Disability & Sensory Impairment

Accuro (Care Services)
Accuro

Accuro provides social and leisure opportunities for children/young people and adults from the age of 8 plus. We aim to increase, confidence, self esteem and independence through a range of clubs and activities in Uttlesford, Harlow and Epping. Please contact us to find out what is available in your area

Accuro (Care Services)
Stay and Play

Accuro's new Stay and Play 'drop in' sessions will provide an opportunity for children under 8 with a disability to meet and make friends as they start their lifelong journey with Accuro. Stay and Play also provides an opportunity for parents and carers to meet, talk, gain support from one another.

Accuro (Care Services)
Young Adult Friendship Scheme

Our NEW Young Adult Friendship Scheme offers fun activities for young adults with a learning disability in Harlow, Uttlesford and Epping Forest, to socialise and make friends in a safe, supportive environment.

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 6 to 18)

Support for young people aged 6 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

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 Harlow
Warm Homes Essex

Warm Homes Essex is a service set up to help people in our community improve their health through practical advice for fuel poor households.  We can help you in a number of different ways with fuel debt, benefit entitlements, emergency fuel payments, saving energy, and getting the best tariffs for you.

Deafblind UK
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.

Dunmow Stroke Support Group

The Group has supervised seated exercises for Stroke Survivors, plus social interaction

Early Supported Discharge Team, St Margaret's Hospital
Early Supported Discharge Service

The Early Supported Discharge (ESD) service provides specialist stroke rehabilitation in patient’s homes following discharge from acute hospitals.  Providing intensive treatment for patients and advice and support for carers.

ECL Hub
ECL Loughton Hub

ECL Sensory Service

Face-to-face delivery of this service is temporarily suspended.  But if you wish to speak with us regarding any sight or hearing loss issues then please call us on 03330133262 or email:  sensoryservices@essexcares.org 

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.

EFDC - Community, Culture and Wellbeing
Epping Forest Inclusion Project

The Epping Forest Inclusion project supports children and young people aged 3-25 with a learning difficulty or disability. We run a term timetable filled with activities as well as a school holiday programme. We currently support many families across the Epping Forest District and offer parental and sibling support too.

EFDC - Community, Culture and Wellbeing
SEND Wildcats

Brand new inclusive girls football programme. We are working with Essex FA to deliver a SEND Wildcats programme supporting girls aged 5-11.  This session is all about having fun, making friends and playing football.  Every Friday at 5:30pm - 6:30pm and costs £2.00.

EFDC - Community, Culture and Wellbeing
Social. Active. Strong (Falls Prevention)

Social. Active. Strong. is a falls prevention service for adults aimed at reducing their chance of falling by increasing their strength and mobility. It is a FREE 12 week progressive physical activity programme, consisting of low impact exercises in structured classes. Our qualified instructors will be able to tailor the session to meet participants' needs, whist ensuring a friendly and social atmosphere to help adults of any age improve their wellbeing.

EFDC - Community, Culture and Wellbeing
Zoom Fitness Classes

A range of Zoom fitness sessions running throughout the week: Get Active - A class of bodyweight exercises including aerobic, strength and balance practice. Put some music on and get moving! Suitable for all abilities and levels as there will be different options for each exercise. Tuesdays 19:00-19:30 and Fridays 10:00-10:30 every week. £2 per class.

Revive Class - A session including Pilates, Stretching and Mindfulness to get you moving in the middle of the day. 13:00-13:30 Tuesdays and Fridays every week. £2 per class.

EFDC Inclusion Project
Buddy Up Project

The Buddy Up Project supports adults 18+ with autism, learning disabilities or both into community based activities by connecting them with buddies in the community.  If you know someone or are someone living locally and/or attending a GP Practice in West Essex who would like to hear more about this project, then please do get in touch.

Epping Forest Careline

Careline install telecare equipment and provide a monitoring service for clients in Epping Forest. Careline alarms helps older and vulnerable people live worry-free in their own homes whilst providing comfort and peace of mind for friends and loved ones.

A Careline alarm is perfect for anyone who could be vulnerable at home, including older people, disabled people, people with health problems and people at risk of violence or theft. Careline alarms are especially useful for people at risk of falling.

Epping Forest District Council - Private Residential
Grants and C.A.R.E. Handyperson Service

THE HANDYPERSON SERVICE HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED.

Handyperson service:  Reputable contractors carry out small low cost repairs, home security and falls prevention work for older home owners and tenants. Work to gas or electric appliances, decorating or fencing is excluded.

The Grants Team provide financial help with repairs, improvements, energy efficiency measures and disabled adaptations to your home

Epping Forest District Council - Private Residential
Private Sector Housing

We help people who have concerns about the condition of their home, which is affecting their health and safety (e.g. poor heating, damp and mould, disrepair, overcrowding). We can also help tenants who rent their homes and are experiencing harassment or illegal eviction by their landlords.

Epping Forest Foodbank

Epping Forest Foodbank (formerly Loughton Foodbank) is part of the Trussell Trust network of Foodbanks across the UK. The Foodbank provides a minimum of 3 days emergency food to local people in crisis who have been referred by a frontline care professional. Volunteers greet and help signpost to further organisations to help resolve their underlying crisis.

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 - Single Point of Access
Single Point of Access

The Single Point of Access service (SPA) is the referral coordination centre for Community Services.  

Provided by community nurses, case managers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, dieticians, respiratory nurses and palliative care providers.

Open 8am to 9pm, 7 days a week, including Bank Holidays. 

Essex County Fire & Rescue Service
Safe and Well Visits

Our trained Safe and Well Officers can provide advice and guidance in relation to fire prevention and home security, as well as signpost you to additional advice and support if you need it.  To keep yourself and your family safe at home, we recommend booking one of our free, personalised Safe and Well Visits. 

Essex Restorative and Mediation Service

The Essex Restorative and Mediation Service works with people who have been involved in conflict, including criminal offences and anti-social behaviour. Restorative processes use communication between people who have been harmed, and have caused harm, to allow them to work towards positive outcomes in a safe environment.

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.

Frontline
Advocacy Factsheet Epping

This fact sheet gives details of advocacy services. An advocate is someone who can speak on your behalf or who can support you to speak for yourself, especially in formal situations or when you don't feel very confident.

Advocacy doesn't always have to be provided by paid professionals. Often people take a friend or family member with them to important meetings to give moral support, and to speak for them if required.

Advocacy services give priority to the most vulnerable people, or those with the most complex issues who have no other appropriate form of support. If an advocacy service is unable to help, they may suggest other local organisations who can provide assistance.

Frontline
Befriending Factsheet Epping

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 Epping Forest

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 Stroke Support Group
Harlow Stroke Support - Rehab Centre

HSSRC offer non-medical rehabilitation, and help and support to Stroke Survivors, and their family and carers.

The charity has been operating in Harlow and 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.

Headway Essex
Support for Adults with Traumatic and Acquired Brain Injury

Our caseworkers can help resolve issues affecting your quality of life at home and in the community. They can provide you with direct, emotional and practical support and advice to help you cope and manage the changes in your life following your brain injury.

We offer a day centre service in both Benfleet and Colchester, where we provide a broad range of physical, cognitive, social and educational activities. These can help you re-gain lost skills, develop new ones, build your confidence and promote independence. 

Headway Essex
Headway Essex Support Groups

As a charity, our mission is to ensure that everyone in Essex living with an acquired brain injury can live a fulfilling life and that families and carers are better able to cope within their caring roles.

Many people who have a brain injury find our support group meetings very beneficial. The groups provide you with an opportunity to meet others who have a brain injury, to share information and to hear from experts in brain injury care and rehabilitation.

If you have not attended one of our groups before, you will need to contact the community support team  to pre-register your attendance.

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)

The Healthy Minds service has now been replaced with a new service called 'VitaMinds'.  Search 'VitaMinds'.  The new service accepts referrals via Frontline. 

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.

Home-Start Essex
Warm and Safe

Information, guidance and support packs for families with children aged 0-5; A follow up call with the family regarding further support that can be offered or is needed;

Groups will be held to build peer networks of support, help reduce isolation and improve mental health and well-being; A telephone support line and telephone befriender support

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.

Loughton Lions Talking Newspaper

Providing a service to all visually impaired persons or physically disabled who wish to be kept in touch with local news and views in Epping Forest and the surrounding areas.

Loughton Stroke Club

Suffering a stroke or seeing the changes it brings to a loved one can cause difficulties in one's life.  The Loughton Stroke Club provides a friendly atmosphere for recreation and mutual support for stroke victims in the Loughton, Buckhurst Hill and Chigwell areas.

We welcome membership from stroke survivors and their carers in the local area. The club provides peer support in an informal and friendly setting, offering social and recreational activities including games, conversation, outings, talks and presentations by visiting speakers.

We are affiliated to the Stroke Association and are a registered charity.

Loughton Voluntary Care Association
Good Neighbour

Regular home visiting service for housebound clients, perhaps giving carers a break. There is also a "Buddy" system - enabling users to get out of the house by public transport or local taxi.

Please note this is for IG10 residents only.

Mind in West Essex
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 complements services provided by NHS.

Morelife Ltd
Morelife

MoreLife is a Tier 3 service that delivers a 12-month FREE specialist group programme. There are 12 weekly group sessions, each lasting for an hour and a half, followed by maintenance sessions.  Eligibility criteria apply. Click 'Details' for who can use this service and more.

Peabody Trust
Essex Floating Support - Epping

Help people with sustaining their accommodation but 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
Essex Wellbeing Service

We support people in the community and at work with a range of health, wellbeing and day to day needs. We help people access information and support to stay healthy, safe and well from help to quit smoking, to supporting families adapt to 'new normal'. We also coordinate requests and referrals for everyday tasks and connect them to our volunteers.

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.

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.

St Clare Hospice
Compassionate Neighbours Project

This community-led project offers support for people living with a life-limiting illness or experiencing loneliness and isolation. Trained Compassionate Neighbours visit members of the community regularly to combat social isolation and offer a listening ear, companionship and emotional support. 

Please note:  We take great care to match referred people to volunteer neighbours, and sometimes there may be a delay in a volunteer being available.   We will acknowledge your referral and add in the notes what the status is, to keep you informed.

Stroke Association
Stroke Association Support Coordinator

Our service provides tailored support from hospital to home by addressing the practical, emotional and physical needs of stroke survivors and carers. We can support you through telephone calls and/or home visits, provide information, signpost to other services and review progress to ensure you have the support you need.

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 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.

Upwards with Downs

We offer support to adults and children with Down syndrome throughout Essex, Hertfordshire and adjoining counties. You will have the opportunity to meet other parents of children and adults with Down Syndrome.  Parents can share their stories, help with your questions or just listen if you need someone to talk to.  We hold a fortnightly preschool group on Thursdays and we can also provide one-to-one speech therapy and can enable access to occupational therapy and physiotherapy, as well as support children with transitioning to school. 

Voluntary Action Epping Forest
Active Ace - Day Activities for people with learning disabilities

Volunteering for people with learning disabilities in Epping Forest.

Voluntary Action Epping Forest
Digital Learners - Epping Forest

A project to help seniors and hose living with a disability in Epping Forest who need help with their computers, tablets and smartphones. Be taught how to use email, the internet or a smartphone, brush up on your computer skills, book a doctors appointment online, shop online etc.

Voluntary Action Epping Forest
Gardening for Council Tenants

Providing gardeners and volunteers to maintain the gardens of people who cannot do so themselves in Epping Forest free of charge. Available to those aged 65+ or for those with mobility issues.

Voluntary Action Epping Forest
Gardening for Homeowners

Chargeable Gardening service for home owners in Epping Forest

Homeowners must be over 65, disabled or in receipt of disability benefits. Charges are £25 for the first hour of work and then £12 per hour thereafter. Minimum of 2 hours work. Staff are all trained and DBS checked.

Voluntary Action Epping Forest
VAEF Community Services Hub

Supporting vulnerable people living in Epping Forest with shopping, prescriptions, Information, Advice, Signposting, Benefit Advice and Digital support including how to use a PC, mobile phone or zoom.

Voluntary Action Epping Forest
Volunteer Centre - Epping Forest

Providing organisations with volunteers in Epping Forest and opportunities for residents to volunteer in the District.

•Become more involved in your community
•Learn new skills
•Meet new people
•Use existing skills
•Develop new interests
•Gain work experience
•Increase confidence and self-esteem

Wilderness Foundation UK
1-2-1 or Small Group Nature Therapy

Our 1-2-1 or Small Group Nature Therapy service is a tailor-made service designed around the specific needs of participants in order to address complex needs of individuals who have trouble engaging in school, relationships or life in general. Through outdoor activities we guide participants toward greater self-esteem, improved mental well-being and coping strategies.

Wilderness Foundation UK
Mentoring/Coaching/Counselling via phone/online

To support those experiencing hardships who are unable to visit us for face to face therapy. We offer the services of a team of voluntary mentors to talk through any dilemmas you have, to support you and offer some company. We also offer one to one therapy and counselling for those in crisis or struggling with their mental wellbeing.