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Our Story

Since 2016, Team Domenica has been supporting young people with learning disabilities to find and retain meaningful employment in Brighton & Hove and across Sussex.

We are a registered charity and a Specialist Further Education College, founded by Rosa Monckton MBE, whose younger daughter Domenica has Down’s syndrome. After completing our employment programmes, Domenica has been working at The Grand Brighton and The Pavilion Gardens Café.

Below, you can learn about our transformative objectives, vision and values.

Domenica and Rosa at Café Domenica on Preston Road in Brighton.

The need for Team Domenica

Just 4.8% of people with learning disabilities are employed in England (NHS Digital, 2023). Far too many are missing out on the basic right to aspire to a career, along with the wider social networks, better emotional and physical health, and increased independence that comes from having a job. They share the same aspirations as everyone else and they want nothing more than the opportunity to demonstrate their full potential.

At Team Domenica, we strongly believe that young people with learning disabilities have the right to work, to lead fulfilling and purposeful lives, to have their individual gifts and talents recognised, and to feel included as valued members of society.

What we’re doing is working. Since opening an amazing 81% of our candidates have moved into paid employment through our Supported Internship Programme.

Find out how we do this

We believe that we are at the forefront of a movement that leads to real change in the lives of people with learning disabilities and the way they are perceived by employers and society as a whole. In this short film, our Founder Rosa Monckton MBE explains why she set up Team Domenica.

Becoming a Specialist Further Education College

After seven years of work in our growing community, we have established ourselves as a leading provider of support and employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities in Sussex.

Following a visit from the Department for Education in March 2023, Team Domenica became a Specialist Further Education College – an independent education provider in our own right; no longer reliant on other institutions.

This move has required a great deal of effort and new resources, to both manage the process and to begin the initiatives that demonstrate our suitability. Thankfully, our staff, candidates, Trustees and Senior Leadership Team have been more than capable of executing the necessary steps.

This transition has encouraged a wealth of improvements in our programme delivery, quality of education, organisational structure and governance, driven by an array new policies and procedures. These have all been written to suit the focus of our work, putting the young adults we support at their centre.

Our story in pictures

A group of young people with learning disabilities holding up pink signs with THANK YOU written on them.

Baroness Rosa Monckton MBE giving a swimmer, Florence, a hug after she swam at Great Lengths.

A young man running a marathon. He is wearing a Team Domenica T-shirt and smiling.

Four young men standing at a table with Café Domenica products on display

A candidate and a teacher in the classroom at Team Domenica

Two women wearing masks and serving customers at Café Domenica during Covid-19

A man is holding an award above his head with a big smile on his face, while on his right is another man and on his left is a woman - both smiling and celebrating.

Our transformative objectives

Young people with learning disabilities will have improved workplace knowledge and employability skills.

Partnered employers will feel more confident in providing work experience, supported internships and paid employment to young people with learning disabilities.

Young people with learning disabilities will have increased opportunities to gain and sustain work.

Young people with learning disabilities will have increased independence, confidence, and wellbeing.

Young people with learning disabilities will feel less isolated and better connected to their local community.

Our vision

Drawing on the spirit of our name we knew that teamwork would be the key to updating our vision and lived values.

In spring 2023, beginning with our candidates, we approached their parents and carers, our partners and staff to find out what they considered our values to be, based on their experiences. After several exercises we are delighted to showcase the results.

Our vision is for all people with learning disabilities to be valued in the workplace, to thrive in life, and feel included as members of society.

How we get there? We create bright futures for young people with learning disabilities through education, personalised employment programmes and community partnerships, that increase independence and create pathways to work.

Candidates led the way to updating our values

A young man sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads LEARNING, WELCOMED, CAMARADERIE.

A young woman standing in a large room, holding up a small whiteboard that reads COMMUNITY.

A young woman sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: it has helped me making friends, work well with staff.

A young man sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: It makes me happy and confident; I feel welcomed here at TD.

A young man sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: happy, confident, excited for the future.

A young man sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: meeting new people, making friends, meeting new staff.

A young woman sitting in a classroom, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: having good friends, great team, making new coffee, good staff.

Two young men sitting in a classroom and smiling, doing a task together.

A young woman sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: making friends, learning skills, working with staff.

A young woman sitting in a classroom, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: helps to gain confidence and allows you to make new friends and try new things; supportive; Team Domenica is awesome and they treat people how they want to be treated.

A young man sitting in a classroom, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: fantastic, making new friends, learning how to make hot drinks.

A young woman sitting in a classroom, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: nice staff, feel happy, good for meeting new people.

A young man standing in a classroom, holding up a small whiteboard that reads 1) fun and inclusive, 2) safe and helpful, 3) banter and jokes.

Two young people sitting in a classroom and smiling, working on a task together.

A young man sitting in a classroom, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: Decision making, treated like an adult, make new friends, careers advice.

A young woman sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up two small whiteboards that read: coping with change, work in a team, confidence, community, wellbeing, help to try new things, work in different places, help to get a job.

A young man standing in a classroom, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: confidence, skills making, coffee, friendship.

A young man sitting in a classroom, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: resilient, making friends, new skills, improving my handwriting, relaxing, confidence.

A young man at Team Domenica enrichment venue, smiling, holding up a small whiteboard with a drawing on it to indicate his excitement.

A young woman sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: excited (with a drawing of a smiley face).

A young man sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: fantastic to make new friends, learn how to make coffee, I enjoy working at Hoogly on the supported internship.

A young woman sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: learning new skills like making coffee, meeting new friends, I enjoyed doing the supported internship.

A young woman smiling with her eyes shut, sitting at Team Domenica enrichment venue, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: friends.

A young man sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: working at the Grand Hotel, meeting new people, it is a nice place.

A young woman sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: happy, confident, enthusiastic.

A young man sitting in a classroom and smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: 1) more flexible, 2) confidence, 3) meeting new people.

Two young men sitting in a classroom and smiling, working on a task togehter.

A young man smiling, holding up a small whiteboard that reads: amazing.

A young man sitting in a classroom, pointing at the camera with a cheeky smile. He is holding up a small whiteboard that reads: integration, independence, experience.

Our values

Our organisational values are the common threads that everyone involved with Team Domenica experiences day-to-day. They are also our strengths, helping us to fulfil our transformative objectives and vision.

We value positive relationships because …

We know that friendships, mutual support and a sense of belonging are important for everyone, be that our candidates, their families, our team, employer partners or wider community.

We value building confidence because …

We experience increased independence and a boost in confidence by being able to try new things and being trusted to apply our learnings.

We value feeling happy because …

We have fun while learning and feel happy to be part of Team Domenica as well as the opportunities that we create together in the workplace and beyond.

We value growing skills because …

We enjoy a variety of training and interactions that build our work and social skills. Most importantly, we don’t give up when things are hard – we just find another way.

We value an inclusive community because …

We should feel safe to be ourselves. Our collective actions shape an inclusive environment at Team Domenica and within the community. We celebrate differences and show that with the right support, all of us can contribute and succeed.

We value a bright future because …

Team Domenica is a journey towards a bright future, where we all have the chance to feel welcomed and lead happy, fulfilled lives.

If you’d prefer see our vision and values in Easy Read format, please download the Easy Read document below.

Team Domenica Vision and Values Easy Read

Our Leadership Team

Our Board of Trustees, Senior Leadership Team and Education Governance Board continue to guide our strategy, development in curriculum and policies, our organisational structure and governance practices.

Our trustees are elected in three year terms.