City Volunteering

L'Arche London

Building community with people with and without learning disabilities

ABOUT US:

We're L'Arche, an international movement of communities for people with and without learning disabilities. L'Arche London, based in West Norwood, is made up of about 100 people with and without learning disabilities, some of whom live in our community houses and others who participate in our workshops or drama group. Joy, openness, and relationship is at the heart of our shared life.

WHY OUR WORK MATTERS:

We believe that care is a universal need for everyone and everything. We thrive when we are looked after, and we shouldn't be embarrassed about this. L'Arche is a beacon in the social care landscape for a different kind of care, where friendship is at the heart of the caring encounter and the power inequality of carer/cared-for breaks down. We're joyfully rebelling against a care sector that is too often dehumanising and impersonal.

OUR VALUES:

Service - We want to look out for each other, offer excellent care and support, and live lives formed by love, not just be absorbed by ourselves.

Community - We want friendship and community, not just being autonomous and independent, instead of isolation and loneliness.

Outreach - We want society to grow from the flourishing of people with learning disabilities, instead of them being cocooned and hidden away.

Spirituality - We want to live lives of joy, gratitude, freedom and compassion, rather than being preoccupied by superficial things.

OUR AWARDS:

CQC rated 'good'

THINGS WE ARE PROUD OF:

Our shared spiritual life where everyone is made welcome, regardless of their religious background

Our multigenerational and diverse community, a symbol of peace in a divided city

Our long history, existing as a community in West Norwood since the 1970s

Our radical history in the liberation movement

The way people with learning disabilities are at the heart of L'Arche and build our community everyday

Our international focus, with over 150 communities worldwide and 11 in the UK

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN OUR PEOPLE:

There is no one kind of person who comes to L'Arche London. We are very diverse in terms of ethnicity, nationality, educational background, religion, age, and LGBTQ+ identity. What our members share is an openness to difference, a curiosity about other people, and a desire to build strong friendships.

HOW WE ARE DIFFERENT:

Whereas other social care providers talk about people with learning disabilities as 'service users', we call people in our community with learning disabilities members. The word 'co-production' has become a hot button word in social care over the last decade, describing working in partnership by sharing power between various stakeholders including 'service users'.

In L'Arche, we have been co-producing for fifty years. People with learning disabilities have leadership roles across our communities and are involved in decision-making at every level. We are not perfect and there is always more work to do. But we are committed to relationship and consensus-based decision-making, and this is reflected in our rich history and diverse communities.

Summary