Newsletter Articles
Services/focus of the Karten Centre
We are a lifelong learning Centre for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities aged over 18 years and a family support and outreach service for parents and carers. We offer students over 45 activity-based courses with a focus on creative self-expression, health and wellbeing. We operate a social enterprise, Place to Grow, that makes garden furniture, soaps, ceramics and items using paper technology. We provide a place where those with intellectual disability can grow in a caring and safe environment. The Centre provides a work programme for students to learn skills for life and work such as cooking, administration, gardening and carpentry.
Centre specialisms:
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Centre Address
St Josephs Pastoral Centre, London, Hendon, London, UK
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Karten Centre Manager
Gail Williams
Contact Details
Phone:
020 8202 3999
E-mail:
Host Organisation
Caritas Westminster
Host Organisation Address
The Diocese of Westminster, 46 Francis St, London SW1P 1QN, UK
Centre setting
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Karten Centre Website
Centre Established
April 2021
Clients
Our clients are students who attend courses and activities at the Centre. They are a mix of full-time and part-time learners and live in the Diocese of Westminster with 60% of our clients resident in the north London borough of Barnet. In addition to people with intellectual and physical disabilities, Caritas St Joseph's supports the parents, carers and family members of students.
Typical ages of clients
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Disabilities
Our students have a wide range of intellectual and physical disabilities ranging from mild to complex needs.
Type/s of disabilties
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Technology used in the Karten Centre
We use several types of equipment to improve the sensory aspect of our courses. We use a mobile magic carpet that can be moved from place to place and the tutors use this to assist in music and literacy and Maths courses. The Karten Centre is our IT suite with touch screen monitors, PCs and specialist software to further enhance students' learning experience. We use iBoards to extend our online offering of courses to enable more students to participate who cannot, or choose not to, attend in person. iPads have multiple uses to enrich our activity programme and student experience including backing music to drums, dance classes and filming videos. We use small cameras called HUE for close ups in our film making.
Assistive Technology
We use iBoards, HUE cameras, iPads, mobile magic carpet, and skoogs. Microsoft Education teams is used for lessons and ensures the safety of virtual students. Moviemaker is helpful in creating short instructional videos demonstrating design and making of art and craft products, etc.
We use Widget and Easy Read extensively to enhance the accessibility of all of our materials.
Providing
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Karten Centre Staff
We currently employ 50 staff (48 are sessional or part time). The Centre also benefits from a dedicated team of skilled and experienced volunteers to support our work.
Karten Centre Hours
We provide learning and development from Monday to Friday from 10.30-16.00 and on Saturday from 10.30-14.30. The Centre is operational during academic term-time.
Services offered to the Network
Caritas St Joseph's is pleased to offer access to our varied range of online courses for clients of other Centres and to provide learning opportunities for Karten Centres that wish to broaden their service offer to people with intellectual disabilities. Caritas St Joseph's is open to partnership working with other Centres to support their development and to enable learning for Caritas St Joseph's.
Partnerships
From September 2021, Caritas St Joseph's will be opening up its Online Carers Forum initiative to parents and carers of adults with intellectual disabilities across the borough of Barnet and the wider Diocese of Westminster (which includes Hertfordshire and 14 north/west London boroughs). It is possible that we will partner with Barnet Carers Centre in extending this service to a broader audience.
Additional Information
Caritas St Joseph's serves those of all faiths and none. As part of our commitment to Catholic Social Teaching, the Centre provides an outreach service for 300 Catholic families in the 200+ parishes of the Diocese and runs several clubs for adults with intellectual disabilities across the Diocese. The Connect @service in Hounslow offers creative courses twice weekly for those students who find it difficult to travel to our main site in Barnet, north London.