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The fragmentation of Autism Charities

mrs.snooks

I am interested to hear peoples thoughts on the range of charities and services now available.

I have been raising money and raising awareness at work about the NAS through the https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/raise-money/fundraising-events/move-28-minutes-a-day-in-february

I also follow a number of Autism-related sites on Facebook. 

What triggered my thoughts on this was when someone in the office talked about their husband doing a charity parachute jump. What surprised me though. Was that it was not for the NAS, but for a regional charity.

Then over the last couple of days, I have had my Facebook algorithm bring up another National charity that provides Autism Support. And that this Autism support sounds just like the programme that the NAS previously provided. This other Autism support network also looked like it has been commisioned by the NHS.

The NAS eCommunity has been a lifeline to me and I guess what is concerning me is how this fragmentation of charities affects us and how the 'market' for Autism has eroded the NAS. Why people choose alternatives and the difficult financial times we live in for charities.

I am particularly aware that most Parents and Carers must be going somewhere else for support due to the low numbers of posts in that eCommunity Section. You may have noticed that I have made a conscious decision to reply to post in that Section, because I am feeling more and more strongly that the NAS needs this group to continue its strong presence in the future years.

Thanks in advance,

Mrs Snooks

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  • mrs.snooks said:
    I am feeling more and more strongly that the NAS needs this group to continue its strong presence in the future years.

    There is an autism charity in my area which has been prominent in voicing its concerns for the needs of children and young people with high support needs. It is regularly in the media and in some cases has helped families take legal action. Being a smaller concern than the NAS and covering a small geographical area, it deals with many enquiries by telephone, as well as email. Some of the support offered by this charity is similar to that offered by the NAS but it is better placed to respond on a personal basis in many cases. It doesn’t have such a vast array of resources online as the NAS. 

    I don’t have experience in all the ins and outs/for and against the fragmentation of support multiple charities provide but I thought this was interesting and it provided food for thought: https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/charities-have-been-marginalised-because-the-sector-is-too-fragmented.html

    My questions are: Is the NAS marginalised/becoming marginalised in social and political debate? 

    Does the NAS have the solutions to problems and if so, is it prevented from making more of an impact because the autism sector is too fragmented?

    Does the NAS have a clear voice and if so, how does it capture the national mood?

    Should/could the NAS seek more opportunities to engage with other charities so they can speak with one consistent voice?

  • in reply to ArchaeC
    ArchaeC said:
    Does the NAS have the solutions to problems and if so, is it prevented from making more of an impact because the autism sector is too fragmented?

    I think the needs of autists are so fragmented, complex and vaired that it is incredibly hard to advocate for "solutions" rather than just flexible care. 

    Other charities probably have their own perspectives, angles and opinions, maybe looking at more local solutions or specific niches. NAS is a bit of a monster in size terms and is probably missing a load of the needy autisits out there because of this, but they can still offer services like this forum and the help pages that work for most of us.

    There is space for more of these charities to work hand in hand I think, if they would co-operate and avoid trying to cover the same ground as each other. NAS has the opportunity to be more of a voice for the local charities on the national stage.

  • in reply to Iain

    P.S. I still don’t know the answers to my questions. It would take much research, government and policy experts, and a ‘think tank’ style specialist committee to address these things effectively.

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