What to know about our Day Services…
Autism Together, based in Wirral, Merseyside, is a charity which has supported autistic people for over 55 years.
Formed in 1968 by a group of local parents wanting specialist services for their children, they established Wirral Society for Autistic Children, which later became Autism Together.
The organisation is now one of the UK’s leading providers of autism-specific services, employing more than 800 staff and supporting over 400 adults through Residential, Supported Living, and Day Services.
Supporting autistic adults
Our charity is committed to person-centred care, tailoring support to individual needs and aspirations. Co-production is central, with individuals shaping services which include cafés, working farms, and employment pathways.
Part of our Day Services provision includes three community cafes, where people we support are able to help in front and behind the scenes, learning new skills, reducing anxiety and growing confidence.
Our Day Services
Day Services at Autism Together run Monday to Friday, 9:30am-4pm. Set across six locations, each offers a range of core and sometimes site-specific activities for the people we support there to experience.
Our current Day Service areas:
- Area 1 – Raby Day Services – including Autism Together Farm and Gardens.
- Area 2 – Bromborough Pool Village Day Services – including The Enterprise Centre, Church, and Giles Shirley Hall.
- Area 3 – Bromborough Pool Café and Shop plus Bromborough Pool Gardens (the area to the rear of the Cafe). Also included in this area is the Café & Kiosk at nearby Port Sunlight River Park.
- Area 4 – Gallagher House.
- Area 5 – Hardknott Road.
- Area 6 – Bridge Community Farm – including a Community Café which is open to the public during weekdays.
There are a huge range of activity choices within our Day Services, including arts and crafts, food preparation, woodworking, computers and digital art/design, sports and exercise, music and dance, and even the chance to have a go at podcasting.
We recently revolutionised our delivery of care within Day Services, as part of an ambitious five-year plan for our organisation. We already offered a wide range of support options, but most activities were restricted to certain locations. Now, people we support have a wide variety of activity options open to them, that they can drop in and out of as they see fit. This promotes choice and empowers individuals to explore different activities and hopefully gain new skills and interests.
To facilitate this, we place the people we support into ‘Streams’ based on their needs and interests, with a strong focus on skills development. People are also able to move through these streams in a direction which suits them.
What do the Streams include?
- Sensory – personalised to an individual who may need a more sensory-based service.
- Skills Development – activities focus on skills pathways and person-centred plans.
- Work Skills – activities allow people to work more independently on tasks.
- Pathway To Work – for individuals considering job opportunities and progression to paid employment.
As a result, we have seen a huge rise in the popularity and frequency of sessions in our Day Services.
The future is bright for Autism Together. We have expanded our services, supported community projects, and invested in our key sites and infrastructure.
With a strong foundation and innovative approach, our charity is well positioned to keep moving forward positively, as we continue to improve autistic lives and champion autism-specific support.
Find out more about our Day Services and how to access them.
