Our ethos is "A Friend Here is a Friend for Life". Developing healthy friendships also involves mutual support, at Shaypes we encourage and support friendship and team building.
Friendships provide emotional support, help with loneliness and social isolation. Friendships reduce stress and offer a sense of belonging and well being. The bottom line is that good friends are important at every stage in life and we actively encourage friendships within our family.
At Shaypes we organise get-togethers, where we have fun, laugh and enjoy life to the full. This is where friendships begin and florish.
Who We Are
Shaypes are a small, dedicated team of professionals providing support for young people and adults in the local community. Everyone in the Shaypes family has full care insurance, enhanced DBS and necessary travel cover, so you know you are in safe hands. We create small groups for youngsters in our care based on personalities and abilities, encouraging them to forge friendships and stay active.
About Shaypes
Shaypes was founded by our Director, Kiran. Kiran found a passion for helping and supporting young people with learning disabilities after her younger sister was diagnosed with Autism and Epilepsy at just two years old.
She worked tirelessly to support her sister in everything she wanted to do, but quickly found that there was a real lack of support from both education providers and medical professionals. Kiran’s sister yearned for a group of friends and a healthy social life, but constantly struggled to maintain and grow social relationships. She was unable to work without support from Kiran and this was having a significant impact on the whole family.
From the age of 15, Kiran wanted to create a safe space and support network for young people like her sister. She became passionate about creating an environment where those with learning disabilities could make friends and take part in fun activities. Over the years, Kiran developed her own knowledge, experience and qualifications to pursue these dreams. This is how Shaypes was born and today, Kiran supports many young people in the local area to stay active, healthy and find their own friends. Kiran’s ongoing support resulted in her sister meeting a lovely group of friends who she sees on a regular basis. Her sister’s attitude to life has improved dramatically, and she is happy and healthy in everything she does. Kiran is determined to give other young people this same happiness and freedom.
Our Areas:
We cover various council areas in Kent, including:
Gravesham Borough Council
Sevenoaks District Council
Maidstone
Dartford
Canterbury City
Medway Council
Who Shaypes Is For?
Shaypes is here to support young people and adults with learning disabilities. For our regular activities and events, we welcome anyone over the age of 16, but if you are interested in activities for younger children, speak with our team. We work with young people with a huge range of disabilities, including: Asperger’s, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy and more. Please bear in mind, Shaypes are unable to provide support with personal hygiene and all of our groups operate with three participants per staff member.
Who we work with:
Gravesham BC
Sevenoaks DC
Maidstone
Dartford
Canterbury City