Congratulations to all the service users at Richardson Care who were awarded ASDAN certificates throughout 2018/19. ASDAN stands for the Awards Scheme Development Accreditation Network: it provides courses in a wide range of subjects at various skill levels to enable people to achieve accredited qualifications. ASDAN programmes are flexible and adapted to different needs, so they are ideal for our service users who have an acquired brain injury or learning difficulties. All qualifications are independently verified to ensure that the correct standards are met.

Service users were awarded with a total of 63 certificates in 2018/19 – some of the more in-depth courses took two years to complete, which meant others could be worked on at the same time. These courses included Independent Living (introduction and progression levels), Personal Care Routines (sensory), Baking (introduction), Engaging with the World Around Me (Events), and Myself & Others. The awards are graded according to level of support required to complete the course, with 38 people achieving certificates with ‘No Help’, 21 with ‘Spoken Help’ and 4 by having their experience recorded.

As well as supporting service users to gain daily living skills, the ASDAN courses enhance their confidence, self-esteem and well-being. The programme also provides important benchmarks in their progress and a sense of achievement, which can increase motivation and encourage further learning.

Sallie Maris is our ASDAN training co-ordinator at Richardson Care, as well as being our Arts & Crafts specialist. She works with service users on a one-one basis to develop skills which can improve memory, co-ordination, communication and self-confidence.