Big Conversations: Impact Our Big Conversation is reviewing, redefining and measuring the difference we want to make. A new context When L’Arche UK launched in 1974, we rode a wave of change for people with learning disabilities. In just five years, five L’Arche Communities sprang up across the country. We led the charge in “care in the community,” a government policy that freed people with learning disabilities from isolated, institutional lives. Over the past five decades, the world has transformed. There has been reform and regulation of social care; more legal protections for people with disabilities; an ideological focus on independence over community; and more recently, local authority budget cuts bringing with them a new era of loneliness and segregation. In different ways, these changes have profoundly impacted adults with learning disabilities. As we approached our 50th anniversary, L’Arche UK initiated a Big Conversation to clarify, unite, and confidently define the difference we want to make in this new landscape. We aimed to understand what matters most to our members now and what L’Arche does makes the most impact. What we've done The Conversation started at the end of 2022. [1] Everyone in L’Arche, including people with and without learning disabilities, employed and non-employed members, families and supporters, was invited to contribute and share their views. During the Big Conversation, we: What comes next In early 2025, we tested out a prototype survey. From autumn 2025, this survey is being used to test the impact defined in our theory of change and measurement framework with different stakeholder groups. This Big Conversation has also informed our new vision and values statement and the 2030 vision we have developed. [1] Many thanks to our consultant partners in the conversation, NPC, and the generous donations we received from supporters to make this work possible. Manage Cookie Preferences