Learn more about how we provide safe, quality care and the best experience for people with autism - part of the Local Account Summary.
The Autism Partnership Board launched in November 2022 and members meet four times a year. The board is driven by the voices of autistic people, their carers and professionals who work together to improve outcomes for Torbay’s autistic community. The board is supported by five ambassadors and two carers’ representatives who raise issues important to the autistic community.
In May 2023, the ambassadors held the first adult autism awareness event at the Riviera Centre. This event was an enormous success, with more than 70 health and social care professionals attending to hear about the ambassadors’ experiences about getting diagnosed and life as an autistic adult. The ambassadors were joined by colleagues from the wider autistic community in Devon who gave talks on executive functioning, eating disorders, achievement, and accessibility in sport, and being autistic in professions such as general practice and teaching.
The ambassadors were thankful for all the positive and informative feedback and noted that everyone who attended found the event highly informative. Feedback on what people found useful included:
Real life experiences, loved how personal and real it was, please thank the ambassadors for sharing their stories
Diverse ways of thinking about and approaching autism and neurodivergence
Highly informative learnt a lot about autism
Thanks to the ambassadors the Torbay leisure card is now being offered to the autistic community, and ambassadors are being consulted to help communicate and implement an application process that works efficiently for everyone so the card can be enjoyed by all.
The ambassadors identified that there are no services or support groups for people with autism that are not held during working hours (9am to 5pm). This meant that there are many working people living with autism who were not able to access vital support and are isolated during the evenings and weekends. Two of the ambassadors, alongside one other interested person, have set up a Community Interest Company (CIC) called Autistic After Hours, to meet this gap in services.
As the board has developed and the ambassadors have grown in confidence, it is increasingly clear that their scope of interests lies predominantly outside the narrow interests of health and social care. These interests include reasonable adjustments for autism across the rights and obligations of citizenship, improving social inclusion and the overall recognition of autism by statutory organisations.
Torbay Advice Network (TAN) continues to be commissioned to support autistic people and their family carers to increase awareness of people’s entitlement to benefits and improve access to support with appeals.
TAN advise and support people by identifying entitlement to making a claim, reviewing existing awards, and challenging decisions including representation at the first-tier tribunal. TAN offer all clients a comprehensive online benefit check to ensure they are receiving everything they are entitled to. TAN use these calculations, where appropriate, to determine the impact of working or changing their hours on their financial position. This employment-related support also includes guidance and templates for reasonable adjustment requests in the workplace and details on how the access to work scheme can help people to stay in or access employment.
Sharon is a 40-year-old woman, single parent, and carer for three children, one of whom is autistic. They have long term mental health issues and increasing physical health issues. The TAN adviser supported her with a Universal Credit application and a personal independence payment (PIP) application.
The PIP application was unsuccessful, so the TAN adviser supported her to appeal and acted as representative at the tribunal. The original decision was overturned, and she was awarded PIP in full. The case took almost 18 months to achieve. The woman appreciated all the help and sent a bouquet of flowers to the adviser, saying “It was the least I could do. Thank you so much for all your help.
Dimensions for Autism (DFA) Torbay helps the area’s support groups or autistic people. The group usually meets on the last Monday afternoon of each month at Jasmyn House, Midvale Road, Paignton, TQ4 5BD. It also has online support groups that meet at least twice a month to support people who do not feel able to attend real-life events. Members can attend any online group, regardless of where they live, and the groups provide a vital platform for people to share interests and hobbies and speak about day-to-day matters that may be affecting them.
Here are some of the things people have said about the help they’ve received from Dimensions for Autism.
I was diagnosed with autism when I was 35; my childhood and teenage years were just filled with confusion, being an undiagnosed autistic girl was very difficult and I spent most of my time being socially excluded and not understanding why. This led to me longing for any kind of friendship and along with being autistic made me very vulnerable to manipulation.
During my twenties, I had people around me who I thought were friends, but it turned out that I was being used and manipulated for other people’s benefit, which was deeply confusing and hurtful. By the time I reached my thirties, I found it easier to isolate myself from the world and spent nearly 10 years having no contact with anyone other than people I worked with (although this wasn’t in any social context, and I isolated as much as possible at work) and my immediate family. This was the safest way to live; life was very painful and lonely, but I felt safe and thought this was the best way to be. Living like this was not healthy for me, my mental health deteriorated; I was in a very desperate place.
I stumbled across DFA in one of my many desperate Google searches for help and reached out to Trish. I still remember when Trish called me the first time and the anxiety, I had in talking to her. The first DFA meeting I tried to attend I failed at and did not go because I was too anxious, but I did find the strength to attend a few weeks later; for the first time in my life I was accepted. I was full of anxiety for the first six months from the first meeting I knew I belonged to this community. I was at the point where I hadn’t wanted to carry on for a long time and was very desperate when I found DFA, and to say it has changed my life in an understatement, I am not sure I would be here if I hadn’t joined this group.
My confidence has grown, and I have made a few good friends, real friends, who are like me and aren’t out to hurt me. We talk all the time and meet outside of the group. It’s massively important when you’ve never had friends and have never been able to trust the people around you.
I am more confident in work and have even joined another social group that is not associated with autism. This is something I would never have dreamed I could do a couple of years ago. My mum cried when I told her that I had joined a social group and told me how proud she was of me; I was 40 at the time.
Without DFA my life would have taken a completely different trajectory, and I would not be where I am today. I now am proud to be an ambassador and have gone from needing help to being able to help others. I cannot even explain the difference this group is making to the lives of people like me.
Trish will have saved the health and social services over the years in preventing people like me going into mental health crisis, which results in people losing their jobs, their homes, ending up in hospital and with long-term care packages. Having a regular, small amount of support such as DFA can be all the difference between someone being able to maintain a job and function in society to them breaking down and having to rely on society to support them.
I am immensely grateful to have found the DFA, a community that has played a crucial role in my personal journey with autism. This support group has consistently been a source of solace and an invaluable resource in my life.
The group welcomed me with open arms, providing a safe and nurturing environment where I could freely share my experiences, challenges, and successes. The group's members, who come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, have formed a close-knit community that thrives on empathy, understanding, and encouragement.
Trish and the experienced facilitators have fostered constructive conversations and share invaluable advice. They have not only addressed my concerns with sensitivity but also provided me with practical tools and strategies to better support me.
The friendships forged in the group have provided us with a strong network of support, and we know we can always count on each other in times of need. This connection has been particularly comforting as we all share similar experiences and understand their unique challenges.
I wholeheartedly recommend this group to anyone with autism. DFA is more than just a group; it is a community that nurtures, supports, and uplifts its members on their unique journey through the world of autism.