We currently cannot accept new referrals for this service as our three years funding is coming to an end.
We provide independent advocacy for adults and children on the autistic spectrum.
Our key areas of support include:
- Accessing services
- Education or employment issues
- Health & social care issues
- Signposting e.g. benefits, mediation services, organisations that provide coping strategies and support
- Seeking legal advice e.g. finding a solicitor
- Transitions from children services to adult services
- To know your rights and options
- Accompany you to meetings and appointments
- Guardianship reviews and applications
- Adult Support and Protection concerns
- Care/support/medical/legal/welfare assessments and reviews
Additionally, we offer non-instructed advocacy if you have difficulty finding words to express your meaning, or if you require help to understand other people’s meaning.
Our advocacy workers take the following approach:
- Spend time with you to understand your communication style
- Use your preferred methods of communication
- Work with your methods of retaining information
- Advise how to develop your communication skills (or signpost which support service that can help you)
- Advise how to establish your support network
If you feel overwhelmed or bewildered, advocacy can help you communicate (or mediate) with:
- Your friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, or anybody you interact on a personal level
- Your medical doctor or social worker
- Your support provider
- Your service provider e.g. mobile phone company, energy supplier
- Professionals e.g. solicitors (how to understand their jargon)
Key Notes:
- We know Autism is about getting communication right
- We observe autistic traits e.g. having no social filter, masking, sensory sensitivity or stimming
- We allow space and time to cope with anxiety, burnout, stress and shutdown
- Always remember you can ask us how we can help
Always remember you can ask for information to be in writing or digital recording
- When contacting us, please indicate whether you’re already in crisis, so we can respond in time appropriate manner.
