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CareTrade

A charity providing opportunities for Londoners with autism to transition from school/college towards and into employment.

The Autism Project (TAP) is a full-time, two-year, employability programme for young people on the autistic spectrum, aged 18-25.

August 2016, The Autism Project was added to the Secretary of States Section 41 list of approved providers.  The Autism Project curriculum is based on: the experience of running our one-year TAP supported internship programme (for 6 years) and our very successful follow-on project, Employment Opportunities; and the feedback following a recent consultation with students and parents, both past and present.

Our aim is to make the journey towards and into employment more seamless and flexible in order to better meet the individual needs of students. Additionally, we hope that this will further improve our already very positive outcomes.

All students will follow our supported internship curriculum for their first term and typically students will spend 3 terms (their first year) following this: they will learn within real work experience placements within either Guy’s or St. Thomas’ hospitals four days a week, supported by work-place mentors and specialist job coaches and spend one day a week in class where they learn valuable employability and independent living skills and work towards City & Guilds qualifications. The objective is for young people to become ‘work-ready’ and to have gained a reference from their workplace. 

Students’ progress to the Year two curriculum once ‘work-ready’, typically in term 4, where the focus is on greater independence in the workplace and to support students to develop the skills and confidence and to actively seek and hopefully gain paid employment, an apprenticeship or further training of choice.

TAP staff use person centred planning and our aim is to help all students reach their individual goals as defined in their Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP). Class based learning is being developed in termly modules so that students can move from year one to year two curriculum at their own speed. This also means we will be able to accept students at the beginning of any term.

From September 2017 all our students will have access to our new counselling service.

All students will have the opportunity to meet with TAP staff prior to starting the programme and will have an induction suited to their individual needs.

Contact details

Contact Name
Judith Kerem
Contact Position
Development Director/TAP Lead
Telephone
07958 610864
E-mail
judith.kerem@caretradeuk.org
Website
www.care-trade.org/ 

Address

Activity location
Partner organisations include Walworth Garden Farm, Spa School, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital.
Address
The Clarence Centre
6
St George's Circus
London
Postcode
SE1 6FE

Time / Date Details

When is it on
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Further details

Referrals Policy

We accept referrals from Local Authorities and directly from young people.

Applicants should complete a TAP application form and supply copies of documents as requested including a copy of a current EHCP where applicable. We interview all applicants (who meet our primary criteria) and all suitable applicants are invited to complete an assessment and DBS check.

All students are required to have an EHCP in place prior to starting. Any additional support needs should be discussed when applying to ensure the correct support is in place prior to starting.

Last checked date
28/08/2019
Record ID
21955

Local Offer

About Local Offer
Description

CareTrade believes passionately that all young people should be given the opportunity to reach their potential and lead fulfilling lives. One of the ways we are tackling this issue is by offering support to help adults with autism gain the skills, confidence and experience they need to succeed in employment. We are now recruiting for:

The Autism Project is a two year full time course; students attend 9am-4pm, Monday to Friday, for 36 weeks. The aim of the course is to help young adults with autism (18-25) prepare for employment by offering work experience placements in a supportive environment at Guy's & St. Thomas' Hospitals. 

Contact Name
Judith Kerem
Contact Telephone
07958 610864
Contact Email
judith.kerem@caretradeuk.org
Links
CareTrade
Local Offer Age Bands
Preparing for Adult Life 14-25
Where is the service located and what areas does it cover?

CareTrade is based near Elephant & Castle station. Young people will need to travel to our offices for workshops and one-to-one job search sessions. If participants choose to take up work experience we will try to ensure that they are placed close to home/somewhere easy to travel to.

Who does your service provide for?

CareTrade is aimed at people aged 18+. Participants must have a diagnosis of an Autistic Spectrum Condition and be keen to find employment. We take referrals from all London boroughs.

How can a child or young person start using the service?

Contact CareTrade for more information.

judith.kerem@caretradeuk.org - Judith Kerem Development Director/TAP Lead

info@caretradeuk.org

How are decisions made about eligibility for your service?

We accept referrals from Local Authorities and directly from young people.

Applicants should complete a TAP application form and supply copies of documents as requested including a copy of a current EHCP where applicable. We interview all applicants (who meet our primary criteria) and all suitable applicants are invited to complete an assessment and DBS check.

All students are required to have an EHCP in place prior to starting. Any additional support needs should be discussed when applying to ensure the correct support is in place prior to starting.

How do you communicate with service users and how are they involved in decision making/planning?

We monitor participants’ progress throughout the programme by asking them to complete questionnaires and also through conversation. We set individual targets which are shared with the Local Authority and monitored throughout.

We also keep a record of statistics including jobs applied for, interviews and job offers.

We keep in touch with parents/carers if necessary.

We ask for regular feedback from our participants and their families. We use this information to develop and improve our service.

Is your service fully accessible?

Are programmes are located in fully accessible buildings.

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had/or will be they be getting?

All CareTrade staff have previous experience of working with autistic people and have attended a number of training courses related to this. Staff have undertaken Safeguarding, Mental Health Awareness and First Aid training.

Who should a service user contact if they want to raise a concern or complain about something?

For more information contact Judith Kerem, Development Director. Her email address is judith.kerem@caretradeuk.org.

Who can a parent carer/young person contact for further information?

For more information contact Judith Kerem, Development Director. Her email address is judith.kerem@caretradeuk.org.

The Local Offer is a free and impartial service provided by Camden Local Authority. Any service or provider mentioned in this Local Offer, does not represent a recommendation or endorsement of the service or quality of the service provided. You are responsible for undertaking your own checks to determine suitability of the service and provider.

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