Scottish trade union support better employment opportunities for people with autism

Earlier this year, NAS campaigner David Nicholson had a very positive meeting with Terry Anderson from the Scottish Trade Union Congress. Here's what he had to say about it:

 

 

This summer, I was accompanied by Robert MacBean, the NAS Policy and Parliamentary Officer in Scotland, to a meeting with Terry Anderson from the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) in Edinburgh.

The meeting came about after I did a dissertation on the issue of autism and employment. The research  looked at possible ways of how we could get more people with autism into employment and retain that employment. One of these ways was getting the trade union movement involved in helping get people with autism into the workplace. Therefore it was decided that meeting someone from the STUC would be the best way to seeing what, if anything, the trade union movement could do to help and if there were anything that they were doing presently which was helping people with autism get into work.

Terry was keen to listen to the points that Robert and myself put across on the issue under discussion. I emphasised the fact that only 15% of people with Autism were in any kind of employment, either full-time or part-time. I was also keen to stress to Terry that people with Autism often faced bullying within the workplace from fellow colleagues as well as the employers themselves. I stressed that this was down to a lack of awareness of the condition and that perhaps there could be a role for the trade unions in helping ensure that employers and employees were made aware of autism.

Terry understood my concern and highlighted that employees within the workplace could get support or assistance from the union if they were getting bullied by fellow workers or their bosses. If they weren’t in a union, then what happened was that they could phone up for assistance but this only lasted for a period of a year or so before that helped ceased. If the employee wanted to receive further help after that period then they had to join the relevant union for example Unite, GMB or Unison amongst others.

Terry also said that he was aware of the union helping a few people with autism out when it came to employment tribunal hearings but I was glad to hear that these were rare occurances and that often things were settled before they reached the tribunal stage

Terry made one point which really excited me that perhaps in order to ensure that the workplace becomes a more autism friendly place that employees with autism (who were in a union) could become union reps (shop stewards) so that they could then help fellow employees with autism but to also help make employees and employers understand autism more. I think this is an idea which has got potential and I would certainly give serious consideration to becoming a union rep if I were to find work.

 
Robert also informed Terry of the on-going campaign being run by the NAS entitled The Undiscovered Workforce and I hope that the STUC can play a role within that campaign. Before the meeting ended Terry stated that there was an STUC Disabled Workers Committee which also held an annual conference and he recommended that this was perhaps another channel that both Robert and myself could explore further.

Overall, it was a very positive meeting and I look forward, along with Robert, to having further dialogue with the STUC in the near future.

A day in the life of an APPO: Adventures in campaigning

North-based Area Policy and Participation Officer (APPO), Eleanor Thompson, shares a typical day in this new role. APPOs are the policy and campaigns team’s representatives based in each of the National Autistic Society’s areas in England – the South West, South East, Central and North. It’s their job to empower local people with autism to campaign, to support branches with policy and campaigns work and to enable all the rest of the NAS to feed back to the central team about the situation for people with autism and their families in local areas. We now have APPOs around the country - to find out who yours is get in touch with us at campaign@nas.org.uk.

I’m up nice and early today as I have a meeting in Cumbria at lunchtime. My patch is really quite large (from Yorkshire across the country and right up to the Scottish boarder) so my days can involve some quite long train journeys!

After panicking, as ever, that I’m going to be late, I arrive at the station half an hour early, buy my tickets and settle down on the platform. I’ve brought plenty of things to keep me occupied so once I get on the train I start contacting some of the ambassadors I’ve been working with. Ambassadors are members of the Autism Action Network who have signed up to be advocates on behalf of the charity and to carry out a certain number of press, campaigns, or policy actions across the year. In return, we provide them with support for their projects when it’s needed. Work with ambassadors can be really varied. Some ambassadors have local projects or individual campaigns they are working on, while others are taking on the challenge of joining in with our national campaigns in their local area. Today I interview an ambassador for the blog about why she wants to get involved with the Undiscovered Workforce campaign. We’re always trying to think of new ways to encourage more people to take actions, and we really like to celebrate the achievements of our campaigners and media spokespeople. Do feel free to get in touch if you want to be featured on the blog.

Later, I turn to the results of a survey we’ve been running in conjunction with the Cheshire West and Chester branch. This survey is designed to feed back to the Local Authority on the experience of people with autism and their families living in Cheshire West and Chester. We got 111 responses to the survey, we were featured in a number of local newspapers, and even on the local radio. Now it’s up to me to pull the results into a sensible document, and then I will pass it onto the branch officer and we’ll talk about the next steps for the campaign and how we are going to present our findings to the Local Authority.

After a journey through incredibly beautiful countryside I arrive in Penrith where I meet up with Sara from the National Autistic Society’s North Area Development Team. We head over to the meeting together. It’s held in a café in this amazing community resource they have in Penrith called The Rheged Centre, which is apparently Europe’s largest grass covered building. Sara and I are hoping to work with Family Support workers in Cumbria to establish a local network specifically for campaigning. Because of the geography of the area, it can be hard for people with autism and their families to get together, and they often find it difficult to know how to input into the decisions that are being made by the Local Authority regarding services and support for people on the spectrum. I’ve drafted up some plans for how the network could work, and present it to the Cumbria Family Support Workers. They seem positive, so all that’s left now is for us to organise a venue and invite the attendees. If you’re Cumbria-based and want to find out more, do get in touch with me at eleanor.thompson@nas.org.uk.

Next I head over to Sunderland, to meet up with Charlie who runs a social group for local people with autism. She’s interested in getting some campaigning going with the group and today’s their annual summer barbeque so I’m going to go and meet them and see whether they have anything they want to campaign about. This is part of a wider move within the National Autistic Society to make sure that people using our services have access to campaigning, both nationally and in their local area. Chatting with the group members, it seems there are lots of issues that concern them, including employment, and while not everyone is interested in campaigning, there is a number of people who want to get involved. I make plans to come back to their next meeting and work with them on an action plan.

I hope this article has given you some idea of what we do as an APPO – as you can tell, it’s pretty varied and no two days are the same. If you have a local campaigning idea contact campaign@nas.org.uk who can put you in touch with the right person.

Hard work behind the scenes

I've taken part in the Undiscovered Workforce campaign by emailing my MP and local Councillors. I've also signed the petition about tick box benefits, completed the benefits survey and am currently working with Nadine Honeybone (The Autism Directory founder) to make Plymouth an Autism Friendly city. So far I've received interest from Plymouth City Bus who would like to sign up as a local business who would like Autism Friendly accreditation.

I am also helping Scott James (X Factor 2009) to raise £3000 to journey to Canada for an international autism festival where he has been nominated for the Performing Arts award.
 
Unfortunately my charity bike ride (Marco's Big Ride) has had to be postponed because I have tendonitis in my knees and until they heal sufficiently I am unable to train for the ride.
 
In September I will also be attending NAS head office for a meeting regarding the Adult Autism Strategy which I am looking forward to.

I have also set up an online radio show called Sounds from the Spectrum which showcases and celebrates talented artists who are on the spectrum like Scott James, Georgette Hilton, Carly Ryan, Martin Finn and many more. More information about this can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/soundsfromthespectrum/ where you will find in depth details of all the artists I am featuring as well as videos and links to their individual websites where you can purchase CDs by them.

By Marco G

NAS campaigners help create more opportunities and support for people with autism to find sustainable work

Since launching the Undiscovered Workforce campaign in  March, a number of Ambassadors and Champions have successfully worked with their MPs to run local events to raise awareness and increase number of people with autism in employment. 

 

The cooperation between passionate campaigners, interested local MPs, local authorities, charities, Jobcentre Plus and crucially, major employers is at the very heart of this campaign.

 

What's happened so far

 

In Leeds our ambassador Penny has joined forces with her local MP Rachel Reeves.  A combination of Penny's enthusiasm and Rachel's political leadership mean that the Council is taking notice.  There is an employment sub-group of the autism partnership board and a big one-day conference is being held next year to bring together big local companies, Jobcentre Plus and people with autism looking who need support to thrive at work. 

 

In Derbyshire, another of our dedicated Ambassadors, Ann, has engaged her local MP Heather Wheeler. They have got together to engage with the local Chamber of Commerce and leading employers based in the area.  Ann is also working closely with her local authority, which is planning to employ someone with autism in the next few months.

 

In Suffolk, activities were spearheaded with the support of Waveney MP Peter Aldous, who spoke at a local Jobcentre Plus event, along with the NAS, the National Apprenticeship Service, and Lowescroft College.  Suffolk County Council now has funding to hold employment events in the county in partnership with the NAS. 

 

Have you contacted your local MP about the Undiscovered Workforce? Would you like to help create more opportunities and support for people with autism to find sustainable work?   Take action here http://www.autism.org.uk/undiscoveredworkforce

Undiscovered Workforce campaign gathers pace

We've had loads of interest from ambassadors and champions in our Undiscovered Workforce campaign on employment. The campaign asks MPs to take the lead in creating employment opportunities for their constituents with autism, by bringing together local employers, people with autism, the local authority and other services in the community. The aim is to raise awareness of the difficulties facing people with autism who are looking for work and to ensure there is specialist support available for employers, as well as employees, to help people with autism succeed in the workplace.

Helen Kelly, an Ambassador from Tyne and Wear, supports the campaign because she is concerned for her 12-year-old daughter who has autism. "Her future worries me", she says, "She will be trying to get a job and I think her autism will be a disadvantage. There needs to be more awareness of the condition out there and people with autism should have the right to the proper support in a job".

Although she admits she was a little nervous at first, Helen wrote to her MP on the issue - the first time she had ever contacted him. However, her feelings soon changed when she realised she'd been sent a standard letter: "To be honest, I was a bit annoyed to get a generic email in reply. This is a serious thing - you can't just send a generic response".

Helen contacted the NAS with her MP's reply and we gave her a special response letter we've written for Ambassadors and Champions to send when they're not satisfied with their MP's response to the Undiscovered Workforce campaign.

Now Helen's looking to the next steps in her campaigning: "I would like to meet my MP and put my case forward. This is a real issue, not only for people who are in the workplace now but also for those people with autism who will be working in the future. There are thousands of people in this situation, and the have the right to work like everybody else"

If you want to support the Undiscovered Workforce campaign you can send a letter to your MP through our website here: www.autism.org.uk/undiscoveredworkforce. If you've already sent an initial email and haven't received a reply or aren't satisfied with the response you have received, don't be afraid to politely challenge them on it. Or if your MP asks you how they can help, make sure you take them up on their offer. Get in touch us at aan@nas.org.uk and we'll give you advice on what to do next. 

There are loads of great things going on with the Undiscovered Workforce campaign around the country - we've had MPs writing to local businesses, organising breakfast events and pushing Local Authorities to set up supported employment services - don't let your area miss out!

Ralph on the SEARCH for employment

Ralph Hemus, campaigning for the National Autistic Society, recently hosted a superb radio feature on FromeFM “Our Vision, Our Future” to promote an exciting programme to help young people with learning disabilities find paid jobs in his local area.

Project SEARCH, operating through Bath and North East Somerset Council, combines classroom teaching with practical work experience within the council including schools and partner organisations.

It is a training program for special needs students who have completed their academic requirements but would benefit from a workforce development program that includes employability skills and internships in a local but large business.

Ralph recently gained the job of Admin Officer at the council after his year on Project SEARCH. On his radio show, he introduces teachers and job coaches to talk about the programme, including his own coach Pauline, who spoke of the importance of letting young people with learning disabilities know that “work can be a positive experience”. Ralph also discusses his own experience as an intern, describing the benefits of reduced anxiety and gaining a better idea of what he wants to do through taking part in supported placements. Ralph's show also includes interviews with his fellow students, including 19 year old Chloe, who like Ralph has successfully got a paid job. “I think Project SEARCH helped me out a lot by giving me confidence”, Chloe said of the project, adding that she had not travelled on her own until taking part in Project SEARCH, and that her favourite thing about her new job as a receptionist was the opportunity to meet people.

Gaining paid employment was the unanimous wish of the young people interviewed, and many also emphasised that they wanted to live independently. Described by one of its coaches as “a mixture of fun and hard work”, Project SEARCH aims to make this possible by incorporating job skills and personal independence training with internship experience in a variety of fields, including administrative and clerical work, catering, maintenance support, customer service, and care work with children or the elderly. In order to support the specific needs of young people on the programme, students can access their job instructions in the form of tick lists, prompt cards or photographs as their needs require, and the work experience is supplemented by practical skills coaching.

It was not only the young people who reported good experiences in their involvement with Project SEARCH. Ralph has also worked to promote Project SEARCH to local employers, interviewing employer participants across businesses and services who described the interns as assets to their workplace. Heather Thomas at Keynsham Health Centre encouraged other local and national businesses to offer placements, explaining how helpful the Health Centre’s intern had been at carrying out administrative tasks during a particularly busy time. The Deputy Headteacher at Castle Primary School also spoke warmly of watching interns “really grow in confidence” and emphasised that to employers like her, “the benefits far outweigh any organisation that has to be done”.

Ralph’s guests closed the feature by thanking him for his hard work promoting a scheme that has not only benefited him but has encouraged many other young people and employers. The feature identified ongoing challenges, such as the high rate of unemployment amongst young and especially young disabled people, the lack of infrastructure in some areas making it difficult for interns to get to work and the challenge of changing employer attitudes. Despite these challenges, Ralph and the interns and staff at Project SEARCH have demonstrated that given the right support, young people with autism and / or learning disabilities can truly thrive in employment, bringing great benefit both to themselves and to their communities.

To listen to Ralph’s fantastic radio show online, go to http://www.fromefm.co.uk/ and look for ‘Ralph’s Finest Hour – 2^nd June 2012.

For more information on the National Autistic Society’s Undiscovered Workforce campaign, follow this link.

Tony meets his MP about the Undiscovered Workforce

I met with Justine Greening, my local MP, to help the Undiscovered Workforce campaign.

 

We spoke about adjustments in the workplace and talked about experiences in job interviews. Justine was a good listener and was very interested in the campaign and was going away to learn more from another MP, Lee Scott, who is also supporting the campaign.

 

Why don't you do the same as me and support this campaign? Write to your mp, go to their weekly surgeries. Let's all raise this issue together and help each other to get into the workplace.

 

Tony