TACT South & West provides dynamic and progressive support services. Our divisional commitment is to 'living the life and not the label' for people with varied levels of need and abilities. Our support is tailored to individuals who live in their own homes and we are registered with the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) to undertake domiciliary services.

Trisha's story

Trisha was finding Day Services boring and the behaviour of other service users challenging. After meeting TACT staff, she moved out of Day Services and into a daily activities schedule, including part-time work.

"I now have a job at a large old peoples' home. I work there on a Tuesday morning and get paid every month. I have made friends at work, I went to the staff Christmas party and we are all going on a day out this summer.

"On Monday I go to gardening group in Guildford; I go by bus on my own. We are growing our own vegetables at our allotment. Tuesday I go to work, after work I go to the market in the town. Wednesday I go bowling with my support worker and then we cook a meal together. Thursday I go to college; in the morning I do computing, and in the afternoon we do painting and sports. Friday, I visit my friend in the morning, we go out for lunch sometimes. I go swimming in the afternoon, and at night I go to Bingo with my support worker. Saturday, I do housework with the staff. Sunday, I play sport with the staff, then I cook a meal with them and they help me with my ironing.

"TACT staff have helped me to have holidays. I have been on Canal boat holidays with other people, TACT help. I also had a week's holiday in Scotland with my support worker. This year I went to Malta with my sister.

"Sometimes the staff talk too much, but I do too! I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone at TACT for all the hard work."

Kim's story

Kim moved three times in a year, joined and left college twice and had been arrested multiple times. She now helps TACT in Gloucestershire help those less fortunate than herself.

"Most of what I remember now is getting drunk, getting arrested, locking myself out of the house, people using my house as a doss house, refusing to accept support, getting really upset, getting in debt, giving all my money away, taking lots of drugs and being nasty to everyone who was trying to help.

"I got kicked out of my house in June, but for the first time in my life the support stayed with me, and I wasn't moved onto another company.

"I couldn't believe that TACT were still willing to help me; they found me a place in a B&B for a couple of weeks until they could get me a flat.

"I have decorated and had some new floors fitted and even made good friends with some of the neighbours. The same important people are still in my life as well, and now we work together to help other people who are worse off than me. I have also worked with lots of other people from TACT to train members of staff.

"I am also helping others to get their point of view over; I have help set up a local forum so people who TACT support can tell them what is good and bad. Twice a year we meet as a national forum to speak about things.

"Last year I told you I was ready to do some living. Well, I've tried it and quite like it, so who knows what's next!"

SCORE enables individuals with significant learning disabilities to participate in sport, the arts, leisure, training, voluntary work, employment and social enterprise within their communities. The project shapes itself to the individuals involved and follows them along whichever pathway they wish to take, providing support, guidance, friendship and trust. The key to its success is partnership between us and those we work alongside.

Keith's story

Keith has been an enthusiastic member of the SCORE project since its conception.

"I play snooker every Thursday with my friends; I like the fact that we walk there on our own - it's good fun.

"My Tuesday job at the Hereford Leisure Centre: I go on the train on my own; I like it because it is my own job and I feel responsible. My Friday job I work as a Cleaning Assistant at SCORE, I look forward to my pay packet.

"I enjoyed dancing with my friends in The Attitude Dance Company, I felt very proud at the end of the show. You know you are good at it because at the end people clap and it makes you feel happy."

Stakeholder Committee

The people we support are actively involved in the delivery of care provided. The Stakeholder Committee helps TACT South and West develop activities to meet their needs and ambitions. TACT members are not only receiving services but are also helping to improve them.

Projects

The Taking Action Forum promotes self-advocacy and is open to anyone who receives support in Gloucestershire. It is a meeting for action not talk. Each meeting focuses on important issues decided by forum members, including training, transport, the NHS, and the Disability Discrimination Act. An elected delegate from this local forum represents the region at a national TACT forum twice a year. The project is funded by Stroud Town Council.

HIP Hockey (Hockey Inclusion Project) promotes inclusion of people with disabilities. Wheelchair users, non-wheelchair users, disabled people and non-disabled people participate together. Zone hockey, an adapted version of hockey, is played at the sessions. It is an opportunity for people to play and socialise together. The project introduces new friendships and natural support whilst improving fitness, mobility, self-belief, teamwork and most of all, confidence. HIP Hockey has received funding from Awards for All and Barnwood House Trust.





TACT Gloucestershire is committed to help its members live as independent citizens, achieving a better quality of life with less professional support.

Rugby Inclusion Project

The Rugby Inclusion Project is a partnership project involving TACT, The Rugby Football Union, The English Federation of Disability Sport and is receiving funding from the Active Sports Community Fund.

This exciting and innovative rugby project was launched in Herefordshire and Shropshire in May 2003. Its aim is to bring life-changing opportunities to people with learning disabilities within the local community.

The project supports the creation of new sustainable learning disability sections within pilot clubs such as Telford Hornets in Shropshire, Hereford RFC and the Greyhound in Herefordshire, with many other clubs feeding into the project. We also support the formation of both junior and senior sections working in conjunction with the Active Sports Program, targeted at the grass roots level and as part of the local rugby community.

People with learning disabilities get few opportunities to participate in sport. This project has opened the door to a world of inclusion, increased fitness, self-belief, team involvement, wide ranging social opportunities, a chance to compete - all of the benefits usually associated with involvement in sport.

Partnerships between special schools, County Councils, local rugby clubs and the RFU have been forged. Now the project has four club leaders who ensure that introductory sessions held at local schools and colleges are active, purposeful, enjoyable and safe. Weekly training sessions and tournaments are held at local rugby clubs.

Tag rugby is a safe, fun and exciting variation of non-contact rugby. Players wear tag belts around their waist and two Velcro tags are attached at the hip. Tag rugby can be played with as few as five players. Most importantly, it is a fun and exciting game that both male and female players of all ages and abilities can enjoy.

New links have been forged with rugby's premiership and TACT believes that rugby inclusion has a great future and will build on recent success.

Training Services

TACT South and West delivers different kinds of training and mentoring locally and nationally, and we are proud to share our care sector workforce expertise. Our training team provides:

* Mandatory training requested by Local Authorities.

* Expert training around specific conditions within the mental health and learning disabilities environment.

* Disability awareness training.

Our team keeps up-to-date with changes and requirements locally and nationally. We develop new ways of improving support workers' day-to-day work, in order to protect and empower the various stakeholders they meet everyday.

Divisional Director for TACT South and West: Estelle Christmas

TACT South and West
Hamble House
Meadrow
Godalming
Surrey
GU7 3HJ

TELEPHONE 01483 419 100
FAX 01483 861 959
EMAIL surrey@tactsouth.org