Legal Status | The Board | The Senior Management Team | The Options Group
Support for Living and Southside Partnership
Support
for Living and Southside Partnership have decided to enter into formal
discussions about joining together as equal partners to form a new
social care organisation.
Both organisations have grown over recent years to become highly
respected providers of a range of services for people with learning
disabilities and people with mental health support needs. Both
organisations are financially sound and well managed. Both organisations
recognise the challenges that face social care nationally, as
personalisation takes off in a climate of restrictions on public
finances.
Most importantly, both organisations have similar values and a similar
vision – to support people in leading their own independent lives.
Together we operate in 13 of the 32 London boroughs, as well as having
services with a wider geographical scope. We work in areas with diverse
communities and are committed to providing culturally appropriate
services supporting people who may experience periods of mental
ill-health, or who have learning disabilities.
We’re making this announcement because we are already sure that our
organisations are well matched and compatible, and that we will be
stronger together than apart. However, the merger is not yet formally
agreed. Over the next few months we will be looking at each other’s
organisations in a lot more detail, and consulting people within the
organisations, as well as our external funders and partners. We will
also be planning to make sure that the new organisation can run
effectively and smoothly, for the benefit of our customers.
Some decisions have been made already. If the merger does go ahead, the
new organisation’s Chief Executive will be Aisling Duffy, currently
Chief Executive of Southside Partnership, but who has previously worked
for Support for Living. The Chair of the Board will be Eleri Ebenezer,
currently Chair of Support for Living.
Nigel Turner who has led Support for Living since 1992, soon after its
inception as Ealing Consortium, decided not to compete for the new
position, and to take the opportunity to have a break and move on to
other things. Nigel has also made it clear that if the merger did not go
ahead, he would remain to lead Support for Living in a process of
looking for other growth and development opportunities. On a personal
note, Nigel has said, “I am immensely proud of what the people of
Support for Living have achieved, in creating an organisation which
really does try to put all its values into day to day practice. I also
genuinely believe that the proposed merger will secure all that has been
achieved to date, and I am delighted that Aisling has made the
commitment to the several years of hard work needed to create an even
more successful, dynamic organisation.”
Aisling Duffy said “this is a great opportunity to begin a new journey
together building on the shared values and success of both organisations
to date. In our current working environment, cost pressures are high and
local authorities want us to deliver personalised services for less
money. I am confident that working together will make us stronger and
better able to respond to personalisation and the needs of the people we
support and their families. I am committed to supporting people across
both organisations to learn from each other and create an organisation
that is even better than the sum of its original parts. Nigel should be
very proud of his success leading and developing Support for Living and
I wish him every happiness for the future.”
Eleri Ebenezer said “I am delighted to be in the position of chairing a
new organisation which already has so much going for it – innovative and
respected services, so many ideas and so much energy. I look forward to
working with Aisling and Nigel, and members of both current boards, to
ensure we make the most of this opportunity.”
We will be producing more information over the coming weeks, including
in accessible formats, and there will be lots of opportunities for you
to express your views and raise questions and concerns.
Any process such as this can cause some anxieties in people’s minds and
sometimes misinformation can circulate. If you have any immediate
questions, then please e-mail:
merger@supportforliving.org.uk, or call 07932 036900, and we will do our best to answer
them (bearing in mind that lots of things have yet to be discussed and
decided).
This will be an exciting and challenging few months, but at the same
time we all need to ensure that our existing services continue to meet
people’s needs and wishes, and continue to develop and grow in their own
right.
Thank you for your anticipated support and commitment during this time.
NIGEL TURNER
AISLING DUFFY
Chief Executive Chief Executive
Support for Living Southside Partnership