Turn It Around Training
Specialists In TSI

Everyone can learn if we work out how to teach them

Dr Marc Gold

TSI IN PRACTICE

Historically services have focused on providing segregated services for people with learning disabilities.  Although there has been a slight shift towards community based services in recent years, we still have special schools and segregated adult services. 

TSI gives staff a set of practical teaching/training techniques which if used alongside the values, ensure that people develop skills that promote their independence.  Mainstream employment and living a more independent life become a very real option for people.

SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT

Supported Employment is a well-evidenced way of helping people with learning disabilities (and other disabled people) to access and retain open employment, through the core components of:

  • Vocational profiling
  • Job finding
  • Job analysis and placement
  • Job training and follow up support 

The Role of TSI within Supported Employment 

  • Systematic Instruction is a proven and nationally recognised teaching technique in both Supported Internships and Supported Employment. It gives a clear and methodical approach to the planning, teaching and monitoring of any practical task that an individual needs to learn.
  • Using TSI as a way to deliver support towards independence in employment settings provides evidence of new employees’ progression and independence.
  • It can be used flexibly to provide the most appropriate support for both the supported employee and their work environment.

Who will benefit from TSI training?

  • TSI is an essential tool for anyone involved in Supported Employment, Supported Internships, Social Enterprise and any other employment based activity.
  • TSI is the recognised approach for all Supported Employment providers and practitioners including Job Coaches, Support Workers, Job Finders, Teachers and Travel Trainers. 

Key skills learnt on a TSI course

  • Breaking down a task to create a task analysis.  
  • How to organise and plan work so that teaching is effective.
  • A range of practical teaching techniques and how to use them
  • An understanding of the trainer role, when and when not to intervene and which interventions are useful to the learner
  • A method for analysing an environment and task in relation to a specific individual and their learning needs 

 

Both Turn it Around Trainers (Sarah and Alison) have worked in Supported Employment and have extensive experience of using the TSI approach to support people in work settings. Sarah was a job coach for 15 years and worked in the Supported Employment field for 27 years. 

Independent Living

People have many different concepts of what independent living means. Traditionally many people with learning disabilities have been supported by staff to live in the community in residential homes or in their own homes. Often staff “care” for people, carrying out activities for and with people. When we talk about Independent living we are referring specifically to people taking ownership of their life with the support of any staff needed. This includes learning skills that will mean they can be as independent as possible. Staff who have skills to teach independent living skills are valuable indeed.  

The Role of TSI within Independent Living Services

TSI first came to the UK as a Supported Employment tool however it is also a very useful teaching technique for anyone needing to learn/become independent in the tasks of daily living and is now widely used to teach these skills. 


It gives a clear and methodical approach to the planning, teaching, and monitoring of any practical task that an individual needs to learn, from washing hair, doing the shopping to changing a light bulb.  TSI can also be used as an enablement tool when working with people who have had brain injury, stroke or other conditions causing people to loose some of their skills. 

Who can benefit from TSI training?

TSI is a proven technique for teaching daily living skills in Supported Living situations, Residential Services, Respite Services, and peoples own homes and as such will benefit residential support staff, people working in enablement services, Occupational Therapists, Travel Trainers, Shared Lives Carers and the families of people who have a learning disability or autism.

 
Both Turn it Around Trainers (Sarah and Alison) have worked in residential services, supported living and Independent living services. Alison in particular has experience in using the TSI model in these environments.