We had always intended that our two sons would leave the family home before they were 30 years of age. We imagined that they would enter a community project where they would live and work in a supportive environment and to this end, we became founding members of such a project forming a rare breeds farm in Kent. As our eldest son had become an independent traveller and he eventually secured paid employment working for the local council, we began to investigate the possibility of securing accommodation within our borough.

Our youngest son at this time was still very immature and was causing us concern about his readiness for independence, we became aware of a scheme where help was available to support families in their quest to enter independent living. This proved to be the key needed to finalise their move in October 2009 to apartments of their own. We still had concerns about our youngest, was he ready for this, we felt we had been fortunate to secure such quality homes for them, which may not be available in the future, it was now or never.

Once they had completed their move and their carers began to take over the role of supporting them their confidence grew giving them greater independence.

Where before the move they would be reluctant to order items in a restaurant or shop during family outings they both now confidently visit local shops to purchase items they need, travel independently to their various social activities and interact with their carers to maintain the quality of the accommodation.

For us it is the best thing we could have done for them. It gives us peace of mind that their quality of life will continue beyond our ability to support them. Was it an easy decision to make? No. We had many doubts along the way, was it worth it? Yes it was. Written by Jack and Adam’s parents