“Hello, my name is Karen and I’ve been working for GAS for over 2 years. I started doing outreach and giving one-to-one support to service users. Then I joined the staff team at the Playscheme. I started at the Playscheme as a support worker then became one of the team leaders. .

I love my job and the variety of things I do to support service users. On outreach this involves giving respite to parents, supporting service users to travel on buses, teaching new recipes, going shopping, supporting service users in new situations with new people, or making phone calls. I have helped set up placements for individuals and supported others in cleaning their flats.

In Playscheme I enjoy interacting with the children through playing games, singing songs, going on outings and seeing them learn new skills and build on others.

I love my job at GAS. I like the fact that even on outreach you are part of a team supporting individuals, both with others who support the same individual or the advice and support other staff can give to me. I find the management team very friendly and approachable. It’s great that different staff bring their own knowledge and experience to the job and so as we share this we can support people better.”

“Hi, my name is Luke and I have worked at GAS for almost 2 years. I started working at GAS part-time as a third year Psychology student. I started in the Playscheme for the first 6 months and then moved over to working in the Outreach Service. Since June 2015, I have been working full-time and I have embarked on a new venture with GAS which is focused on education. This new scheme helps individuals with autism who have had difficulties in school to re-engage with education.

Before coming to GAS I was not sure about what I wanted to do after university, but within weeks of starting, I knew that I wanted to continue working with people with autism and other mental health issues. I had previously worked in retail and insurance but I could not imagine any other career than working with people, as there is no better feeling than helping a service user accomplish even the smallest personal goal.

Working at GAS really complemented my degree in Psychology as I was putting theory into practice. It has also helped me to focus on a career as I am aspiring to be an educational psychologist. At GAS you gain great experience of working with other professionals such as social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and teachers.

I have been given great support by all members of staff including management which has made me a better support worker. I know that I can turn to any member of staff at GAS and they will be able to support me through any challenges that arise from my job.”

“As a student teacher, working at GAS has given me the opportunity to earn money while at the same time gaining experience that will be invaluable to my future career as a teacher. Recently, in a Professional Studies workshop at university, we discussed that it’s essential for all teachers to receive autism training. I can’t think of a better way for future teachers to get this than working directly with children one-to-one somewhere like the Jigsaw Playscheme. You learn so much more from the children than any lecture at university will ever teach you!

I know that I will be much more confident going into my probationary year after working at GAS, and more confident knowing that I can make school a better experience for all the children in my class. Another thing is that, if you’re a student teacher and love children, even when it’s challenging it will be a rewarding job because you can really see the positive impact you’re having on the children.”