Staff

JigsawPlus prides itself on having an incredible team of highly committed, motivated and caring staff supporting our adult learners across the different areas within our Centre for Lifelong Learning as well as the wider community.  These spaces include learning rooms; daily living skills rooms; activity and leisure areas; vocational settings on/offsite and various community settings such as supermarkets; leisure centres; parks; restaurants and vocational placements.

Our learning support workers, managers, administrative and Trust Shared Services staff and Trustees all share a common goal; to help learners make positive personal choices that enhance their wellbeing and social inclusion through the acquisition of new, independent skills and supportive communication.

The role and influence of the support staff are crucial factors in the promotion of high-quality learning and teaching and the JigsawPlus performance management policy supports continuing professional development for all staff.

To further support our learners in acquiring new skills and developing independence, JigsawPlus has been established as a CABAS component model centre and provides the following opportunities for staff training: CABAS Board Certification of professional expertise in teaching; ongoing Supervision to support the development of teaching skills and Continuing Professional Development for all staff.

Additionally, learning support staff work through an initial training programme focusing on understanding autism, learning disabilities and core care industry qualification. Please see tabs below for further details.

Health and Social CareCABASUKBA(cert)BCBARegistered Behaviour TechnicianMastersPROACT-SCIPrCEUsCareers

As a health and social care provider to adults with autism, JigsawPlus has supported the completion of Level 5 QCF courses in health and social care management with several staff members. Those with the qualification are:

Tim Hitchmough
Gemma Reader
Selina Halfacre
Simon Wright

On top of this, all JigsawPlus staff are required to complete the Care Certificate, derived from a set of standards set out in the Cavendish review, which aims to supply all support workers with the required introductory skills to provide safe and effective care. JigsawPlus also offer a selection of core online training courses when they join. Mandatory courses include: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Oliver Macgowan, Safeguarding and the Protection of Adults, Mental Capacity Act, Healthy and Safety, Fire Safety, Infection Control, Food Hygiene, Manual Handling and Moving and Handling.

CABAS® (Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling) was originated over 40 years ago to develop a science of teaching.

Staff at JigsawPlus have the opportunity to work through 4 different CABAS teaching ranks and receive certification from the CABAS Board. Completion of the CABAS Teacher 1 rank gives staff the opportunity to become full members of the UK Society for Behaviour Analysis (UK-SBA).

Current staff with CABAS qualifications:

Georgios Vamvakas
Tim Hitchmough
Selina Halfacre
Gemma Reader
Hayley Locke
Hannah Bryant
Jakob Kearns
Inma Taboada
Tamara Matilla Martin
Remington Crandall
Jodie Meyer
Lur Roca Edrosa
Yeray Ruano
Sarah Parsons

The UKBA(cert) is a post-graduate level certification in behaviour analysis. Practitioners with a UKBA(cert) have completed approved, post-graduate coursework in behaviour analysis, documented supervised experience, and have a masters degree. UKBA(cert) is the highest level of certification offered by the UK-SBA.

The following staff at Jigsaw have achieved the UKBA(cert):

Georgios Vamvakas
Tim Hitchmough
Hayley Locke
Emma Hawkins
Kate Grant
Gemma Reeder

Jigsaw also supports certification programmes with the Behaviour Analyst Certification Board (BACB) to achieve Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) status.  More information about this Board can be found at BACB.com.

The following staff at Jigsaw are Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBAs):

Tim Hitchmough
Hayley Locke
Emma Hawkins
Kate Grant
Gemma Reeder

Jigsaw also supports certification programmes with the Behaviour Analyst Certification Board (BACB) to achieve Registered Behaviour Technician (RBT) status. More information about this can be found at BACB.com/rbt/.

The following staff at JigsawPlus are Registered Behaviour Technicians (RBTs):

Inma Taboada
Remington Crandall

Jigsaw supports a number of full time CABAS teachers to complete a distance Masters Degree in High Incidence Disabilities and Behaviour Analysis from Nicholls State University, New Orleans, USA – https://www.nicholls.edu/education/graduate-programs/curriculum-and-instruction-m-ed/.  The following staff at JigsawPlus have either achieved this qualification or have a relevant masters in special education and psychology from another university:

Georgios Vamvakas
Tim Hitchmough
Hayley Locke
Inma Taboada
Tamara Matilla Martin
Gemma Reeder

All JigsawPlus staff are required to undertake training in PROACT-SCIPr when they begin employment at the centre. PROACT-SCIPr applies an approach to behaviours of concern that is proactive and positive in nature. The course provides staff with an understanding of the fundamentals behind a positive approach to behaviour support, including being able to identify the functions of behaviour and relevant strategies to apply to support a reduction in their occurrence.

JigsawPlus currently has 3 certified PROACT-SCIPr instructors on-site, who will run courses as well as providing intervention support and consultation. These are:

Georgios Vamvakas
Jakob Kearns
Remington Crandall

All other staff working directly with JigsawPlus learners have been trained in a full PROACT-SCIPr course and receive a yearly refresher to maintain their knowledge and expertise.

Live and on-demand webinars targeted towards those with an interest in the strategic science of teaching, CABAS or the application of behaviour analysis are now available via the Foundation for the Advancement of a Strategic Science of Teaching (FASST) website.  The webinars are designed to introduce and/or further the knowledge of the strategic science of teaching, verbal behaviour development theory and/or the application of behaviour analysis.

Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) are available as follows:  Learning CEUs are awarded to those who hold a certification from the Behaviour Analyst Certification Board (BACB); CABAS CEUs are awarded to those that hold a CABAS rank credential.

Visit: https://www.scienceofteaching.org to view upcoming webinars and for details of booking.

Further details on all vacancies, training and other benefits can be found on our main Jigsaw Trust website (current vacancies tab).  Click here to be redirected.

 

Useful Links

To find out more directly from the CABAS website, please click on cabasschools.org
 

UK SBA logo

Jigsaw Plus staff also have the opportunity to join UK-SBA (UK Society for Behaviour Analysis) – a forum for behaviour analysts for accreditation, professional development, continuing education and networking, and serves as an advocate body in public debate on issues relating to behaviour analysis.

The UK-SBA promotes the ethical and effective application of the principles of behaviour and learning to a wide range of areas including education, rehabilitation and health care, business, and the community and is committed to maintaining the availability of high-quality evidence-based professional behaviour analysis practice in the UK.  The Society also promotes and supports the academic field of behaviour analysis within the UK both in terms of university-based training, research and practice.   Visit:  uk-sba.org  for more details.