New autism service launched

A NEW service has been launched in Wiltshire to help raise awareness of autism.

The Wiltshire Autism Diagnostic Service (WADS), launched by the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, aims to work with organisations and the public to help people recognise the signs of autism. Only about 15 per cent of people with autism currently have a job, which means they can miss out on a lot of the usual things that people get by going to work.

Full Article on Salisbury Journal

EVENT: Wiltshire Voices Carers DVD Launch - 22nd May 2013 @ Market Lavington Village Hall

We are planning to make a film exploring the issues facing Carers in Wiltshire which we hope will enable Carers to identify what is important to them in respect of help and support needed for them and the people they care for, as well as identifying clear measures for support in respect of accessing and developing appropriate services and life opportunities.

Please come along to the DVD launch event for...

• Information on the aims of the project
• A chance to ask questions
• View clips of previous Wiltshire Voices films
• Take part in discussions with other carers and service providers
• Identify key issues which could be addressed by the film

The event takes place on Wednesday 22nd May from 10:30am-12:30pm and will include a buffet lunch.

This meeting will be followed by 3 focus group meetings across the County in late June/early July to take the issues further. It is hoped that the film will be ready for launch towards the end of the year.

Places need to be booked by 3rd May. Please call 0800 181 4118 or email SueC@carersinwiltshire.co.uk

INFO: Papworth Trust – free respite holidays

Papworth Trust is offering free respite holidays to disabled people and their families at Kerry Farm in Wales, thanks to a £2 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

Typical respite is where the disabled person goes away while their family stays at home. The Trust’s respite holidays are unique because they offer a chance for the whole family to together have a supported break, without the pressures of everyday life.

For more details, please visit the Papworth Trust website here.

Atos apologises to long-term sick wrongly assessed as fit for work

The executive in charge of running medical assessments for benefits claims at Atos Healthcare has offered an apology to those long-term sick it has incorrectly assessed as being "fit for work".

In her first public interview, Lisa Coleman, the manager who oversees the firm's contract with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), was asked by BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme if she would like to apologise. She replied: "If we get something wrong then I'm very happy to say sorry."

Although work capability tests were introduced by the Labour government in 2008, the coalition has rapidly expanded their use. However, Atos – which last year processed almost 20,000 incapacity benefit claimants a week – has faced criticism after it emerged that a third (37%) of decisions appealed were successfully overturned.

Full Article on Guardian Society

EVENT: Understand Autism - Have Your Say!

Do you have an autism spectrum condition?

 Would you like the opportunity to give your views to Wiltshire Council?

Join others who wish to share their views on how policy makers can help those on the autism spectrum.

Friday 26 April 2013

11.30am – 2pm

Trowbridge Fire Station,
Hilperton Road,
Trowbridge
Wiltshire, BA14 7JB

(Please note, this is a meeting for people with an autism spectrum condition only, and will be aimed at adults)

Book to reserve a place, please contact:

National Autistic Society (South West) Tel: 07767 678984 Email: jo.clay@nas.org.uk

Poor support for family carers unacceptable says minister

A government minister has dubbed "unacceptable" the lack of support for carers who look after the children of other family members. 

Edward Timpson, minister for children and families, says so-called kinship carers "often struggle on alone without the support they desperately need".

Many families using informal kinship care arrangements live in severe poverty, suggests a report.

Full Article on BBC News

Welfare reforms 'will take £19bn a year out of economy and hit poorest hardest'

Northern England will be hit hardest, with residents in Blackpool set to lose out more than anywhere else in Britain when the changes to the benefits system kick in, academics at Sheffield Hallam University said.

Former industrial areas including Middlesbrough, Liverpool and Glasgow will also be disproportionately affected.

However, wealthier areas, predominantly in the South, such as Cambridge, Surrey and the Cotswolds, will see the smallest financial losses.

Full Article on Daily Express