“Building genuine connections is at the heart of what we do”

To mark Learning Disability Week 2025, we’re sharing the story of Anita Beverton, Southdown’s Head of Learning Disability support services. In this personal and heartfelt piece, Anita reflects on the experiences that have shaped her life and career, and her commitment to championing the rights, voices, and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities.

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How my personal experience shaped my purpose

From a young age, I’ve been driven by a strong sense of justice, a deep belief in human connection, and the conviction that everyone should be at the centre of everything that happens in their life. I’ve always known I wanted to help ensure people’s rights were respected, especially those who are too often overlooked. 

Growing up, I often heard about my Aunt Gloria, who had Down’s Syndrome, but I never met her as a young child. My nan visited her every month in hospital, and my dad and uncles took turns going too. 

I didn’t understand why Gloria wasn’t included as part of our family. My dad would say, “We handed her over to the hospital when she was eight” and with that he believed they had given away their rights to be properly included and part of her life. He was wrong, but at the time he didn’t know any different. 

I became a big part of Gloria’s life when she moved into a care home, and I’ve seen firsthand what happens when people aren’t truly listened to or supported well, and this experience has shaped me and my career. 

I’m the Head of Learning Disability at Southdown and I’m responsible for the leadership and operational management of our Learning Disability Support services.  

Every day is different. Ultimately my focus is about finding ways to ensure clients have a good quality of life and are well supported. I want to ensure colleagues are listened to and know what is going on in the organisation, and that we are able to sustain our services within a challenging financial climate. 

Importance of listening, and being present

Being visible and available matters. It’s essential for me to visit our services as often as I can. It helps me understand what’s really happening – what’s working well and where the challenges lie. I’m looking for clients who are engaged, involved, and being supported to take part in day-to-day activities. Feeling listened to is key. I want to know: What are they doing? How are they living their lives? Are their dreams supported? 

I want people to feel at ease talking to me, to feel that I’m approachable and genuinely interested in their experiences. These visits are about connection. They allow me to spend time with both staff and the people we support, to listen, to learn, and on occasion introduce colleagues from central services who can offer support.  

I’ve always been driven to enable people to participate in and have a real say in their lives – and find ways for families to be really involved if that’s what they want. It means a lot to me how we work with people in our clients’ lives – it may not be the family, but a close friend or partner. My personal family experience with my aunt is a driver for me here, and something that will always be important. 

My Southdown journey

I joined Southdown in 1997. I joined a service in Hove when it first opened, and once I had completed a leadership programme, I moved into management at another service. I love visiting these two services now and seeing people I used to support. We had no computers – hard to imagine that now. And there was a lot of paper! But the focus was the same – providing quality support on an individual basis, respecting people rights and choices, getting to know them, paying close attention, and using active support to involve people. 

I had my children and then worked in the Training department for ten years. I loved delivering practice based-training, and working to help staff develop. My interest in Active Support, and person-centred working, and the leadership skills associated with these, were a real focus for me. 

Bringing joy through music

Some of my favourite moments in the Southdown calendar are the Learning Disabilities Summer Fiesta and the Christmas Carol Concert – special occasions where I get to share my love of music. While the violin is my main instrument, I enjoy playing the piano at the carol concert – it’s always a real joy. 

At university I studied music, with a strong focus on music in the community. This enabled me to combine different music styles and techniques with people with different needs – and I aspired to be a music therapist. I have wonderful memories of sitting on the floor, as part of a Javanese gamelan orchestra (made up of percussion instruments), surrounded by people with learning disabilities, all with a different role, tailored to each of them, creating a powerful musical sound. 

Music remains a big part of my life; it supports my wellbeing, builds my confidence, and is a meaningful way for me to express myself. 

One of the most rewarding experiences has been seeing a client grow in confidence through music. I’ve watched him develop his guitar skills and perform on stage at our events. We even managed to meet and practice together during Covid. Music truly is universal; it allows us to communicate without words, and you don’t need to be an expert to take part. It’s all about connection, bringing people together. 

The Heart of it all: Connection

For me, building genuine connections with the people we support is at the heart of what we do. I continue to see inspiring moments across our services, and am so grateful to our caring, creative and committed colleagues, who help to make Southdown such a wonderful community to be part of.”