Learn more about how we provide safe, quality care and the best experience for people with autism as part of the Local Account Summary.
Torbay Advice Network (TAN) is commissioned to support people with adult social care need and carers to have increased knowledge of entitlements to benefits and improved access to support with appeals via their supported pathway service. This service also includes:
TAN supported pathway also help people with adult social care receive more support to obtain and maintain employment through advice and guidance with reasonable adjustments and the access to work scheme. This covers:
Here are two examples of how TAN has supported people this year.
Shaun is a 31-year-old man with autism who was referred to our service by an autism specialist social worker. We had previously helped him to receive benefits, including visiting Brixham Job Centre, and working with him out of hours. We helped Shaun to manage the complexities of the benefit system and helped reduce his anxiety and sensory overload during this time of great change in his life. Without our support he would not be in the settled position he is now in his own home.
Shirley is a 19-year-old woman with autism, who was living in temporary accommodation in a hotel in Torbay after relationships with her family broke down. We supported her when she moved back to her family home, and helped her to complete a PIP application. We helped by providing medical evidence to support her claim and attending calls with the DWP.
Dimensions for Autism (DFA)
DFA facilitate support groups for autistic people. The group usually meet on the last Monday afternoon of each month at Jasmyn House, Midvale Road, Paignton, TQ4 5BD. DFA 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. DFA Torbay members can attend any online group, regardless of where they live in Devon. These 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 the DFA.
I am immensely grateful to have found the DFA support group, 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.
From the very beginning, the autism support group welcomed me with open arms and provides a safe and nurturing environment where I can freely share my experiences, challenges, and successes. We’re a close-knit community that thrives on empathy, understanding, and encouragement.
Trish and the experienced facilitators, who are well-versed in autism-related issues, have fostered constructive conversations and shared 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. Being around other people similar to myself has helped my confidence in myself grow in general; 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. 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 for people with autism in Torbay 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.
Tom, an autistic man in his thirties, always wanted his own home, but he was living with his mother with no social care support. He was unable to meet his own care needs without support. Tom and his mother were being supported by the mental health team and benefiting from family and music therapy.
Society has not yet fully understood the challenges I face as an autistic adult, but the task of rising to that challenge is similar to those that we all have experienced at one point; like a loss of controls that happens during a transition from childhood to adult. We will be facing dangers and vulnerabilities for the first time and we need a family and support system to help us. We need advocates, and my social worker has taken up this role for me and been radically accepting of the challenges and viewpoints of autistic persons.
The specialist social worker spent time building relationships with Tom and his mother, and they took time to listen and learn about his needs and life experiences. Tom was supported and his strengths were highlighted and promoted in a step-by-step approach to change. Eventually a not for profit housing association that supports people with disabilities was identified and Tom finally achieved his goal and bought his own home. Tom now has a personalised package of care to support him to build and maintain his independence in his own home.
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 will work together to improve outcomes for Torbay’s autistic community. The board is supported by six ambassadors and two carers’ representatives who raise issues important to the autistic community.
The ambassadors planned an event in June 2023 in Torbay to raise awareness of adult autism, promote good practice for our community to health and social care professionals and the wider community, and take part in the Torbay Autism Partnership Board. The local account summary 2022/23 will report on the group’s progress and achievements.