Old Library building in Alcester will be catalyst for new disabled care model
A UNIQUE day care centre for adults with disabilities – one of the few of its kind across the country and based in Alcester - has been given the go ahead by Warwickshire County Council (WCC).
On 14th December, WCC approved a proposal to lease the Old Library building to a community interest company, Faces For All, from the Alcester area after 12 months of negotiations. Alcester Town Council also played an integral part in the decision making process.
It means Alcester will have an adult disabled day care provision right on its doorstep the model for which is unique in itself as the emphasis is on activities and health care away from some of the established home care models which some local authorities advocate.
Tara Parker, director of Faces For All told the Herald in an exclusive interview this week: “The need for a daily provision of disability care for adults is clearly there and what we have in mind is fairly unique across the country. The current local authority provision includes supported live-in care provision, care teams – which can involve contracts to big companies – and 24/7 care planning but it’s important that disabled adults don’t feel like prisoners in their own homes. I formed the community interest company Faces For All - which is not for profit - to provide adult day care activities. My business plan has been accepted and we have been awarded £1.2 million from the Community Ownership Fund and we have two public engagement meetings in Alcester this month to explain what we’re going to do,” Tara said.
Tara and her husband David have a disabled daughter, Abigail, aged 24 who attended Welcombe Hills, Stratford and is now at The National Star College in Cheltenham. The family know only too well the importance for the disabled adult to have freedom of movement and independence which is what is envisaged at their first state of the art day provision for adults with disabilities in south Warwickshire.
“I have a had a long career in the NHS and am now a chief nurse for children in NHS England. David had a long career in theatre production, moving to the area in 1997 to work for the RSC and has owned his own companies since 2007. Most recently we have designed and built a facility for Disabled Access Holidays and Respite. A process that has given us experience and confidence in not only the conversion and rennovation of a site but also of setting up two businesses in the provision of care settings for people with additional needs,” Tara said.
During Covid she was re-deployed to become part of Professor Chris Whitty’s team -
the chief medical officer for England.
She added: “The vision is to create a centre with a mixture of adults at all different levels who have access to physiotherapy and to a hydrotherapy pool for 52 weeks of the year allowing for public holidays. There are eventual plans for a shared space on Saturday mornings, provision for people with learning disabilities who can’t go to work, with the emphasis on care of the vulnerable through community engagement and socialisation.”
The commitment behind Tara and David’s proposal is based on the word ‘care’ and if all goes according to plan the centre could be open sometime within the next 12 months once the necessary renovation work is completed.
“I have set up FACES (Freedom to Access Community Engagement and Support) as a community interest company. The facility will provide multiple use options for other local social interest groups and services to access. Families and the community itself will also benefit from increased employment opportunities and there will be encouragement for people to stay and be part of their community no matter what disability they have,” Tara said.
Alcester Town Councillor, Mark Cargill, said: “It’s going to be an amazing centre when it’s finished and it will put Alcester on the map in terms of supporting disability care in south Warwickshire which will make it unique in every respect.”
The public engagement meetings are scheduled for Monday 8th January at 2.30pm and Friday 12th January at 6.30pm. Both will be held at The Eric Payne Community Centre in St Faith’s Road, Alcester.
