MCDWORKS CIC · Thurrock and UK-wide
Community-led change.
Practical support.
Measurable impact.
We work alongside families, professionals and communities to strengthen inclusion, cultural understanding and wellbeing — turning lived experience into practical change.
Founder & lead facilitator
Sharleen DaCosta
SEND parent · advocate · educator · community leader
Audience pathways
Whichever door you come through, we can help.
Choose the pathway that matches you — each one explains what we do, the relevant programme and the right next action.
Families & carers
SEND advocacy, meeting preparation, wellbeing and community connection.
Explore family supportSchools & educators
CPD-certified cultural competency training and inclusive practice.
See Mind the GapCharities & community
Partnership programmes, community wellbeing and cultural connection.
See community wellbeingHealth & social care
Sector-tailored inclusive-practice pathways for teams and leadership.
Sector pathwayCorporate & HR
Cultural competency and inclusion programmes for workplaces.
Commission trainingFunders & commissioners
Due-diligence-ready information, delivery capacity and outcomes.
Partnership packFeatured programmes
Programmes that turn insight into practical change.
Mind the Gap
A Cultural Awareness and Inclusive Practice Programme. Four two-hour workshops, 8 CPD hours, sector pathways, optional six-month follow-up.
Learn more Family supportSEND Advocacy & Family Empowerment
Practical, non-legal, non-clinical advocacy support that builds parent-carer confidence and voice.
Learn more CommunityCommunity Wellbeing
Reflective, restorative and confidence-building group experiences for parents and community members.
Learn more InitiativeCultural Connections Thurrock
Cultural connection, belonging and community voice — a Thurrock-rooted, UK-relevant initiative.
Learn more ConsultancyBespoke Training & Consultancy
Co-designed programmes for organisations that need inclusion, cultural competency and lived-experience insight.
Learn moreMind the Gap
Because the gap between intent and impact matters.
A Cultural Awareness and Inclusive Practice Programme built for teams that want to move beyond good intentions to visibly better outcomes.
- 01
Foundations of inclusive practice
Shared language, principles and a common baseline.
- 02
Cultural competency in your sector
Sector-specific pathway: education, health, charity or corporate.
- 03
Practical tools & real scenarios
Anonymised case work translated into everyday practice.
- 04
Embedding & measurement
Pre/post assessment, action plans and optional 6-month follow-up.
Why we exist
Lived experience, community insight and cultural understanding — turned into practical action.
MCDWORKS CIC is a Community Interest Company (No. 14428779) founded by Sharleen DaCosta. We work with families, schools, councils, charities and organisations to strengthen inclusion, cultural understanding and community wellbeing.
Every surplus we generate is reinvested into community programmes. We measure what we say we deliver — and we publish it honestly.
Programme
4 workshops · 8 CPD hours
Mind the Gap verified format
Delivery
In-person & online
Nationwide, based in Thurrock
Sectors
Education · Health · Charity · Corporate
Tailored pathways
Approach
Pre & post assessment
Optional 6-month follow-up
A note on statistics. We publish only verified figures. Where a metric hasn't yet been independently reported, we describe qualitative outcomes instead of inventing counters.
Upcoming
New events & workshops
New community events and workshops are being prepared. Join our mailing list to receive the first announcement.
Let's build something that changes what people experience — not just what policy says.
Stay in touch
A short, considered newsletter.
Occasional updates on Mind the Gap dates, SEND-family resources, community events, funding opportunities and Cultural Connections Thurrock. No filler.
- · Mind the Gap dates & new sector pathways
- · SEND parent-carer resources
- · Community events in Thurrock and online
- · Funding and partnership opportunities
- · Cultural Connections Thurrock updates