Norwood and Beit Issie Shapiro explore collaboration

A team of Norwood professionals met with counterparts from Beit Issie Shapiro at the Norwood-Kennedy Leigh Family Centre in Barnet to share best practice and discuss future areas of collaboration.

Dr Amanda Sinai, a consultant psychiatrist for the Israel-based therapy provider passed on her experiences of the impact of learning disabilities on the mental health of individuals and their family members.

In response, Emma Gray, Norwood’s director of children and family services, shared details of the charity’s new 3-5 year strategy, which focuses on early intervention for neurodiverse children.

She said: “The role of the charity sector is to provide wraparound services, rather than duplicating provision that the NHS and local authorities are better placed and duty-bound to provide.”

Beit Issie Shapiro’s UK Friends director, Nikki Leviner said she was “excited” by the prospect of further areas of mutual collaboration.

“There are so many points of common dialogue and opportunities for mutual learning and development. We’re keen to bring together professionals who speak the same language and share the same challenges and can come together to discuss the best ways to meet them.”

Norwood, the oldest Jewish charity in the UK, will build on the two charity’s relationship during a return visit to Beit Raz, an early childhood campus in Ra’anana, Israel, run by Beit Issue Shapiro, later this month.