Specialist Day Service
JigsawPlus is dedicated and passionate in its commitment to support autistic adults to make positive, personal choices that enhance their wellbeing, independence and social inclusion.
The first JigsawPlus service offered to learners was its Specialist Day Service, established in 2012 and operating from our Centre for Lifelong Learning near Cranleigh in Surrey. Delivering a programme of key living and life skills, the Specialist Day Service also offers community-focused learning as well as vocational opportunities accessed through a range of in-house Enterprises. JigsawPlus Specialist Day Service is open for 49 week per year.
All learners supported through our JigsawPlus services receive individually designed, person-centred development plans based around their particular needs and preferences.
PERSON CENTRED DEVELOPMENT PLANS
Each learner will participate in an initial assessment process to help us understand their existing communication, social, leisure and vocational skills. The outcome of this assessment process provides the learner and the team around them with a highly granular picture allowing for targeted development of pivotal skills across all areas related to each learner’s quality of life. Emphasis is placed on ensuring that they learner can apply these skills in meaningful social and vocational contexts.
Each individual plan is agreed with targets selected from a menu of learning and development skills grouped into 6 outcomes areas. Central to each learning plan are communication progress, self-managing behaviour, instilling confidence, supporting problem solving and reliable execution of the learning.
 | Skills that prepare learners for work in a trade, craft or profession |  | Skills that allow learners to live as independently as possible in a home environment |
 | Skills that allow learners to lead full lives, positively using their time as independently as possible |  | Skills that allow learners to live as healthy lives as possible, both physically and mentally |
 | Skills that allow learners to perform tasks outside the home required for daily life as independently as possible |  | Skills that ensure learners can build and sustain positive relationships |
Progress can then be measured and recognised with each learner and Learning Support Worker/s working collaboratively towards meaningful and beneficial outcomes.
In practice, the above headline areas are not viewed in isolation as they are interwoven into multiple aspects of each development plan. They are captured within the following Progress Awards that learners receive in acknowledgement of their acquisition, advancement and generalisation of desired learning development skills.
| Health & Personal Progress | Supporting growth and development in the self-management of a learner’s physical and emotional health | Food preparation; finance management; home maintenance; shopping and dining out; functional literacy and numeracy; developing hobbies and pastimes; art and music |
| Independent and Community Living | Supporting development of skills that increase a learner’s independence both in their homes and the community | Fitness and exercise; diet and nutrition; relationships and social skills; communication skills; personal hygiene and wellbeing; self-management of challenging behaviour |
| Vocational Training and Experience | Supporting the attainment of vocational competencies related to horticulture, baking, retail, metalwork, woodwork and office skills. Many of these opportunities will initially be available through Jigsaw Trust Enterprises in a safe and supportive setting | GARDENworks; Baking sessions; Cafe on the Park work experience; shop work experience; volunteering; office work; stable work; etc |
FUTURE ‘wrap around’ support services, including Respite Care, Domiciliary Care, Independent/supported Living and Housing, are all written into Jigsaw Trust’s long term strategic development plan. Training, research and staff expertise within the fields of autism and behaviour analysis underpin all the services offered by Jigsaw ensuring the delivery of excellence within all our services.