Wirral Autistic Society to take on 100 extra employees

Dec 19 2012 by Our Correspondent, Birkenhead News

WIRRAL Autistic Society plans to take on more than 100 new employees over the next year.

The organisation already employs more than 600 and turned over more than £13m in the last financial year.

The society, based in Bromborough, was founded in 1968 by six Wirral families desperate to provide services for their children as they approached adulthood.

The majority of their clients now are local but the services they provide are in demand from all over the country.

That has resulted in the number of staff doubling in the last four years. A total of 140 new jobs were created in the last year alone and the society expect to take on around the same number next year when they estimate their turnover will be about £15m.

The quality and variety of services provided has led to a rapid expansion as more and more referrals are made to the society.

Jim Strain, director of support services, said: “Many people think of us as a little local charity and are astonished when they find out just how many people we employ.

“ A typical client can need between two and three support staff, but the needs of some of our residential clients are so extensive that they need two support staff at any one time around the clock, seven days a week.

“This means that taking weekends, holidays and sickness into account we can need up to a total of 40 people to care for just one client. We are regularly on the look-out for new staff.”

No two people with autism are affected in the same way and the work involves helping them overcome and soften the impact of their difficulties.

Today the society provides 96 residential care places. Of these 48 are in ordinary houses in the community while the remainder are accommodated in housing units at the 23-acre Raby Hall.

The majority of the society’s work involves supporting people once they have come out of the education system.

Some are residents, others visit the society on a daily basis while the newly opened and specially designed Ferns building provides much-needed respite care.

But the biggest growth has been in the support living services.

Jane Cardan, director of care services, said: “Caring in the home for a person with autism can be massively demanding on the family, not only on mum and dad and for siblings as well. A short break in The Ferns can make a world of difference.”

Anybody interested in further information about the society, job opportunities or how they can support their fundraising activities should contact on 0151 334 7510 or email admin@wirral.autistic.org