People with learning disabilities do not belong in institutions

Sadly, it was no surprise to us to see Josh’s story featured on last night’s ITV news:
🔗 https://www.itv.com/watch/news/we-wish-wed-never-asked-for-help-familys-hurt-as-thousands-with-learning-disabilities-locked-up/780gs2k 

At just 21 years old, he has spent his entire adult life locked away in institutional settings. 

From day one, our founder Elizabeth FitzRoy believed that everyone deserves to live a life full of love, choice, and independence – with the right to be happy, healthy, and, most importantly, living in their own home. 

Sixty years on, these founding beliefs and values remain at the heart of everything we do at FitzRoy. 

We believe no one should live their life imprisoned in a long-stay hospital or an Assessment and Treatment Unit (ATU). Yet, today, over 2,000 people are still wrongly detained, locked away and out of sight. They have committed no crime. They are held simply because they have learning disabilities and/or are autistic. Josh is one of them. 

Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commenting on Josh’s case described it as, ‘not only unwarranted, it’s cruel.’ And we agree! 

Despite years of pressure and campaigning, targets to move people with learning disabilities and autism out of secure units continue to be missed. The shift from hospital to home must happen – and it must happen fast. 

We know this shift is possible. It’s exactly what we’ve done at FitzRoy for over 60 years, and we continue to do it every day. 

Meet Rupan – a man who, at 45, found his freedom after spending 20 years in a secure unit. We helped Rupan transition from hospital to home. Before FitzRoy, Rupan was isolated, far away from his family, with nothing to do – he was often medicated to control his behaviour. 

He rarely went out, only on walks in local and isolated woodland, where he was accompanied by four staff, as he was perceived to be a danger to himself and to others. When the unit was closed down, Rupan moved to a FitzRoy home instead – and had a home worth the name for the first time in over 20 years. 

It hasn’t been easy for Rupan – change rarely is. But FitzRoy has been there every step of the way, and we’ll continue to be. 

We believe in a brighter future for people like Josh. A future not detained, but free. Free to live a gloriously ordinary life, supported by the right people, in the right environment. 

We need everyone to believe in this future too – because it is possible. FitzRoy proves it every single day. 

👉 Find out more about Rupan’s journey to freedom 
💙 Support our mission to help more people leave ATUs and long-stay hospitals