Autistic adults and adults with mental health needs and disabilities will be welcomed back to Teamwork Trust from Monday 6^th July, as we begin to gradually reopen our three centres – starting with Kettering.

Careful planning has been taking place at Teamwork Trust since the government announced the easing of Covid restrictions, and we can now confirm we will be gently reopening in phases in July – Kettering centre from 6^th and the Wellingborough centre from 13^th.

We are still finalising plans at our Corby centre, which we hope to reopen at the end of July.

Blended and remote services to continue – how will it work in our centres?
Our dedicated team of support staff have kept service-users, parents and carers informed throughout, reassuring them that the welcome back process will be very gradual so that everyone feels happy and safe. Reopening in this way also allows us to change plans if needed.

Our blended and remote ‘Living & Learning’ service will also continue via online education sessions, phone calls etc for those choosing to stay at home, shielding or anyone who is unable to attend the centre. This gives us and our service-users flexibility to adapt as government restrictions change.

An overview of some our Covid measures include:

• Slowly restarting elements of our hands-on Living & Learning service – e.g. activities, education classes and work experience tasks on the factory floor
• Guided tours for service-users, families and carers so they can familiarise themselves with the new systems before they return
• Restricting numbers to a minimum at any one time – these differ from centre to centre and can be increased/decreased where necessary
• Staggered start/end times with Teamwork staff assisting service-users as they enter and leave the building
• New entrance, one-way systems, designated areas and no sharing equipment
• Temperature checks and encouragement of good hygiene and handwashing
• Restrictions in the kitchen, canteen and toilets

A reassuring message from our strategic director, John Bruce…
“Service-users, families and households can take comfort knowing that our careful planning has always been made with one focus – to keep everybody feeling happy and safe at all times.

“We are incredibly proud of the way we have adapted as a charity during the pandemic and pleased that we have developed such a flexible service where we can continue our remote and online support where needed. It is because of this that we feel so confident about gradually reopening and welcoming people back into our centres.

“Our plans show how hard we have been working behind the scenes to relieve any anxiety and concerns as people return too. Things may look different, but our aim to provide more chances, choices and opportunities for our service-users will never change - whether they are at home or attending Teamwork Trust.

“It has been a challenging few months, but we can finally start to ease into our new normal.”

Teamwork staff are in regular contact with service-users, parents and carers but are always available to answer questions via [email protected] or call  01536 511993.