‘Amazing’ award win for record-breaker
TRAINER JAMES HONOURED FOR
A PASSIONATE and committed trainer who helps enhance the skills of colleagues supporting vulnerable people has won a national award.
James Punch, of the Accomplish Group, was named Trainer of the Year at the recent National Learning Disability and Autism Awards.
It was a record-breaking eighth time he had been named as a finalist in the awards.
Earlier this year, the 36-year-old, from Leicester, was the first person to be a finalist in two categories at the LeicestershireLive Care Awards – taking home the title of Autism Support Professional of the Year.
James has been working to support people with additional needs since he was 16 and joined Accomplish Group, which supports more than 1,000 people with learning disabilities, mental health needs, autism and acquired brain injury across England and Wales, in 2017.
Having previously been a support worker, James brings his practical and real-life skills and experience into his work training colleagues in his role as a national trainer.
He said: “It was such an honour to have been simply nominated and shortlisted, but to have won is just amazing.
“As my colleagues will tell you, I’m never lost for words but on this occasion I was speechless.
“I’m incredibly proud to have been recognised in this way.”
Jude Collins, HR director at
Accomplish Group, said: “We are incredibly proud of James and this most well-deserved achievement.
“Making sure our teams are trained in how to provide that kind of positive and independenceenhancing support is essential.
“James’s work in delivering training to help people deliver that support is second to none.
“In particular, his work in delivering a national project to develop standards for the training, restraint reduction, incident prevention and use of restrictive interventions has been exceptional.
“To deliver such a vital programme, you need someone with passion, dedication and commitment – and we have that in James.
“His aim was to help us to achieve excellence in this vital area and he has gone above and beyond to do this.
“He worked tirelessly and through his absolute precision, consideration for the people we support and for our staff teams who provide that support, he has created bespoke training plans for staff across the group which enable them to develop the skills to deliver best-in-class support. We offer him a huge congratulations.”
Judges at the awards noted: “James showed incredible enthusiasm for his work and, more importantly, for the difference his training can make for the people supported.
“He delivers training programmes which train staff in working with people to make their dreams happen.”
Accomplish as a group, and individual colleagues within the organisation, were shortlisted as a finalist in two further categories at the awards.
HIS SUPPORT