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 eight ambassadors and two carers’ representatives who raise issues important to the autistic community.
In September 2024, the ambassadors held their second autism awareness event, the Autistic Education and Employment Conference and Fair, at the Redcliffe Hotel Paignton. More than 100 autistic people, their carers, professionals and local organisations attended the successful event. The ambassadors gave speeches about their experiences on a variety of topics relating to education (studying and teaching), employment, self-employment, and volunteering. Afterwards, stalls run by local organisations opened for attendees to visit, and the ambassadors ran a drop-in Q&A session for attendees to have one-to-one informal chats.
The ambassadors were very grateful for the overwhelmingly positive feedback they received and will be using it to plan their 2025 event. When asked what the most useful part of the event was, comments included:
“I was interested to listen to the experiences of the ambassadors. Also, the networking was very useful.”
“Listening to lived experiences - this was the most impactful part. Also, being able to network, meet other professionals, organisations and parents.”
“Getting to hear from the ambassadors was very informative and uplifting. They really are ambassadors.”
Zac, who is now one of our Autism Ambassadors, talks about his journey through health and social care system and positive effect it had with support he received.
The board’s main focus last year was the production of the Torbay Autism Strategy, Torbay Council’s application of The national strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021 to 2026, the government’s policy for improving the lives of autistic people and their families and carers. This has been done in full co-production with both the autism ambassadors and the carers representatives, tailoring the strategy to focus on the needs of Torbay’s autistic community. A six-week public survey was launched in October 2024, and more than 270 responses were received. The Torbay Autism Strategy will be available in the Autumn of 2025.
In the past year, the Autism Partnership Board has consulted on Torbay Council’s Reasonable Adjustments Policy, the Torbay multi-agency Suicide Prevention Plan 2024-2027 and the Local Government Peer Review. The autism ambassadors have consulted on Torbay Council’s web review, the NHS 10 Year Plan, and the carer’s’ representatives have consulted with representatives from Devon and Cornwall Police’s diverse communities’ team to develop a communication strategy for information on exploitation and grooming, with a focus on hidden crime.
The Autism Partnership Board and the autism ambassadors have worked together to develop a health passport. Autistic people can use health passports to record personal, medical and other essential information such as communication styles, sensory differences, anxiety and distress responses and how medical professionals can best assist that person. The health passport can then be taken to medical appointments to share with health professionals to better inform their care. This health passport is available to download from Torbay Council’s website.
The Autism Partnership Board, the autism ambassadors and the carers’ representatives continue to pursue and support the interests of Torbay’s autistic community, increasing public awareness, understanding and acceptance, improving recognition of autism by statutory organisations, improving social inclusion and pushing for reasonable adjustments for autism in all fields.
Torbay Advice Network (TAN) is commissioned to support autistic people and their carers and provides free impartial advice on a range of benefit issues. This includes helping people to understand what benefits they are entitled to and assist in challenging benefit decisions, including improving access to support with appeals.
TAN’s 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.
In addition to Access to Work scheme guidance, they give free advice on welfare and benefits including:
You can access TAN’s services at www.advisingtorbay.org
Dimensions for Autism (DFA) provide peer support groups for autistic adults. The Torbay group usually meets on the last Monday afternoon of each month in Paignton. There are also online support groups that meet at least twice a month, such as the LGBTQ+ ASC group and younger adults’ group, to support people who do not feel able to attend real-life events. Members can attend any online or in-person group regardless of where they live, such as the women’s group based in Exeter. The groups provide a vital platform for members to share interests and hobbies and speak about day-to-day matters that may be affecting them.
Here are some of the things members have said about the help they have received from Dimensions for Autism:
“I was diagnosed with autism when I was 15, but I knew that I was autistic from a very young age. The world I grew up in was very different to the one we live in today – stigma was rife, even among my own family members, and while there were a fair few people in my life trying their best to support me, the understanding they had of autism was very limited. Sadly, that meant that a lot of that stigma ended up bleeding into the way I viewed myself. I felt a great deal of shame for being autistic, felt guilty about the way I was judged by others, and was hesitant to even be diagnosed, fearing carrying the label with me, but a diagnosis was required for me to access support in my GCSEs.
“Due to my low self-esteem, I never made an effort to learn about autism, or the way it affected me. All I had was the stigma, the occasional media representation (many of which were equally stigmatic), and deeply complicated labels like high functioning that made me even more critical of my own intelligence, successes and capabilities. After leaving school, now feeling like a failure in addition to all the other ways I hated myself, I isolated myself from the world for the better part of 10 years, feeling that it was better that I felt lonely than to find the ways I’d been judged in the past, and the ways I continued to judge myself, be validated in other people.
“I missed a lot in that time, but one thing I did miss was the way that public awareness and understanding of autism improved, and Dimensions for Autism played a big part in that. I now know that many people felt just as lonely as I did, and in finding, and eventually coming to Dimensions for Autism’s groups, I, like they did before me, found so much healing in coming together to share experiences. DFA’s dual focus of having the chance to talk about your experiences with people you can trust who have gone through similar things, and discussing psycho-educational topics and topics that impact our community as a group of peers, means I’m learning so much more about myself, and learning how many things about myself I felt I was alone with that I share with the rest of my community.
“Dimensions for Autism is a vital part in the wider picture of autism awareness and acceptance in Torbay. We live in a better world today than the one I grew up thanks to the efforts of Trish and everyone that makes DFA the safe and healing space that it is, one that is rapidly becoming free of stigma, of misinformation and of judgement, and I’m so grateful to them to know that not only do I not need to feel ashamed or guilty for simply being myself, but that nobody ever should.”
Autistic After Hours is a Community Interest Company (CIC) set up as a result of conversations at the Autism Partnership Board. Members of the board identified that there was a distinct lack of services for autistic adults in the evenings and weekends which left people socially isolated, so two board members decided to apply for funding to provide that support. Autistic After Hours has now been running for more than a year and has 87 members on its mailing list. The group meet once a month on a Saturday afternoon in Paignton, where members come and socialise in a safe environment with other autistic people. Additional evening and weekend events are planned by the group on a month-to-month basis and include a regular games night in Torquay and a coffee morning in Paignton.
The group has gone from strength to strength and offers additional activities such as a day at the Autism Woodland Project and a trip to a National Trust house and garden. There are many positives to spending time with other people who understand you and members of the group have expressed how valuable they find the time together. We hope to expand our offerings to people in the future and are considering offering peer support in the future.
Here is feedback from one of AAH’s members about the impact being part of AAH has had on their lives:
“Before becoming a member of Autistic After Hours, I was in a significantly worse place. I always felt like my autism was something I needed to compensate for, and that I would never be enough as I was. My self-esteem and confidence were incredibly low, I was socially isolated outside of my job, which I felt was the only thing that gave me tangible value, and when I was unable to continue working, it felt like my life was over, and knowing the place I was in, it truly may have been if not for being told about AAH.
“At my first meeting I remember my anxiety was through the roof, I barely spoke, I avoided eye contact, I kept the exit in my peripheral vision, all things I’d been taught how to mask when I’d interacted with people before, and all things I simply didn’t have the energy to hide anymore. To my surprise, it wasn’t a problem like it’d been made out to be in my past, in fact many people were feeling just as anxious, and those who weren’t feeling as anxious right then had absolutely felt like that previously. Everyone understood, and, even more importantly, I was accepted as I was.
“Since that first meeting, the impact AAH has had on my life has been immeasurable. Having the space to be my authentic self, even having the space to discover who that authentic self is after decades of having to hide it in the interest of being accepted, has done wonders. My confidence and self-esteem got higher with each month, and being accepted and even welcomed by AAH meant beginning to accept myself, and in doing so, the foundations were laid for me to make the most meaningful friendships I’ve ever had.
“The best part about the impact AAH has had on my life, as paradoxical as it will sound, is that I still have days where my anxiety is high, where I struggle to say anything, where things still feel harder than the many challenges the confidence and self-worth that my time with AAH has instilled me with have allowed me to overcome. I know now that that’s okay. Even when I’m not in a good place, Autistic After Hours is a group where I will feel just as accepted and just as welcomed on my worst day as on my best day.”
The Autism / ADHD Information, Mentoring and Support service (A.I.M.S) is a service run by Therapy Services South West CIC. Launched in September 2024, it provides monthly 45-minute one-to-one sessions, either by phone, face to face or online, focusing on post-diagnostic and social skills support and covering issues people may experience.
The service works with people to help them understand their autism and / or ADHD better, helping people to identify the ways their lives are impacted and to develop coping strategies. They also act as a sounding board for people that may not have family or friends they feel able to confide in, promote independence, signpost people to advocacy and other appropriate autism-friendly community-based support and provide guidance to mainstream services on how they can better provide support.
Here are some of the things clients of A.I.M.S and professionals referring to them have said about the importance of their support:
“Services like A.I.M.S are vital to neurodiverse members of the community. Many forms of therapy are a one size fits all structure which is not conducive to effective treatment of those with additional needs. A.I.M.S has given me preventative measures to manage my ADHD/autism on a day-to-day basis as opposed to the usual reactive measures given when my condition has reached a boiling point. This allows me to work through my needs at a steady pace. I believe this will save the trust a huge amount of money on expensive mental health care. Support for neurodiversity should be regular and not given as a last resort when the condition becomes unmanageable.”
“Being a late diagnosed autistic adult has brought up lots of confusion, questions and uncertainty. It has made me look back on my life with new eyes and forced me to re-evaluate my sense of identity. Finding the A.I.M.S service has been invaluable. To be able to talk through things with someone who understands has been really strengthening at a time when I have felt very fragile. This service is vital to help provide ongoing support for the autistic community. Having autism can often make it difficult to connect with others and one can end up feeling alone and isolated. Having a service like A.I.M.S has helped me feel listened to and that I matter. Thank you for being there at a time when no one else was. I have really appreciated your time and care.”
“As an occupational therapist working in primary care, I have made several referrals for mentoring support under the A.I.M.S programme with Therapy Services Southwest CIC. With a rise in people seeking diagnosis for both ADHD and autism, A.I.M.S meets an unmet need for our neurodiverse population. People referred have been positive about the specialist neuro-affirming guidance, mentoring and support that they have received and are gaining important insights, coping strategies and community connections. Having a monthly space to help manage life events, reflect on their strengths, needs and manage anxieties is invaluable and not anything provided by other services. I hope that Therapy Services Southwest CIC can continue to offer this support free of charge for this to be fully accessible for a group of people who are often disadvantaged economically.”
The AIMS service is making a significant positive impact on autistic and ADHD adults by offering low intensity coaching that is person centred, empathic and strength based. It creates a safe space for neurodivergent people to thrive both as clients and as coaches. The service focuses on personalised practical support that not only helps people better manage their lives but also creates an inclusive and empowering workplace for neurodivergent professionals promoting an environment where everyone's unique strengths are valued and celebrated.
The service’s coaching helps people gain the tools they need to live more independently reducing reliance on external support systems and boosting their self-sufficiency.
AIMS offers an excellent workplace for neurodivergent people by offering opportunities for reflection, supervision and self-care practices where neurodivergent coaches can lean on each other for support and strategies and learn from one another's experiences. This reduces the isolation often felt by neurodivergent people in traditional work settings. AIMS encourages an atmosphere of mutual respect, understanding and shared learning. Neurodivergent coaches bring a valuable perspective that resonates with clients. Their lived experience enables them to connect with people on a deeper level offering insights and strategies that are both practical and empathetic.