Disability & Sensory Impairment

Accuro
Parenting Support Project

The Parenting Project supports parents/carers of children with a disability, providing home visits, specifically designed parenting workshops including emotional, sensory and behavioural issues, a nationally recognised parenting programme, and a support group. We also have a wealth of knowledge on other agencies and resources.

Action for Family Carers
Macmillan Carers Service

Action for Family Carers

Macmillan Carers Service – Support for Carers

The Macmillan Carers Service provides emotional and practical support to people helping someone through cancer . The team provides someone to talk to about support and information

This carers service is provided across the whole of Essex including Southend and Thurrock.

Action for Family Carers
Young Adult Carers (ages 16 - 24)

If you're aged 16 - 24 and are feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, tired, or just missing out on opportunities your friends take for granted, we can help. We provide Young Adult Carers support and information when it is needed through social opportunities, while providing support for your family.

Action for Family Carers
Young Carers (ages 8 to 18)

Support for young people aged 8 to 18 who help to care for a family member. This person may have a long term illness, a physical or sensory impairment, mental health problems or a drug or alcohol addiction

Age UK Essex
Toenail Cutting Service - Harlow

We offer a toenail cutting service to anyone who is unable to cut their own toenails. Our team of trimmers will help you remain mobile, avoid becoming isolated and housebound, reduce the likelihood of falls and avoid the discomfort of long toenails.

British Red Cross
Mobility Aids

We provide a range of mobility aid equipment for loan and sale. Equipment includes wheelchairs, commodes, highback chairs, raised toilet seats and walking aids.

CanalAbility

Provides fully adapted and accessible canal boats to enable people with disabilities to enjoy relaxing and uplifting holidays and day trips on the river. Our boats are adapted not only so that people with mobility difficulties can get on to and around the boats, but also offer facilities such as hoists and remote steering.

Citizens Advice Uttlesford
Citizens Advice Warm Homes Service

This service is designed to support people in Harlow and Epping Forest with health conditions that may make them more vulnerable to living in a cold or poorly maintained house. You may need help with high fuel bills, low income, poor insulation, damp and mould or broken heating systems.

Community Agents Essex

Supporting independent living through social inclusion: getting out and about; increase confidence to go shopping, visit neighbours or other places; mobility in the home; adaptations for ease/safety; meeting people; local groups/activities to make new friends; healthy eating/living; practical support/information.

Deafblind Organisation

The Deaf Blind Organisation offers support and guidance to deafblind people, their carers, family and friends, as well as professionals working with people who have a loss of both hearing and sight.  We also offer The Befriender service for those who are feeling lonely. We’re also keen to help those recently diagnosed, using the befriending process as a means to prevent social isolation.  Our popular Peer Support & Social Groups provide those with both sight and hearing impairments plus their carers an opportunity to meet people and make friends.

ECL Harlow Hub

The service offers support for adults who have physical, sensory or learning disabilities.  We offer a person-centred service which aims at promoting and supporting progression for people that attend.

The hub has a sensory room and runs a variety of activities throughout the week such as community activities, cooking, arts and craft, floristry.

A Work Based Training Team on site give advice, guidance and support to people with learning disabilities who want to progress into voluntary or paid employment, as well as training opportunities in the onsite café.

ECL Sensory Service

We are a team of sensory specialists delivering needs-led and person-centred services to people with sight, hearing and dual sensory impairments, their families, carers and the wider community. Our high quality services are focused on early intervention, improved wellbeing and maximising independence.

EPUT - West Essex Macmillan
Cancer Information and Support Service

Support and information to anyone who has concerns about cancer, their relatives, friends and carers. We offer befriending and respite support in your own home. We can provide details of other local and national cancer support agencies and services and benefits advice. We provide a supporting service to allow patients, relatives and carers to access suitable national and local information about cancer, cancer prevention and local services.

EPUT - MS Nurse Specialist
MS Nurse Specialist

The MS Nursing Service offers support and guidance for people with MS from diagnosis onwards. I offer advice regarding treatment options, symptom management, general support for the patient and their family, onward referral to appropriate services and liaison between the community team and acute services.

Essex Restorative Justice Hub

The Essex Restorative and Mediation Service offers Restorative Justice and Mediation to residents in Essex who are, or have been, involved in crime or conflict. We arrange safe communication between parties (those who have been harmed, and those who have caused the harm, or others in dispute such as neighbours).

Essex Safeguarding Adults Board
Social Care Direct Helpline

You can call us for anything from straightforward information and advice about the abuse and the safety of adults in Essex; to the disclosure of a specific concern about your own safety of somebody that you know. Should you wish to report maltreatment of an adult in Essex we will take your concern seriously and ensure that it is investigated appropriately.

Help us to keep adults safe across Essex. Remember, ignoring abuse is not an option - Any person with knowledge of, or suspicion that a vulnerable adult may be at risk of abuse or is being abused must report their concerns.

Call the Social Care Direct line on 0345 6037630

Families in Focus

Families in Focus aim to support children and young people with disabilities (aged 0-19) and their families by providing them with a range of services in West Essex. We provide helplines and advice to guide and support you as much as we can. Educational, DLA (Disability Living Allowance) Applications, and Social/Respite opportunities are included.

Family Solutions
Children and Families Hub

Family Solutions is a team within Essex County Council that provides a variety of support for families who are experiencing difficulties.  Family Solutions approach is to work alongside families on issues that they want to change, so the work undertaken varies from family to family.  We often support with issues such as family dynamics, parenting and the impact on families of things such as domestic abuse, mental health difficulties and substance misuse.  Most work is carried out in the community, often in family homes.  Family Solutions also runs several group work programmes.

The duration of the work undertaken varies according to need.  The average current length of work is 5 months.  Family Solutions’ work with a family never exceeds a year.

Frontline
Befriending Factsheet Harlow

This fact sheet gives details of local and national befriending services.  These services provide conversation and companionship in order to reduce isolation and loneliness.  Some services may also offer specific support to people managing long term illness or disability.

Frontline
Complaints Factsheet Harlow

This fact sheet gives details of how to make a complaint about a health or social care provider; for example if you are unhappy about the care you have received from a doctor, dentist, optician, pharmacy, social care service, hospital or care home.

Harlow Advice Centre

Harlow Advice Centre provides specialist benefits, debt and housing advice, plus assisted information on a wide range of related subjects.

Harlow Stroke Support Group

We provide information, advice and support for stroke survivors and their family and carers. The charity has been operating in Harlow and the surrounding areas for the past 20 years to support people to overcome the barriers faced following a stroke, such as feelings of isolation, loss of confidence and concerns about the future.

Harlowsave Credit Union

We are a not for profit community bank offering accessible banking services, savings accounts and affordable loans. We specialise in helping people in financial difficulty by offering money management advice and affordable loans. We also offer budgeting advice via our SMARTAdvice project and a debt referral system.

Headway Essex
Community Support for Adults with Traumatic and Acquired Brain Injury

We are able to give informed practical advice or facilitate more expert support as required. Support workers provide direct, emotional or practical support and informal counselling. We aim to educate the person and the carer about brain injury. We identify the individual and family needs and facilitating actions through Headway Essex resources or external agencies or professionals to ensure equipped support.

Healthwatch Essex
Healthwatch Essex Information Service

We provide information about health and care services in Essex. We also help people to find out about, access and navigate health and social care services.

Healthy Minds (NHS Psychological Therapies)

Healthy Minds provides access to a wide range of talking therapy treatments for adults with common mental health problems, including: depression, anxiety and long term conditions. Healthy Minds help clients to better understand their emotional difficulties and develop new ways of thinking and coping based on agreed individual goals and needs.

Hearing Help Essex

A quarter of a million people in Essex have some degree of hearing loss, nationally that amounts to one in six of the population. Hearing Help Essex exists to alleviate the isolation and loneliness that hearing loss can bring. Our services include: 

• Practical help with NHS hearing aids
• Information, advice & guidance
• Assistive equipment demo & loan
• Hearing loss seminars & training
• Drop in sessions and events
• Signposting to other organisations

Lambourne End Centre for Outdoor Learning
Food for Thought

A health and wellbeing project, engaging people in meaningful activities, learning new skills, keeping fit and developing confidence in calming surroundings. Individuals work on the land planting, nurturing and harvesting fruit & veg. This improves their self-esteem, mental and physical well-being and self-worth, ultimately assisting with their integration into society.

Mind in West Essex - Private Counselling
Fee Paying Counselling

Our counselling service provides you with the opportunity to explore worries, concerns or mental health difficulties that you may be experiencing. It can enable you to use your own insights and resources to work towards resolving the issues you face. The Mind in West Essex counselling service compliments services provided by NHS.

Morelife Ltd
Morelife

A free 14 weeks weight management programme followed by 8 monthly maintenance sessions. MoreLife is based on a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy interventions combined with specialist dietetic input. Moderate and sustainable weight loss and long-term weight maintenance are the goals of the service.

Peabody Trust
Essex Floating Support Service - Harlow

Helping people to sustain their accommodation by helping them address: Rent/council tax arrears; benefit claims; budgeting; priority/non-priority debts; evictions/re-possessions; health/wealth and well-being; sign posting service; and assistance with tribunals and benefits.

As part of a recent merger - services delivered by Family Mosaic are now branded as Peabody.

Provide
Smart Life

Smart Life aims to improve health and wellbeing and keep people independent in their homes. If you are struggling with any aspect of daily living and need support, we will make referrals to other services.

Realise Futures
Community Connections

We can help you to explore your options, gain new skills and move towards education, training, volunteering or work. We offer one-to-one support, confidence building, personal and social development, signposting, advocacy and employability skills.

Royal Association for Deaf People
RAD Deaf Law Centre

RAD will offer free advice in the following areas: • Welfare Benefits • Debt • Housing.

If you need advice about applying for benefits, worried about PIP, issues relating to your housing situation, bedroom tax, rent arrears, or any other debt issue, we can help.

Self Management UK
Self-management Training for People with Long-term Conditions

Self Management UK provides a free self-management course for people with ANY long-term conditions, including diabetes, arthritis, heart problems, mental health issues, COPD, among others. The course helps people develop skills to cope with daily challenges; improve wellbeing and become more confident in managing their health.

SEND Information, Advice and Support Service

The SEND IASS can help if you are a parent or carer, or a child or young person who needs information, advice and support about special educational needs and disability issues. We offer impartial and confidential support over the telephone or in person around educational issues.

Stroke Association
Information Advice & Support Service

Our service can provide practical assistance, essential information and emotional support. It might be that you just need someone to talk to who will understand your situation, or help with form filling or signposting. We can work with you to look at secondary prevention, or set your own goals and help achieve them.

Support 4 Sight
Befriending Service

An Essex-wide Befriending service for people with a sensory loss. Each person will be matched to a dedicated Befriender who will be in regular contact with them.

Support 4 Sight
Support 4 Carers

Support 4 Sight is a registered charity with a service for the Carers of partially sighted and blind people in Essex. The service provides emotional support and advice to anyone who cares for a loved one with visual impairment, at no matter what stage of their journey. We encourage all members to talk and share information with each other to better their and their loves one's day to day living.

Support 4 Sight
Support 4 Visually Impaired People and their families

A registered charity helping people with visual impairment. Providing emotional support; advice; equipment; information; assistance with visual aids/equipment; social drop-in sessions, coffee mornings (Saffron Walden, Dunmow, Braintree, Witham, Epping, Harlow, Chelmsford); social trips; Carers group; regular equipment supplier days and exhibitions.