Who We Are
Changing Lives Building Dreams (CLBD) is a specialist health and social care provider based in Kent. We believe everyone we support should have a fun, happy, meaningful and flourishing life. Every day is a fresh opportunity to write a new chapter.
CLBD was created from dissatisfaction with “the system” and a sense that there was not enough appropriate provision for people moving out of hospital into community settings. We set out to do things differently.
We provide specialist services for adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs. Many of the individuals we support have complex needs and may sometimes present with behaviours of concern in the environments they are in. CLBD specialises in helping people move from hospital into community placements and in supporting those placements to be sustained in the long term.
Our approach is holistic and relational. We don’t see people in isolation we look at the person, the relationships around them and the environment they live in. We focus on how staff, families and the organisation itself can positively influence a person’s quality of life. Our support is grounded in Low Arousal Approaches to preventing and managing behaviours of concern, within a wellbeing and practice leadership framework. We are also fortunate to have a Director of Health who is also a specialist nurse who oversees the health needs of the individuals we support, adding an important health dimension to our work.
We are committed to building resilient, well-trained staff teams through comprehensive training, coaching and ongoing support.
We support adults who may:
Have a learning disability, autism, and/or another disability
Have mental
health needs
Present with behaviors that other environments may find difficult to support
We provide both residential and supported living services, including support for people who may find it difficult to share with others. Our aim is to deliver care and support in safe, homely environments that promote empowerment, independence and choice, while developing daily living skills. Wherever possible, we involve the people we support and their families or carers in decisions that affect their lives and the services we provide.
If you think CLBD may be the right fit for someone, we’d be happy to talk through how we may be able to support.
In November 2025, the ownership of CLBD was transferred to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). This means the company is now owned collectively through a trust, rather than by private shareholders. The trust holds CLBD “in safe hands” and ensures that employees are the long-term beneficiaries of the organisation’s success.
An EOT acts as a protective structure. It holds a controlling share of the business and is legally required to act in the best interests of all employees. While managers and the senior leadership team continue to run the day-to-day operations, the trust provides ownership-level oversight, making sure that big decisions are taken responsibly, sustainably, and with people at the centre.
A key strength of an EOT is that it keeps the organisation’s values at the heart of every major decision. Because the trust is not driven by external investors, it safeguards the principles CLBD was built on: person-centred support, compassion, stability, and doing what is right for the people we serve. This structure helps protect the organisation.
Employee ownership also strengthens our culture. Staff gain a stronger collective voice, and their wellbeing and perspectives must be considered at ownership level. This creates a shared sense of purpose and reinforces the belief that everyone contributes to, and benefits from the organisation’s long-term success.
In simple terms, becoming an EOT secures CLBD’s mission, vision & values for the future. It protects what matters most, our values, our people, and the individuals and communities we support, while creating a more resilient, people-focused organisation for generations to come.
Ensuring that all employees within CLBD, share the values and vision of CLBD is vital. The values and vision are shared throughout the organisation and help shape and develop our culture towards supporting individuals within our services.
Ensuring that all employees within CLBD, share the values and vision of CLBD is vital. The values and vision are shared throughout the organisation and help shape and develop our culture towards supporting individuals within our services.
CLBD places focus, perhaps above anything else, on a person’s physical and mental wellbeing. This focus is not just on individuals receiving services, but staff also. We are all in this together!
Wellbeing is now widely accepted and acknowledged to be significant for a person to enjoy and have a flourishing life. Wellbeing is relevant to all human beings.
As part of the multi-component approach CLBD adopts the PERMA-H Wellbeing Model:
That good feeling factor. That ‘life is good’ feeling.
What someone likes to do. Especially activities that enable the person to be absorbed and lose track of time (Flow).
What relationships are important for the person.
What provides purpose and meaning to an individual’s life.
What does the person want to achieve and work towards
Activity/exercise, healthy eating, sleep and primary physical health
The company director’s standards are focussed on principles that are morally valued and beneficial to all involved within CLBD and its community. The intentions are to flourish together in achieving individuals to attain positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement.
We will adopt and use evidence-based practices that reflect these values, including Positive Behaviour Supports (PBS), Positive Psychology Interventions, including Wellbeing Models and low arousal approaches. These practices will also include the reductions and elimination of the uses of Restrictive Practices.
We support people with Learning Disabilities who may also have Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) and other disabilities.
Changing Lives Building Dreams (CLBD) is a small independent, family run organisation. At CLBD we believe everyone we support should have a fun, happy, meaningful, flourishing life. We believe every day is a fresh exciting new opportunity to write a new chapter.
CLBD was created from a dissatisfaction and disillusionment with the current system. The directors felt that there was a lack of provision for people moving out of hospital into community settings.
At CLBD, we provide specialist services to individuals with learning disabilities, autism or mental health needs. These individuals often have complex needs and may present with behaviours of concern within the environments they are in. CLBD specialises in supporting individuals to make the transition from hospitals to community placements and the long- term maintenance of these placements.
CLBD do not look at service users in isolation, but focus upon a whole approach, with a focus upon the interpersonal relationships between staff, service users and the environment. Our support is based upon adopting a Low Arousal Approach to managing and preventing behaviours of concern within a wellbeing and practice leadership framework. There is also an implicit focus on the impact of the organisation, stress management, wellbeing and trauma awareness and its role in providing flourishing environments for all. We are also committed to providing resilient, well-trained staff teams achieved through comprehensive training and ongoing support mechanisms.
Our mission is to provide specialist healthcare with the aim of providing a safe and homely environment that promotes empowerment, independence and choice whilst enhancing the individuals with their daily living skills. Where possible, we involve service users and their families/carers in the decision making process that affects the service we provide.
For a full list of our current vacancies please visit our Indeed page.