Making Sense

Accommodation

Having a good place to live is important to everyone. It can sometimes be difficult for people with learning disabilities to find the right place to live. For example, we know that across the UK;

• Very few adults with learning disabilities own their own home.
• Adults with learning disabilities often stay living at home with their parents and other family members until they are older than other people might do.
• There are still many people with learning disabilities living in residential care accommodation as their long term home.

This can mean they have less money to spend and less choice about where they live and who they live with.
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Children & Young People

In 2022, an exercise was done to prioritise what's important for children and young people with learning disabilities in North Wales, making sure their voices and their families' voices were heard. As a result, a new workstream focused on children and young people was created.

The key areas identified for North Wales Together to work on include Life After School, Transition, Activities, Information, Accommodation, and Respite.

Health

Staying healthy is important for all of us. People with learning disabilities can face additional barriers to staying fit and healthy. They can also sometimes have difficulty in getting the health care they need.

The programme works with colleagues in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to improve health services and reduce health inequalities for people with Learning Disabilities in North Wales. Read about some of the work we have done here.

The Right Support

People with learning disabilities say their staff need better training to provide the right support for a good life. Good support happens when staff share positive values, have the right skills to meet each person's needs, and when support is person-centred and focuses on the things which matter most to them.

In this section, you'll find information and resources to help everyone provide the right support.

Supported Employment

The goal is to help people with learning disabilities gain equal access to paid employment, feel valued, and contribute to society.

The North Wales Supported Employment Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities (2024-2029), created in collaboration with people with learning disabilities and the North Wales Learning Disability Partnership, will be implemented through the North Wales Supported Employment Service.

This aims to provide a clear pathway for anyone aged 14+ with a learning disability to access support to find paid work

Making Sense is a charity that helps people with learning disabilities enjoy museums, galleries, and creative spaces.
From 2019 to March 2025, we funded their Sensory Parcel Service. Every six weeks, day centres across North Wales received a special parcel filled with:

Sensory objects
Sounds and smells
Creative activity ideas

These parcels are designed by professional artists and inspire activities like day trips, workshops, and art-making. People at a day centre in Denbigh help create the parcels too — making it a truly inclusive project.

Making Sense also works with local museums and galleries to make visits and workshops more accessible for everyone.

Learn more about the Sensory Parcel Service

We have completed an end of project report for Making Sense’s Sensory Parcel Service. You can find the report here:

Making Sense Report Download

Accommodation

Children & Young People

Communities

Health

The Right Support

The Right Support

Supported Employment

Technology

Accommodation

Children & Young People

Communities

Health

The Right Support

The Right Support

Supported Employment

Technology

Making Sense