Background
North Cherwell Day Service supports approximately forty three adults with learning disability in the Banbury area. We have two bases, one at Redlands and one at the Dupuis Centre. Over the years the people we support have changed and we have had to adapt and change to meet their needs. After much research and partnership working with Adult Education, LDT and Ridgeway Partnership, SMILE came into being by responding and listening to people's needs and how they wanted their service. A total communication approach has been implemented and is now seen as an important framework to daily life. The SMILE approach used by Redlands has attracted much attention from providers both within Oxfordshire as well as nationally.

Sessions
SMILE currently runs seven sessions a week, each session supporting 4 – 6 people with carers. These are accessed not only by people at North Cherwell Day Services, but also by those supported by Ridgeway Partnership as well as those receiving direct payments. Sessions are themed around aromas – orange, mint, lemon, lavender, chocolate and vanilla, although in the last few months we have also used the seasons as our theme. The aromas are burnt in the room and a CD - “When you’re smiling” - is played at the beginning, both being sensory references.
The daily sessions provide a venue for interaction and communication which occur through the use of sensory stimulation using smell, touch, taste, sound and sight. In addition we use Intensive Interaction, pictorial symbols, Objects of Reference and Makaton to encourage turn taking, sharing, waiting, listening and making choices. We use sensory boxes, Soundabout (www.soundabout.org.uk), interactive story telling, songs and games, music and singing. Each day is structured to suit the people involved and led as much as possible by the people involved, taking into account their likes and dislikes.

Moving on
There have followed a number of additional projects and resources, all compatible with the work achieved through SMILE. These include using and developing Soundabout, a Story Group, Objects of Reference, Sensory Referencing, a sensory room, communication passports and pictorial timetables. In the coming year we hope to build on these. Whatever we do, we try to remember that it is not the activity which is important but the interaction which takes place around it.  We are continuing to develop ideas and celebrating every small step along the way – and having fun doing so!

Contacts
Anyone who would like to visit is welcome. To visit and see a group is really the only way to get a true picture of the achievements of everyone who uses SMILE.

Current SMILE structure ( March 2007)

• Project management: Social & Community Services - Celia Chasey (Project Leader) and Jayne England ( Day Service Worker)
• Supported by: Psychology Department, Ridgeway Partnership, Speech and Language Therapy Department, Ridgeway Partnership
• Attended by:  Anyone who provides their own support for Ridgeway Partnership, other Day Services and Independent Providers, North Cherwell Day Services.
• Cost: £2.00 per session towards general supplies
• When: Every weekday morning and two afternoons per week
• Additional Information: There are four closures every year of one week to develop and reassess the project.
• Telephone: 01295 263594
• E mail: celia.chasey@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Carers perspective

"Since joining SMILE my daughter has become much happier in small groups, she really enjoys the singing and music. Due to her poor eyesight the touch, feel and aroma sessions have opened up a whole new world for her. She has never tolerated physical contact but will now happily shake hands on greeting her friends. The sessions are very relaxed and friendly and she is allowed to participate, or not, in whatever way she chooses." - Mother of a SMILE user.