About us
KCA has over 20 years experience supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families. We work to ensure the children we support, and their families, are safe, happy, and healthy.
Our purpose
To provide a high-quality, inclusive short breaks and support service for children and young adults with a range of special education needs and disabilities, including learning disabilities, autism, speech, language and communication needs, and other complex conditions. We want to offer every child and young adult the same opportunities as their peers enjoy.
We design our services together with children and families, and we raise additional voluntary funds so we can go beyond statutory requirements. This helps us offer specialist activities, community access and therapeutic support to the whole family.
Our history
In 2002 Kids Can Achieve (KCA) was founded by Harrow parents to provide a mix of commissioned and charitable services to local children whose needs were not being recognised due to a lack of understanding and suitable services.
We have supported local children and young adults with complex needs through consistent after-school, weekend, and holiday provision. Our long-standing, trusted presence reflects our adaptability and responsiveness to families and partners.
In 2024, KCA merged with Learning Disability Network London (LDN London), increasing our capacity to deliver high-quality, person-centred support. Together, we promote inclusive, engaging experiences that build social and emotional resilience, preparing children and young adults for active, fulfilling lives.
Our values
Kindness, Choice, and Ambition. These are central to our strengths-based, person-centred practice. Our values are not abstract ideals but practical commitments that guide every aspect of our service: how we support children, engage families, train staff, and design our environments.
Together, these values form the foundation of our strengths-based approach. They ensure that our work with children is not focused on deficits or diagnosis, but on possibilities, relationships, and the belief that every child deserves the chance to flourish in their own way.
Kindness
Kindness is not a passive or sentimental quality, instead it is a core professional competency. It shapes how our staff approach each child with empathy, patience, and sensitivity. Kindness includes skills such as active listening, offering praise and encouragement, recognising effort, and responding calmly to distress or dysregulation. Our staff are trained to understand behaviour as communication and to meet it with curiosity and compassion rather than control. In doing so, we create safe, supportive environments where children feel seen, accepted, and valued for who they are. This builds the trust necessary for growth and resilience.
Choice
Choice reflects our belief that all children, regardless of communication style or support need, have the right to express themselves and make meaningful decisions. In line with strengths-based practice, we see every act of choice as an expression of autonomy, identity, and competence. Children are offered choices throughout the day. This includes preferred activities and materials to how they participate and communicate. These opportunities promote independence, self-regulation, and confidence. Whether a child points, gestures, uses symbols or spoken words, their choices are acknowledged and celebrated. This emphasis on choice ensures our support is responsive, individualised, and respectful.
Ambition
Ambition means holding high expectations for all children and recognising their potential, not their limitations. It drives us to create enabling environments where each child can grow and develop. In practice, this means adapting our methods and not the child. This is to ensure access and engagement. It means using play as a powerful learning tool, setting achievable yet meaningful goals, and celebrating progress in all its forms. We recognise and build on each child’s unique strengths, interests, and ways of communicating. By viewing behaviour as an opportunity to understand and connect, we promote growth and learning at every stage.
What we offer
We support children and young adults aged 5 to 25 with a wide range of needs and disabilities in a safe, welcoming environment. We are Ofsted registered on compulsory and voluntary childcare registers.
- Short-breaks and support through after-school, weekend, and school holiday activities.
- One to one community connections throughout the day, during term time and school holidays.
We also offer holistic family support that is free to access for young people with SEND, their parents, and their siblings.
- One to One family support, parent groups and workshops.
Our staff
Our staff team are experienced, skilled, and compassionate professionals trained to support children with a wide range of needs, including learning disabilities, autism and distressed behaviours.
All staff complete regular safeguarding training and participate in an ongoing programme of professional development. This includes training in positive behaviour support, First Aid, epilepsy management, medication administration, PEG feeding, and symbols among others.
We also deliver additional training based on emerging needs, trends, and family feedback. Regular supervision, coaching, and reflective practice sessions ensure our team are confident and well-equipped to provide safe, engaging, and personalised support to every child who attends KCA.
Our Centre
Our purpose-built centre is fully accessible and specifically designed to support children and young adults with a wide range of needs, including learning disabilities and autism. The environment has been carefully developed to promote independence, safety, and engagement, with a focus on sensory regulation and inclusive play with input from children.
Inside, we offer a range of dedicated spaces including a large play area, sensory room, soft playroom, music room, and an arts area, each equipped with specialist resources to support different ages and abilities. We also have dedicated youth spaces featuring activity rooms, a chill-out room, and additional sensory areas to support emotional wellbeing and self-regulation.
Our expansive outdoor area includes an accessible swing, sand and water play, a mud kitchen, bike and scooter track, and playhouses. We regularly update the garden to introduce new sensory experiences, ensuring the space remains stimulating and inclusive for all children. All equipment and resources are chosen to support communication, creativity, and physical development through fun and interactive play.
Take a tour of KCA with the video below:
Our Accreditations
We work closely with parents, social workers, schools and other providers to ensure the best possible outcome for your child.
We are Ofsted registered and ensure we work within the Ofsted framework and guidelines. You can find all the information about our Ofsted inspections here.
We are members of the Council for Disabled Children, the Young Harrow Foundation and Voluntary Action Harrow. We work alongside other local and national organisations supporting children with learning disabilities and ensure we are always learning and adapting our services to take into account new ideas and best practice.
To view our policies and procedures please visit our parent area of the website.
