As a Student Police Officer, I have spent a week at the The Next Step Trust's centre, on Community Placement. It has been an amazing experience.

The moment I walked through the door on my first day I was welcomed by the warm and friendly staff and made to feel a part of the "Next Stepper team". For me, it has been an incredible learning curve and I believe it has enhanced my communication skills and will be invaluable to me in my career as a Police Officer.

It is easy to list the activities I have been involved in during my placement. To mention just a few, I have made greetings cards, been bowling, assisted with gardening, sung at the top of my voice in the sensory room and walked around Ogden Water, all with Next Steppers. These are the types of things I anticipated I would be doing, but what I didn't know was the profound effect the young people, with their severe and complex needs, would have upon me. I confess to an appalling ignorance in regard to the mental and physical disabilities experienced by these extraordinary individuals and an assumption that there would be minimal understanding of their environment and the people in it.

I have learned that these young people are, indeed, 'individuals'. That they have good and bad days, like the rest of us, some happy - some sad. That they have very specific likes and dislikes, whether it is to do with food or the activities they wish to be involved with. That it is patronising and condescending to assume they should necessarily communicate the way I would expect and, that they have their own ways of doing this, limited or otherwise, is a huge testament to their courage and resilience.

I have learned this through my interaction with the youngsters and I feel immensely privileged to have had the oppportunity. It only remains for me to say a heartfelt thank you to the members of the Trust and the wonderful and dedicated staff at the Centre. I look forward to a return visit in the not too distant future.