R.E.A.C.H

Home Manager

jhall — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:25:54 +0000

Full-time for one of our Homes in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Closing Date: Monday 14th November 2011.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the Management and development of a residential house for people with learning disabilities. You will also provide effective leadership and support to all staff and participate in direct work with residents. You will have experience of working with people with Learning Disabilities and relevant others, e.g. carers, advocates, care managers, senior team leaders and staff. You will also have excellent leadership and communication skills and will enjoy developing your team, as well as taking an active role in your own development. The ideal candidate will have NVQ Level 4 in Health & Social Care or RMA, or you will be willing to undertake this qualification.

If you are interested, in the first instance contact Katie Hamilton, Personnel Assistant on 01753 888 688 or email: khamilton@reach-disabilitycare.co.uk for an application form.

Also please ensure you include full work history after leaving full time education and attach 2 passport size photos to your application.

Support Workers

jhall — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:23:45 +0000

Full-Time, Part-Time and Relief Staff for our Sistine Manor Home in Buckinghamshire. Closing date: ongoing

Successful candidates will be required to support our residents who are vurnerable adults with learning disabilities, with their everyday living requirements.

If you are interested, in the first instance contact Katie Hamilton, Personnel Assistant on 01753 888 688 or email: khamilton@reach-disabilitycare.co.uk for an application form.

Also please ensure you include full work history after leaving full time education and attach 2 passport size photos to your application.

My Story: Sistine Manor

admin — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:01:08 +0000

At the beginning my life at Sistine, I was a very stressful person with obsessive behaviour and territorial routines. I was very vulnerable to many things, which made me agitated due to my routines being broken which in turn would cause me to have outbursts, self-injuring behaviour, screaming and shouting. I did not accept any change around me, as I was very sensitive to this.

3 years ago staff at Sistine Manor used teaching cards to encourage me to do some activities and tasks around the house. After this they used the teaching cards associated with actions using verbal prompts. At the beginning I needed 2 members of staff to support me. Now I only need one to one support only when I access the community.

Now staff are using only verbal prompts to encourage me to do familiar tasks (set tables, dress myself for going out, put my plate in the sink after my meal, following simple instructions as I can understand verbal prompts and I think I respond very well.

My attitude towards going out has changed; I am ready to go out at any time and happy to do this. I will even ask the staff to take me out and I will put my jacket on and stand by the door. Staff say I am now much calmer when out in the community I am more patient and I stop myself from shouting or grabbing things.

I regularly go on trips to Slough, Windsor, local parks, evening clubs, shopping, gym, bowling club and eating out. Every month I have a day trip to London and visit different places such as the British Museum, London Eye, Museum of Madame Tussauds, and London Aquarium etc. Every year I go on holiday to the destination of my choice. Last year I went to explore France and this year I am flying to Spain.

I have started to visit the cinema, at the beginning I went there for only a short time, then stayed longer and now I am happy to stay for the whole movie. Each week I visit the local working farm and recently started to go horse riding. I have grown in confidence and like this very much.

Previously staff used counting to teach to help me eat slower. This has worked and now staff only need to use verbal prompts. I also take part in some chores in the house such as clearing up after mealtimes and taking the bin out from the kitchen.

My routine at bath time is now much shorter as my behaviour has changed so much. Now I bring in my toiletries from my room and with only verbal prompt from staff can wash my own hair. I don’t display as much obsessive behaviour as before.

My routine around the house is not so strict as before. Staff are encouraging me regularly to minimise my rituals by redirecting me by use of distraction techniques.

There are still areas to work on and maintain, my favourite location is inside the house in the reception area, where I still like to lie on the floor!! Staff are working with me to encourage me to stand up and take a seat in the lounge instead.

Last year I went to a ‘Involving Everyone’ day at Buckinghamshire Civic Centre and with support from my keyworker told everyone through pictures and signs ‘My Story’ It was a great day and I felt very proud, I stood in the front of the room and showed everyone how far I had come.

Recently I attended the farewell party for the Head of Services of Bucks Social Services and dressed in my suit and tie and felt very smart joining in with the party.

All achievements and independent skills that I have now are due to hard work and continuous positive input. Staff will always have to work with me on behaviour patterns.

REACH’s mechanism of work helps me to maintain and develop independent skills of the individual and to provide the best help and support.

Investors in People

admin — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:00:20 +0000

In August 2010 REACH once again passed the Investors in People review. Investors in People offers a business improvement tool designed to help all kinds of organisations develop performance through their people.

The Investors in People assessor, Claire Smith said “During the two days I spent at REACH Ltd I had the pleasure of meeting both staff and residents. The organistion is clearly committed to being the best at what it does and staff are very proud of that.”

Terry Wogan: Perfect Recall

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:05:16 +0000

We were approached by Pinewood Studios in Iver, near Slough, inviting our service users’ and staff to attend filming of Sir Terry Wogan’s Perfect Recall quiz show.

Most of our service users’ attended this event on 21st July 2009. All service users’ were supported by our staff team.

The Service Users’ met Sir Terry Wogan and they were very pleased to get his autograph.

The broadcasting of the shows was on Channel 4.

All the service users’ and staff said they had a wonderful time, found the show enertaining and would love the opportunity to attend the show again in the future.

We are striving to promote the welfare and health of all people with learning disabilities using the effective tools of the media. If you have any ideas/topics worth considering please get in touch with us.

Staff Training and Development

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:03:02 +0000

REACH is proud to announce that according to Skills for Care National Minimum Data Set, with effect of June 2011, we achieved a percentage of 74% of REACH staff that have a professional qualification of NVQ in Care level 2 or above. REACH achieved the same percentage in 2009 and have therefore maintained the same standard over a 2 year period.

Within our Senior team, they are in possession of at least one of the following:

Post Graduate Psychology Degree
Psychology Degree
NVQ4 in Health and Social Care
NVQ4 in Management
Leadership and Management in Care Settings Award
Registered Managers Award (RMA)
NVQ3 in Health and Social Care
NVQ3 Children and Young People
NVQ2 in Health and Social Care
GNVQ in Health and Social Care
City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate in Learning Disability
NVQ Assessor A1, D32, D33
City & Guilds Advanced Management for Care
Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicap Children and Adults (TEACCH)
CCETSW Preliminary Certificate in Social Care
CCETSW Pass in Certificate of Social Services
GNVQ in Health and Social Care
PROACT-SCIPr-UK
De Montfort University – Practice Teaching Placement
NVCI Instructor
Log on to Care Trainer
PEG Feed Trainer
People Handling and Risk Assessment Key Trainer
Signalong Phase 1

In 2010 REACH offered an intensive two day course for new Team Leaders (Front Line Supervisors) looking at the company ethos, budgets, quality assurance, employment law, person centred approaches, medication and service users’’ finances. These sessions prepare new managers for their complex new roles.

REACH acknowledges the link between providing training and development opportunities and continuous improvement with the quality of its services and the personal development of staff.

Key objectives:

To ensure the organisation is staffed by individuals who possess knowledge, experience and skills appropriate to their duties, to facilitate the achievement of the company’s business objectives and to promote equality of opportunity for service users and staff, regardless of race, disability and gender.

By the end of 2010 training opportunities had increased from 425 to 445.

425 training opportunities, including:

Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards 2008 Awareness
Diversity and Culture Awareness
Driving Assessment
Eating and Swallowing Awareness
Employment Law
Epilepsy Awareness and Administration of Rectal Diazepam
Fire Safety Awareness
First Aid
Food Hygiene
Gastronomy and PEG Awareness
Health and Safety Awareness
Infection Control
Intensive Interaction
Male Health Awareness
Managing for Wellbeing and Productivity
Medication Awareness
Mental Capacity Act 2005
Mental Health Awareness
Moving and Handling
Non Violent Crisis Intervention
One Page profile and Person Centred Outcomes and Review
Person Centred Planning
Personalisation
Preverbal Communication
Responding to Safeguarding Issues
Safeguarding Adults at Risk
Self Directed Support
Social Inclusion
Supervision and Appraisal

Hate Crime Day

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:01:49 +0000

We are pleased to announce that some of our Service Users’ participated in the production of a DVD and play on Awareness of Hate Crime regarding citizens with learning disabilities in the community and in association with United Voices an advocacy group.

The play and the first viewing of the United Voices DVD ‘On The Bus’ took place on 30th July 2009 at Stoke Poges Village Hall, Stoke Poges, Slough.

All participants in the DVD have learning disabilities including two of REACH service users.

Service users and staff at REACH attended the event which raised their awareness of Hate Crime towards individuals with learning disabilities in the community.

One of the service users commented that taking part in the DVD made them ‘feel complete’.

A service users parent said that they felt so proud to be part of such an important event as Hate Crime and they felt that they had been treated like royalty on the day.

Emphasis was on the importance to report hate crime issues to the police, authorities or a friend or staff member who could report incidents on their behalf.

Although this started out as a local County initiative, the DVD was showed at the last Conservative Conference in Manchester and will now hopefully be introduced Nationally.

If you would like further information please call our Office on 01753 888688.

United Voices are an advocacy service for adults with learning disabilities.

If you would like to contact United Voices, please call 01753 581711, alternatively, email,enquiries@united-voices.co.uk Website: www.united-voices.org.uk

R.E.A.C.H and Television

admin — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:04:27 +0000

We at R.E.A.C.H provide care and rehabilitation to a wide spectrum of adults with learning disabilities and we are totally committed to providing a needs led service, but life is not all about needs, it is about fulfillment as well. We are committed in supporting individuals to do everyday things that we may take for granted. As part of our philosophy, staff and residents were involved in a joint venture with Windfall Film in the making of a drama called Richard is my Boyfriend.

To view the drama, please click on the link below to see a trailer

The link is as follows:

Richard is My Boyfriend

Please contact Windfall Films Direct if you wish to order a copy of this DVD, their details are as follows:

Windfall Films
One Underwood Row
London N1 7LZ
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7251 7676
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7253 8468
enquiries@windfallfilms.com