Our work

We operate and manage several service user involvement projects:

• Community Partners
• Learning Disabilities
• Substance Misuse
• Voicing Views (Mental Health)

Wandsworth LINk

Wandsworth Care Alliance is also the Host organisation for Wandsworth Local Involvement Network (LINk). 

LINKs are a national government initiative replacing ‘Patient Forums’, and will help strengthen the system that enables communities to influence the care they receive.  The Department of Health has published a leaflet explaining how LINKs will operate.

WCA was contracted to establish and support Wandsworth LINk in 2008.  As Host, WCA carries out a lot of work to support Wandsworth LINK’s activities and work programme.  Wandsworth LINk is a democratic organisation owned by its members; it carries out its own work and is neither controlled by, nor controls WCA as its host: 

“Hosts will be a key contact point for local people and groups, together with health and social care commissioners and providers, but they do not carry out LINk activities themselves. Their role is to provide support to volunteers involved with the LINk under the contract they have with the Local Authority.” (National Centre for Involvement Guidance).

For more information about Wandsworth LINk and the good work they do, please visit www.wandsworthlink.org.uk (opens in new window).


Disability Empowerment


Introducing the new Wandsworth Independent Living Forum (WILF)

AGM Flyer
AGM Registration form
 Background

Centres for Independent Living are User Led Organisations (ULOs) of disabled people and Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) that support and promote independent living for all disabled people, whatever their impairment or age. They are usually staffed and managed by disabled people, often supported by volunteers. They work on a social model of disability – i.e. that equality is possible and can be achieved by removing barriers to social inclusion. It is important to recognise that disabled people have local knowledge and expertise of what it is like to be disabled and therefore have useful information about this to impart to non-disabled people. Independent living is about the support needed by disabled people that other people take for granted.
Introducing WILF
Since April 2010, a group of Wandsworth residents with disabilities, many of whom represent user groups in the borough, has been meeting to look into the possibility of setting up a Centre for Independent Living (CIL) in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Using information and advice from existing CILs in London and elsewhere, and their own experience, they investigated different organisational models and concluded that the most appropriate form for Wandsworth would be the establishment of an independent living forum rather than centre, to be known as Wandsworth Independent Living Forum (WILF). WILF will be an information hub, with referrals on to other specialist organisations.
‘Forum’ describes a place of interchange and networking which would not necessarily require a physical centre. To this end WILF’s main roles will include: provision of independent help, advice and support; local knowledge of sources of information and help; signposting and routing enquiries to relevant bodies and organisations; advocacy; counselling; mediation services; direct payments services and benefits issues; accessibility and rights issues; training.....etc. In time it will be concerned with the development of learning products, training programmes for disability issues and human rights, hiring out of equipment for disabled people, and possibly providing space for disabled people to meet.
However, it is acknowledged that not all such services can be provided from the outset but should be targeted as future aims. The work will be co-ordinated by a fairly small core group of Trustees, with the assistance of volunteers.
Much work of this nature can be conducted by telephone so there would not necessarily be the need for a specific location, although for some activities (e.g. interviewing and counselling) rooms will be available and a booking service instituted.
In order to retain its independence WILF will obtain funding from various sources, including charitable foundations, national government funding initiatives, corporate support or sponsorship and funding from local businesses. This might not always be cash but could include payments in kind (eg provision of computers).

The Strategic Aims of WILF are to:
 promote membership to all people eligible to join the organisation
 empower disabled people living in the borough of Wandsworth to participate fully in society by removing barriers that prevent them from living full and independent lives
 promote realities of self-representation and independence for disabled people
 ensure that disabled people are effectively consulted and actively involved in decision making affecting their lives, and to represent the views of members affected by issues related to their disabilities
 promote awareness of disability issues among non-disabled people and organisations
 acknoeledge that disabled people have expertise and knowledge of their own disabilities and experience
 work in partnership with support organisations, service providers, and members

Key Objectives for 2011/12 are to:
 Set up peer support service for disabled people to access personal budgets: assisting with completion of questionnaires and giving support or advice
 Become a signposting/referral route – providing information about services, facilities, organisations locally and nationally
 Hold a series of training events for professionals and service users
 Share information among membership via e-mail, website and newsletters
 Campaign on issues directly related to disabled people in Wandsworth
To support the above, by the end of 2011, WILF will:
 Have held the first Annual General Meeting and ratified the Constitution
 Advertise and promote its work
 Secure sufficient funds to support its work
 Identify and acquire suitable premises for advice “surgeries”
 Build up a database of members
 Build and launch website
 Recruit volunteers
 Work strategically with support organisations, health and social services, and other stakeholders in the borough of Wandsworth
 Ensure relevant training for Trustees, members and Volunteers is underway
WILF now has a Constitution in place and a Board of Trustees. The Trustees are developing external and internal policies to support the work of WILF.
Why does WILF exist?
WILF’s Mission Statement:
“WILF seeks to be the voice of disabled people in Wandsworth, promoting awareness, independence, choice, empowerment, and mutual support”.
 WILF’s activities will promote independent living for disabled people in Wandsworth through self directed support (direct payments and individual budgets)

 We believe that there is a need for such a forum in Wandsworth, which is based on other boroughs’ models of Centres for Independent Living and Learning and their positive outcomes – noting that it is proven that SDS has a higher take up where CILs exist.

 There is no overall representative grass roots Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisation in Wandsworth as there is in comparable boroughs, and WILF seeks to address this gap.

Demand for Services
WILF has received expressions of support from a large number of disabled people who would welcome WILF, and would use its proposed services, as well as expressions of interest from organisations.

There is a range of Government policies supporting and driving forward grass roots DDPOs to provide peer advocacy and support, such as:
Improving Life Chances for Disabled People, DH 2005
User Led Organisations Project, DH 2007
Transforming Social Care Framework, DH 2008
Putting People First, DH 2008, 2011
Independent Living Strategy, ODI 2008
Transforming Adult Social Care, 2009
Commissioning for Personalisation, DH 2010
Statistically, 17.6% of the population across all London boroughs is disabled. This means there are approximately 1.4m disabled people living in London (divided by 33 London boroughs = almost 42.5k living in Wandsworth). 45.3% of disabled people in London are under 55.
Disabled people are more likely to experience deprivation, unemployment, poor accommodation. They are more than twice as likely as non-disabled people to be claiming benefits, and for longer. 68.1% of disabled people in London are economically inactive, facing barriers from employers, infrastructure, etc.
WILF believes that based on the current range of statistics available, there are potentially a high number of disabled people in Wandsworth who would benefit from WILF’s services.
Membership of WILF
Anyone over the age of 18 with a disability, living, working or studying in Wandsworth, will be eligible to be a voting member of WILF. Voting membership is also open to representatives from organisations in the borough working with disabled people. Non-voting members will be those who are interested in WILF’s work, but who do not define themselves as disabled.