Services for adults with learning disabilities and / or autism
Case reference FOI2026/02475
Received 15 October 2026
Published 11 November 2026
Request
For the purpose of this research, we are defining a day service as a building-based organisation providing day time support and activities for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. This definition would also include specialised day service organisations such as providers specifically offering arts, horticulture, self-advocacy, farm-based organisations or similar in line with the above. We would be grateful if you could provide the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:
1. A list of all day services operating within your local authority area that specifically support adults with learning disabilities and/or autism or if not available a list of all services commissioned to provide services in your area.
2. The total number of individuals with a learning disability and/or autism who you currently commission day services within your local authority area.
3. Details of the systems, monitoring arrangements, quality assurance measures, and expectations your local authority has in place to review and ensure the quality-of-service provision and the experience of individuals accessing day services. Including (over the last 12 months):
a. The number of day service providers that have required Local Authority intervention, support, or improvement action as a result of identified quality concerns;
b. The number of day service providers that have ceased operating, had contracts terminated, or been closed as a result of quality concerns.
4. For the day services identified in Question 1, please outline the proportion of placements funded via the following arrangements:
o Direct Payments;
o Local Authority commissioning arrangements; o Personal Budgets;
o Mixed; or
o Any other funding mechanism (please specify).
5. How much do you as a local authority spend on commissioning/funding day services?
Response
For the purpose of this research, we are defining a day service as a building-based organisation providing day time support and activities for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. This definition would also include specialised day service organisations such as providers specifically offering arts, horticulture, self-advocacy, farm-based organisations or similar in line with the above.
We would be grateful if you could provide the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:
1. A list of all day services operating within your local authority area that specifically support adults with learning disabilities and/or autism or if not available a list of all services commissioned to provide services in your area.
Answer:
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Area Covered |
Service Name |
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Hereford City |
SCORE (Access to Community - Afinity Trust) |
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Herefordshire |
Out & About PODS (1:1) |
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Out and About PODS (1:2) |
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Out and About PODS (group) |
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Hereford City |
Community Hub (unsupported) |
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Community Hub (Shared support) |
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Community Hub (1:1) |
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Hereford City |
Widemarsh Projects |
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Widemarsh Projects 1:1 |
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Leominster |
About Face Theatre |
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About Face Theatre (First Steps) |
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Hereford |
Lifelinks |
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Hereford |
Rose Tinted Rags |
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Leominster |
ECHO Weavers |
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Leominster |
Clever Betsy |
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Leominster |
The Priory Leominster Projects |
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Leominster |
Studio Mirai |
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Horticulture Skills @Studio Mirai |
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Leominster |
Radio ECHO |
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The Sound and Vision Hub- Echo |
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Herefordshire |
1:1 support (per day) |
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1:1 support (per hour) |
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Herefordshire |
Access to opportunities |
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Ledbury (outskirts) |
Building based activities. Creative Learning - small learning sessions both indoors and outside, a sociable environment |
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2. The total number of individuals with a learning disability and/or autism who you currently commission day services within your local authority area.
Answer: 122 (September 2026)
3. Details of the systems, monitoring arrangements, quality assurance measures, and expectations your local authority has in place to review and ensure the quality-of-service provision and the experience of individuals accessing day services.
Answer: The service area have advised that Herefordshire Council commissions such services through its Community Activities Framework, which sets requirements for service quality, individual outcomes, safeguarding, complaints, and quality assurance.
Providers are required to monitor how services contribute to individuals’ assessed needs and outcomes, including independence, choice and control, community participation, wellbeing, positive experience, and safety. Providers are also expected to obtain feedback from individuals and regularly review whether support continues to meet their needs and preferences.
Contract monitoring and quality assurance arrangements are proportionate to the service and provider and may include management information, provider self-assessment, desktop reviews, service visits, stakeholder and service user feedback, and service improvement plans. Quality reviews may be undertaken at short notice or unannounced.
Providers must maintain effective governance, audit and risk management systems and have appropriate arrangements for safeguarding, complaints, workforce competency, health and safety and continuous improvement. The Council can take contractual action where required standards are not met.
Overall, assurance combines individual outcome reviews and feedback with provider governance, contract monitoring and Council quality assurance activity.
Including (over the last 12 months):
a. The number of day service providers that have required Local Authority intervention, support, or improvement action as a result of identified quality concerns;
Answer: 0.
b. The number of day service providers that have ceased operating, had contracts terminated, or been closed as a result of quality concerns.
Answer: 0.
4. For the day services identified in Question 1, please outline the proportion of placements funded via the following arrangements:
o Direct Payments;
Answer: Direct payment personal budgets are allocated to the individual, not specific providers, and therefore the council does not hold this data.
o Local Authority commissioning arrangements;
Answer: 122
o Personal Budgets;
o Mixed; or
o Any other funding mechanism (please specify).
5. How much do you as a local authority spend on commissioning/funding day services?
Answer: Please note, the service area has provided the ‘spot’ Daycare budget for 2026-27, for Learning Disabilities – which is £1,214,657.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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