The Elfrida Society

Who we are

The Elfrida Society has a century-long legacy of supporting individuals with learning disabilities, evolving to meet the changing needs of our community. We pride ourselves on being inclusive, diverse, and accountable. With a strong team of 24 staff members, including 14 individuals with learning disabilities, and a team of dedicated volunteers, we're making a real difference in the lives of those we serve.

We aim to support people with LDAD to live happy, independent lives and provide opportunities for them to have their voice heard. Key to this is our specialist advocacy offer to empower people and ensure they can access the same opportunities as everyone else. Our other projects work in conjunction with advocacy to proactively challenge prejudices towards people with LDAD, and positively influence local and national policy.

The three main strands of ES’s work comprise:

• Advocacy - specialist 1:1 peer support and self-advocacy, including a pioneering user-led support programme for parents with an LDAD, known as the Elfrida Society Parents Project (ESPP).

• Consultation services – two unique user-led groups who engage in quality assurance monitoring of local learning disability (LD) provision and contribute toward Council subgroups, both aiming to affect positive change and give lived experience of LD.

• Sports projects - sporting groups in collaboration with local and national organisations providing opportunities to enjoy recreational community-led activities and develop meaningful social relationships.

The Elfrida Society works closely and in partnership with other organisations who share our values, both in the borough of Islington and elsewhere, and we work closely with the London Borough of Islington to deliver services through partnerships. All our services are consulted, evaluated, shaped and designed with people with a learning disability and/or learning difficulties leading to improved health, well-being and independence. 

Our culture and values

Our values of trust, care, choice and opportunity reflect our history and have been developed in consultation with our service users, staff, volunteers and trustees. These values are embedded into our vision, mission and overall charitable aims and objectives of the organisation and all our projects.

All our work is underpinned by the following values:

Equality: We value diversity and strive to give equality of opportunity. We believe the organisation and society is enriched by its diversity.

Respect: We respect the experience of our staff, volunteers and supported employees, which include people with learning disabilities. We believe in their potential and will help to realise their ambitions.

Creativity: We encourage innovation in the solutions we adopt.

Cooperative: We value partnerships based on honesty and trust. We believe that people working together can achieve positive and lasting change.

Co-Production: We value the input of our beneficiaries, staff and volunteers in all the work we do. 

Challenge: We will advocate on behalf of our service users with local and national institutions in order to achieve our vision and mission.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

At The Elfrida Society, ensuring fairness and opposing discrimination across our workforce is paramount. We adopt inclusive recruitment practices, with a diverse workforce that includes individuals with learning disabilities and/or autism or learning difficulties (LDAD). Our supportive work environment fosters growth and development for all staff members, including specialised advocacy and support services tailored to LDAD individuals. Collaborative partnerships and user-led approaches ensure that our services are inclusive and responsive to the diverse needs of our community. Continuous evaluation and improvement drive our commitment to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion throughout our organisation.