, contact us to discuss support options.

Helpline for families

We have set up a helpline for the families of the people we support. The line is open from 10am to 12pm, Monday to Friday, and will give family members the opportunity to ask questions of our team of family consultants.

Phone 0300 303 9161 or Email: Family.helpline@dimensions-uk.org

Other organisations that can help

  • Top ten tips for choosing someone to support you, is an independent publication, produced by the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG). It offers ten top tips for choosing someone to support you
  • Ambitious About Autism is a charity that runs specialist schools and colleges, and national youth and employability programmes
  • Beyond Words is a charity that co-creates word-free picture stories for people with learning disabilities. Every story is co-created with people with lived experience and trialled by people with learning disabilities.
  • British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) is a national membership charity that promotes the principles and delivery of supported employment services.
  • British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD) supports organisations across multiple practices to champion the rights of people with learning disabilities, ensuring quality support and continuous improvement.
  • Carers UK provide information, advice and support to unpaid carers within the UK.
  • Challenging Behaviour Foundation (CBF) founded by parent Vivien Cooper OBE, is a UK charity that ‘provides information, support and workshops specifically focused on the needs of people with learning disabilities who display behaviours of distress.’
  • Contact A Family provide ‘support and advice to families of disabled children’
  • Council For Disabled Children is a membership body, ‘providing a collective voice that champions the rights of disabled children, young people and their families, and challenges barriers to inclusion.’
  • Down’s Syndrome Association (DSA) ‘supports people who have Down’s Syndrome, and their parents and carers.’
  • In Control is a charity that ‘provides information, advice and support to enable people to take control of their lives.’
  • Learning Disability England
  • Respond‘exist to lessen the effect of trauma and abuse on people with learning disabilities, their families and supporters’.
  • Victim Support‘provides victims and witnesses with high quality emotional and practical support’.
  • Ann Craft Trust‘A leading UK authority on safeguarding adults and young people at risk’.
  • Social Care for Excellence (SCIE)‘improves the lives of people of all ages by co-producing, sharing and supporting the use of the best available knowledge and evidence about what works in social care and social work’