iMap Centre

iMap Centre iMap offer a range of services for both children and adults with Autism, learning disabilities and/or complex needs. Our main centre is based at Barrowmore.

Our day-to-day approach is underpinned by a highly qualified team who provide a wealth of experience, with a warm and supportive feel. iMap stands for individuals Making autism positive and the name was chosen by the parents of our young people. We are a centre of Autism Excellence and provide an outstanding range of autism-specific services for both children and adults. Our day-to-day approach is

underpinned by highly qualified clinical, care, therapeutic and educational staff. We have individualised and progressive pathways to maximise people's independence. Our staff are passionate about and committed to quality care - 'We take the time to do things properly'. Our aim is to provide high quality personalised services that offer the best possible outcomes for children, young people and adults with learning disabilities and autism.

⌚We took a minute to ask Percy, one of our Adult Services Key Workers some questions to share with you 🙂 Percy says: "I'...
06/06/2026

⌚We took a minute to ask Percy, one of our Adult Services Key Workers some questions to share with you 🙂

Percy says: "I'm a Key Worker, my role is all about giving our supported individuals a voice, safeguarding their wellbeing, and maintaining a positive, safe space for them to live their lives. And hopefully putting a smile on their faces"

We asked which part of his job Percy loves best: "Love seeing the lads’ reactions - all the smiles and cheeky little laughs...🙂

We were keen to share the brilliant career progression that Percy has had since starting with us; "I started as a Support Worker and progressed to Key Worker. Since then, I’ve received additional training to support colleagues with medication administration and competency assessments. I also manage one individual’s finances, ensuring all transactions are accurately recorded and handled responsibly

I've done lots of training through iMap, for example; First Aid, understanding Autism, oral hygiene and handling medication. I'm also currently doing an NVQ Level 2 in Adult Social Care"

Tell us a little about your passions outside of work? "Travelling, I'm going to 3 new countries this year Greece, Turkey and the USA, other than that spending time with family and friends and also, a little bit of gaming"✈️🌍

02/06/2026

👋Meet Joel, one of our iMap TA's! Joel spends his time supporting students in their lessons and enjoys the working environment

We love to see our team members happy and strive to ensure they're working in a positive environment. This in turn ensures the happiness of our supported individuals, which is what we're all about!

Thanks for your care and the energy you put into your role Joel, you're a star! ✨

✨In light of the seventh year of International HR Day, Meet our HR team and see a glimpse into just some of what they do...
20/05/2026

✨In light of the seventh year of International HR Day, Meet our HR team and see a glimpse into just some of what they do!

🗣️Bex heads the HR ship as our HR Director and is passionate about policy
🎓Beth is one of our HR Assistants, you may have met her running the iMap stall at career fairs
🧠Charlotte is a new starter and our second HR Assistant, currently focusing on recruitment and onboarding of new staff
📖Teri takes care of important behind the scenes paperwork, like ensuring our DBS's are up to date as our Business Administrator
⭐And last but not least Charlie is our Learning and Development Advisor and makes sure we're all up to date on our training

Our HR teams exist to grow flexible, inclusive and productive environments for staff to work within. If you work in HR or are interested in helping shape a workplace for the better there are some fantastic resources in the website below:

https://internationalhrday.org/

11/05/2026

👋Here Jake one of our TA's, is describing starting his career with us, setting up and opening Fern House School & College. Our new school site, Fern House, has been fully purposely converted to support children and young people with autism and SEND.

🌳Fern House itself has large grounds where students gather to be supported, learn and enjoy free time. A huge bonus of Fern House is its adjacency to Delamere Forest. Delamere is full of walking and bike trails and an excellent spot for coffee and (tried and tested) ice-creams!

🌳🌳National Hedgerow Week may seem like a strange date of note for a company with it's passion lying in social care, educ...
09/05/2026

🌳🌳National Hedgerow Week may seem like a strange date of note for a company with it's passion lying in social care, education and autism..

It might sounds like a stretch but just like iMap, our hedgerows benefit and find positivity in the beauty of diversity. Our two-acre plot -the Growing Garden, is lined with hedges, so our project co-ordinator, Charlie, attended training ran by The Tree Council to learn about the history and art of hedgerow planting as well as the importance of the Hawthorn:

"The focus over the training sessions this week was to appreciate the incredible biodiversity of the hedgerows, and how each county has it's own style in creating them. We've lost a lot of hedgerow due to building developments and farmers switching them out for fences and walls easier to maintain, so there was education around that as well as the encouragement to maintain and protect the ones we have. And of course to create more if we can! I'm inspired to create a small hedge project at the Growing Garden for educational as well as environmental purposes..."

🌳🌳🌳

"...The Hawthorn tree was another focus of the sessions, and how important it is in our landscape, a bit of an unsung hero. It's embedded in our rich history here in the UK, including in our folklore and poetry. For example an old term for Hawthorn is the May Tree (known for when it's bright blossom appears) and was used on the 1st May (🔥Beltane/May Day) for the May Pole dancing, a traditional dance. The presence of the Hawthorn can be an ancient woodland indicator, so keep an eye out on your dog walks!

🔬We also learned how to look out for Fire-blight and Rust diseases, and were encouraged to join the citizens science research project, where if you discover either of these you send samples into the labs and assist their programmes in protecting the Hawthorn."

A huge thanks to Charlotte Benham, Adam Curtis, Laura Baker & Debbie Frederickson Matika who ran the training on the Mighty Hawthorn, and Nigel Adams for running the Craft of Hedge-laying! 🙏🙏🙏

You can see here the young Hawthorn trees we may develop into a hedgerow. These were donated to the Growing Garden 2 years ago and are thriving 😄

🦔It's Hedgehog Awareness Week! These little fellas make up some of our quintessentially British wildlife. As we know wit...
08/05/2026

🦔It's Hedgehog Awareness Week!

These little fellas make up some of our quintessentially British wildlife. As we know with developments happening their homes are threatened so let's make sure of a few things!

-Leave small (13cmx13cm) gaps in our garden fences, you can log these at: www.bighedgehogmap.org

-Provide some basics for them- leave a corner of your garden wilder with some hiding places for them to nest and leave out some fresh water

🦔You can also sign up to be a hedgehog spotter, monitoring the hedgehogs in your local area, think night-vision cameras to take pictures and uploading them to the site

https://ptes.org/campaigns/hedgehogs/nhmp/

🫁Today is World Asthma Day, the perfect moment to share some understanding asthma, recognising the signs and what to do ...
05/05/2026

🫁Today is World Asthma Day, the perfect moment to share some understanding asthma, recognising the signs and what to do 👌

An asthma attack can come on quickly. Signs may include:
• Difficulty breathing
• Wheezing and coughing
• A tight chest, it may feel like a band is tightening around it
• Distress and anxiety
• Difficulty speaking, they may speak in short sentences and whisper
• Signs of hypoxia such as a grey-blue tinge to the lips, earlobes, and nailbeds
• Exhaustion, in the case of a severe attack.

For people with autism or learning differences, symptoms may also present as:
• Increased anxiety or agitation
• Withdrawal or reduced communication
• Changes in routine behaviour or emotional regulation

*Knowing the individual’s usual presentation is key*

🫁Asthma first aid - what to do if someone is having an asthma attack:

1. Provide reassurance and ask them to take their usual dose of their reliever inhaler (usually blue). Ask them to breathe slowly and deeply
(If they have a spacer available, ask them to use it with their inhaler. The inhaler is more effective with a spacer, especially when being used for young children)
2. Sit them down in a comfortable position
3. A mild attack will normally ease after a few minutes. If they don't improve within this time, it may be a severe attack. Ask them to take a puff of their inhaler every 30 to 60 seconds, until they have had 10 puffs. Help the casualty to use their inhaler if they need assistance
4. If the attack is severe, and they are getting worse, becoming exhausted, or if this is their first attack, call 999 or 112 for emergency help
5. Monitor their breathing and level of response. If the ambulance hasn't arrived within 10 minutes, repeat step three
• If they become unresponsive at any point, prepare to give CPR.
6. If their symptoms improve and you do not need to call 999, advise the patient to get an urgent same-day appointment to see their GP or asthma nurse.

If you are worried or unsure what to do or their symptoms do not improve or worsen, call 999 immediately. Never leave someone alone during an asthma attack 🧑🏻‍🤝‍🧑🏽

May's Intro: ✨Meet Clare Clare began working with iMap as a TA and has progressed in her career to become a Teacher. Cla...
01/05/2026

May's Intro: ✨Meet Clare

Clare began working with iMap as a TA and has progressed in her career to become a Teacher. Clare currently teaches six students and through iMap is working on gaining her Level 6 Qualified Teacher Status 🎓

Clare says:
"The best part of my working day is being able to help my students achieve goals and do things they have never done before. It's rewarding seeing them happy and making a difference to their lives 😊

In my free time I like attending comic cons, love musicals and going to the odd festival. I also love going to the cinema (my degree is in Film and TV production), I'm very much into all things pop culture"

29/04/2026

Our schools have huge amounts of outdoor space 🌿 Both have their own garden areas, and access to our Growing Garden where Peter, our outdoor education teacher often takes groups to learn some horticulture and how to cook on an open fire 🔥

25/04/2026

🥾🌞What a perfect day for a walk! All to raise awareness for World Autism Acceptance month.

We had some great conversations about autism with people we met, and rewarded ourselves with ice cream at cafe ☺️🌞 until next time 🥾👋🏼

Address

IMap Centre, Barrowmore Estate, Barnhouse Lane
Great Barrow
CH37JA

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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