Law Works for Community Groups has introduced Morrison & Foerster MNP ("MoFo") to London charity Choices 4 All. ("Choices"). Choices is a small but developing charity offering pre-vocational training for people between the ages of 19 - 25 with learning difficulties in Brent, Ealing, Hillingdon and Harrow.
Choices is part of a network of local projects whose aim is to support disabled people into paid employment and/or independent living. The project works by training in such areas as life skills, social and communication skills, domestic skills, work culture, numeracy, literacy and work experience. As a basis for this training Choices uses catering as the training environment with students working together with progression to the intermediary level which supplies buffets to organisations. The profit earned from the buffets is used to pay the students (therapeutic earnings) and contribute to the running costs of the charity. For the future, Choices intends to expand their resources for students by providing job brokers for students to make the transfer into the workplace smoothly leading to sustainable employment. At present Choices has 23 students who can attend courses 5 days a week for the length appropriate to the individual but not usually longer than 2 years.
MoFo has assisted Choices in completing its notification to the Information Commissioner as required by the Data Protection Act 1998 and continues to advise on data protection compliance generally. MoFo is also helping Choices to review and design strategies for protecting and exploiting intellectual property rights in Choice's unique programmes for assessing and encouraging its students' performance.
MoFo's David Naylor, Tom Broadhurst and Keith Krasny spent one morning last month at Choices, speaking with Choices CEO Marie Harrison, meeting the Choices staff and chatting with the students. "It was a delightful morning for us." says MoFo associate Keith Krasny. "Choices is a great organisation and under Marie's capable direction, there is a real focus about what the organisation wants to achieve, both for itself and for its students. That focus is also reflected in the students' attitudes and their desire to learn and progress." In addition to providing legal assistance, MoFo is also organising a City visit and luncheon for the Choices staff and students. "Now that we've seen where they work and study, we thought it was only fair for the students to have a chance to see where we work." explains Keith Krasny with a wink. "As exciting as that sounds, I suspect they're going to prefer the visit to St. Paul's."
