Certitude is London’s leading adult social care provider, supporting people with learning disabilities, mental health support needs and autistic people. The not-for-profit organisation supports around 1,800 people across 15 London boroughs.
Certitude: filling the gaps
One of the early recognitions from the beginning of April 2020 was that the government and media was focussing almost exclusively on “traditional” elements of care: the NHS operating inside hospitals and organisations supporting older people in care homes.
There was little, if any, focus on the needs of people living their lives within the community — working in jobs, studying or living alone — who drew on support from organisations like Certitude. Certitude’s Director of Development,
Marianne Selby-Boothroyd is forthright about the experience she and her fellow managers underwent in 2020.
They became aware early on that the needs of people they support did not feature very strongly in much of the information and guidance being released. So the organisation took steps to adapt their support so it would still focus on individuals’ needs throughout the lockdowns.
Adapting services
Their peer-led Connect & Do creative activities, usually held in-person in Brixton, was quickly moved online. Connect & Do had always been a way for people to make connections through shared interests rather than through diagnoses, so it seemed more relevant than ever to keep this programme running.
The online workshops were a huge success, allowing for people to continue to meet, and for new people to join from anywhere. The online aspect of Connect & Do has continued, offering a whole range of collaborative courses, from printmaking and creative writing to sewing and relaxation.
The whole process of the lockdowns helped Certitude support teams to gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which individuals and their families wished to live. Some people relished certain elements of lockdown, particularly those less comfortable with in-person appointments and other interactions.
Other people naturally struggled, and Certitude’s support teams went above and beyond to ensure everyone was as safe and happy as possible. Some colleagues moved into the houses where they were supporting people, not seeing their loved ones for long periods of time.,
In other cases, support workers were speaking to people online for up to five hours a day, which many families recognised with huge gratitude — one mother of an autistic child said she wouldn’t have been able to cope with the isolation without that daily support. Elsewhere, some central office colleagues who were obliged to work from home found their own isolation difficult to deal with.
Both Aisling and Marianne mention the remarkable way in which everyone at Certitude coped – and even thrived – with the additional pressures. There is reservation when talk turns to “Covid heroes” as the press likes to term key workers; what they saw was the more prosaic but equally inspiring ability of human beings to thrive, despite the odds.
As the medical impact of the virus has reduced, the impact on organisations like Certitude continues as they implement lessons learned. They have also learned that in a crisis they can depend on the resources and abilities of their colleagues, people they support and their families.
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