Ambitious Futures Appeal Making the ordinary possible for young people with autism

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1 Ambitious Futures Case for Support Ambitious Futures Appeal Making the ordinary possible for young people with autism

2 02 Ambitious Futures Case for Support The Ambitious situation Futures Appeal Please join us in raising the final 1 million to establish London s only day college for year olds with complex autism, and make an investment in the future of some of Britain s most disadvantaged young people. The situation One in 100 people in the UK have autism that s enough to fill Wembley Stadium eight times. What is autism? Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects the way a person communicates and how they experience the world around them. Autism is a spectrum condition which means it can differ a lot from person to person. Not all people with autism face the same challenges and they have very different needs. If you ve met one person with autism, you ve met one person with autism. Fewer than 1 in 4 school leavers with autism access education or training beyond school * 90% of adults with autism remain entirely dependent on care or their families for the rest of their lives * 99% want to work, but only 15% are in full-time employment * A quarter of young people with autism have had no access to work experience * Only 15% of young people with autism believe that employers are likely to offer someone with autism a job * 9billion a year would be saved in the UK if we supported people with autism to access work * With the right support, nearly 3 out of 4 young people with autism can make successful transitions into further education * Children and young people with autism face enormous barriers due to a lack of understanding of their needs, and a lack of specialist support and opportunities. 01 *For a detailed breakdown of statistical sources, please visit: ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/ambitious-futures-stats

3 Ambitious Futures Case for Support Why us? Ambitious about Autism is the national charity for children and young people with autism. We provide services, raise awareness and understanding, and campaign for change. We offer specialist education and support to make the ordinary possible for children and young people with autism. Our TreeHouse School was founded in 1997 by a small group of parents whose children had autism. In 2009, thanks to our supporters, we opened the Pears National Centre for Autism Education in North London, housing TreeHouse School and the national charity. We are now committed to establishing London s first specialist day college for young people with complex autism, developing services for young people to improve their chances of finding work and supporting their families to help them realise their ambitions. We believe children and young people with autism deserve a fighting chance to learn, thrive and achieve in their local communities. We exist to challenge the status quo and need your support to help us to continue to be ambitious about autism. Why now? Right now, there is a genuine momentum for change, which we are leading to improve the life chances for thousands of young people with autism. Following work by Ambitious about Autism and other key influencers, the Children and Families Act 2014 now entitles young people with autism to educational support up to the age of 25 years old. Now we must seize this opportunity by tackling the immediate challenge of a chronic shortage of places for these young people in further education. By developing Ambitious College for year olds with complex autism and providing practical help related to employability and family support, we are establishing a model for the development of similar colleges and support services across the country. We are at the finishing stages of making this model a reality. We need your support to make it self-sustaining and take it nationwide. Kathy Lette Author Ambassador for Ambitious about Autism As a mother to a young man with Asperger s Syndrome I know that when learning and training opportunities are available to young people with autism there are no limits to what they can achieve for themselves. With the right help they could give back to society in the most wonderfully exciting, imaginative and innovative ways. They just need to be given a chance to shine. 02

4 04 Ambitious Futures Case for Support Ambitious Futures Appeal to improve the life chances of young people with autism by establishing London s first specialised college, improving employability and supporting families. Employability Ambitious College Ambitious Futures Learner and Family Support 03 To realise the vision for Ambitious Futures, we must secure 4.4 million in voluntary income. Thanks to the generous support of partners, including Pears Foundation, we have just 1 million left to raise to meet our target. The last 1 million will enable us to complete the refurbishment of the college, which must be purpose designed to meet the needs of our learners, and meet the teaching staff and leadership costs. From 2020, when we will have a full complement of learners, Ambitious College will be self-sustaining. By meeting our target we will also be able to deliver the Ambitious Futures programmes that will support young people with autism in the crucial areas of employability and provision of practical and emotional support to them and their families which is essential if they are to realise their ambitions for a successful and fulfilling future. It s vital that young people with autism are supported in the move from school to further education, and eventually into work, so they can develop the best skills to help them reach their full potential. It s great to see what a positive impact this project has had in boosting the confidence of young people making this transition, as well as in supporting the people who work with them. Edward Timpson MP Minister of State for Vulnerable Children and Families Ambitious College Fewer than one in four school leavers with autism access education beyond school. This has enormous, negative consequences for those young people in realising their ambitions. Ambitious about Autism s research shows that when the right support is provided, further education is a genuine post-school option for many young people with autism. Over the past two years we have established and operated Ambitious College from temporary campuses in North and West London. This has been a useful period in which we have piloted and developed our curriculum, identified employment and community partners and sharpened our plans and approaches to ensure students are able to learn in a safe and inspiring environment. Our multi-campus Ambitious College is being established around some core principles which are to work in partnership with and be co-located with mainstream further education colleges. The aim is to maximise access for our young people to learning, work experience and social opportunities with their fellow students in main stream education. We have now secured our permanent North London campus, Pears Campus at CONEL, Tottenham, which opened in July 2016, while our permanent West London site, Pears Campus at West Thames College, Isleworth, will open in September The last 1 million of our fundraising goal will fund the development of these campuses to a point where they will be self-sustaining.

5 Ambitious Futures Case for Support Employability The stark facts are that 99% of people with autism want to work, but only 15% are in full-time employment. We work with these young people to help them gain employability skills and have meaningful experiences of work to make the ordinary possible for them: to have a job and contribute to their communities and wider society like anyone else. There is much more to do and the Ambitious Futures Appeal seeks investment to roll out successful pilot programmes. We have supported young people to take part in work experience placements at Santander, the Civil Service and the RAF Museum, to name a few. A number of the young people have also made a successful transition from education at Ambitious College to paid employment. Our Autism Exchange work experience programme is designed for young people with autism and run by Ambitious about Autism in partnership with the Civil Service and growing numbers of employers across London. Young people receive work experience and training and, in exchange, employers receive autism confidence training and support to develop their workplace to be welcoming to young people with autism. After a two-year pilot with the Civil Service, Ambitious about Autism is looking to expand the programme with major employers and is seeking the first ten founding partners. The Business Disability Forum and the Civil Service are supporting the programme as strategic partners, and Ambitious about Autism is already working with and talking to the likes of Deutsche Bank, TalkTalk and KPMG. We have also campaigned publicly, calling for better careers advice, better access to work experience, and more opportunities to develop skills for young people with autism. This campaign reached over 3,000,000 people on launch day in Autism Exchange has already been a vital step in helping young people with autism to make the transition from school and college into work. We have ambitious plans to expand the programme and help many more young people. This will be possible through the successful completion of our Ambitious Futures Appeal. Learner and Family Support With fewer than one in four school leavers with autism accessing education or training beyond school and a quarter of young people with no access to work experience, their parents and carers are confronted with enormous challenges as they struggle to give their young people the support and advice they need to make a success of their lives. Families need to quickly develop an expertise in how to support their son or daughter through a maze of legislation, services, support, unfair treatment and even discrimination. Securing careers advice and work experience for their children is a particular challenge for many parents. That is why our Ambitious Futures Appeal is seeking investment to maintain and extend the charity s Learner and Family Support programme. Our team runs a series of conferences and events, and provides face-to-face support and information to young people and parents or carers. Talk about Autism, our online community with over 10,000 members, provides advice and support and a place to share experiences. We hope to expand and develop this support to parents and carers. It is just great to have somewhere to go to get practical advice from people who know what you are going through. Sharing experiences has certainly helped me. Member of Talk about Autism community I am so pleased that our Autism Exchange Programme, delivered with our partner Ambitious about Autism, continues to grow in strength and that the Civil Service has been able to offer work insight experience to more young people this year. It is heartening, too, that companies from other sectors are keen to learn from our approach so that more young people might be helped in future. Janet Hill CBE Programme Director of the Civil Service Disability Inclusion Team Autism Exchange Programme 04

6 06 Ambitious Futures Case for Support Viv Berkeley Principal Ambitious College With your help we can secure the last 1 million of our 4.4 million appeal and make further education a sustainable reality for future generations of young people with complex autism. Rt Hon John Bercow MP Speaker of the House of Commons and Ambitious about Autism Parent Patron As a parent of a child with autism, I know how difficult it is to secure the right education. I support Ambitious College for giving young people and their families a lifeline that can be trusted. It is difficult to comprehend, but as I write these words fewer than one in four young people with autism access any form of education beyond school. Not because they lack the ability or desire to learn; but because they are being held back by a system that lacks the ambition, knowledge and expertise to support them. This is simply not good enough. At Ambitious College we think everyone should be entitled to lead a fulfilling, happy and rewarding life and this must include young people with autism. Our learners are at the heart of everything we do and their curriculum is highly personalised to help them achieve their goals. It is delivered by our highly skilled and specialised staff. We offer lots of opportunities to learn in the community through a range of partnerships with local employers, services and our mainstream college partners. All playing their part to assure our young people the best chance of success in their lives. Our co-located partnership approach enables us to extend our curriculum significantly and offer learners a wide range of mainstream vocational learning, social and work experience opportunities alongside their peers. I really do hope you choose to support our work and ambitions for young people and look forward to showing you around our college and explaining the difference we are making to the lives of young people with autism. 05

7 Ambitious Futures Case for Support With access to a specialist college dedicated to supporting young people with complex autism, these young people will now get the chance to learn the life skills they ll need to get a job and to live healthily and independently. It ll be a life changer for many young Londoners and their loving but often exhausted families. Just 1 million stands between young people with autism and the fighting chance they need to engage in their communities, to have a sense of purpose and be what they want to be in life just like any young person. Lord Tim Clement-Jones CBE President of Ambitious about Autism and London Managing Partner, DLA Piper We ve proudly supported Ambitious about Autism since Today, less than one in four young people with autism go to college, and so Ambitious College is an important blueprint for enabling many more young people with autism to access education beyond school. Dido Harding Chief Executive, TalkTalk Group David s * story David is 20 years old and, like anyone else his age, really enjoys taking part in all kinds of activities. David has autism, learning difficulties and is non-verbal. He communicates using a picture symbol system which has recently been included on an ipad so that he can have it with him at all times. David has completed a term of work experience at the RAF Museum in Barnet. Initially he just visited so that he could become familiar with the journey (a 15-minute walk from Ambitious College) and surroundings. His helper took a range of photographs that he could have on his ipad. This enabled college staff and David s family to talk him through what he would be doing so that he was well prepared. During the first few weeks David worked away from the main office at the Museum as he would have found the bustle of a typical office overwhelming. Over time David has progressed so well that he now undertakes a range of tasks, managing these with minimal prompting and sits in the main office alongside the rest of the RAF Museum team. Since this work experience, David has gone on to receive his first pay cheque with a new employer. *David s name has been changed to protect his identity. 06

8 08 Ambitious Futures Case for Support Work experience The work experience has been great. My son likes putting on his work clothes and always remembers which day it is on. Seeing him at his placement was really encouraging. It helped us think about the future and gave us confidence that he could have a different future than we had expected. TreeHouse School Parent We are so delighted to be working with TreeHouse School and look forward to welcoming some of the pupils to complete work experience in our store. This is not just a fantastic opportunity for the pupils, but also for the colleagues and managers within the store. Having seen the amazing work that the school does for its pupils first hand, it s wonderful to provide further learning and development opportunities for the pupils in a store environment such as Sainsbury s. We are really excited about the prospect of helping such a great project within our local community. Sainsbury s Muswell Hill 07

9 09 Ambitious Futures Case for Support Jon Snow TV Presenter and Ambassador for Ambitious about Autism Every parent is ambitious for their child s future. But the reality for parents and carers of young people with autism is that they are fighting to make nothing more than the ordinary possible for those young people. This is where Ambitious about Autism comes in. I have supported and worked closely with the charity for over ten years and I, like many people, have personal connections to autism. When you ask a young person with autism what they want for the future, their answer is simple. They want to be as independent as possible, have a job and make a contribution to their communities. They want to be happy and live full and rewarding lives. Young people with autism have lots to offer employers and their communities, and it is only right that they are afforded the same opportunities as other young people. However, fewer than 25% go to college where they can learn, like all young people, the skills they need to realise their ambitions. Young people with autism have the potential to carry on learning but are forced to stop due to a chronic lack of colleges that can support them. With more than 75% of young people with autism missing out on further education, their chances of leading an ordinary life and having a fighting chance to get a job are, frankly, shot to pieces. It does not have to be like that and I m hoping you will help us all to seize an incredible opportunity. Thanks to the fundraising efforts of a dedicated staff team and some incredibly passionate supporters, we have already established Ambitious College and started teaching our first cohort of young people, which means you can already visit and see us in action. Our unique and proven approach is centred on establishing our specialist college within a mainstream college campus so that our young people learn and socialise alongside their peers whilst getting the specialist support they need. With this approach, come lots of opportunities to get work experience and to learn to access local leisure and community activities, which all too often young people with autism find they are excluded from. Everything we do is focused on giving these young people a fighting chance to live an ordinary life; the kind of life that you and I might take for granted. Ambitious is in our name and sometimes that ambition, to make lasting change to the lives of children and young people with autism, requires us to take a risk. We have got this amazing project underway and are already changing the life chances of our first cohort of students who come from across Greater London. With your help to bridge the gap between the fundraised building and set-up costs and the day when the fees for these amazing young people cover all the costs to deliver Ambitious College, this vital project will be financially sustainable. It is important to add that while the creation of a self-sustaining college for young people with autism would be a great achievement; Ambitious about Autism, with your help, will take the learning and experience to support others in developing opportunities like this for young people across the country. This is a national opportunity. So please, help young people with autism to get the same education, training and work opportunities as other young people so they can enjoy productive and fulfilling lives." 08

10 010 Ambitious Futures Case for Support Nick Hornby Author and Founding parent behind Ambitious about Autism I was proud to be one of a small number of parents who got this ambitious initiative underway to change the lives of children with autism. We started with TreeHouse School successfully securing the 13 million funding to create a state of the art home in The school is part of a charity, Ambitious about Autism, which influences national change. Now we are on to the next piece in the educational jigsaw which is to establish a model college that will set young people up with a fighting chance to realise their ambition the same thing that we wanted all those years ago for our little ones: to enjoy an ordinary life that can be lived to the full. Please do get involved, you really won t regret it when you see how lives are changed. We were delighted to provide the lead gift to the Ambitious Futures appeal and now look forward to supporting the completion of this much needed project to establish London s first day college for young people with autism. It has changed lives already and, with the support that we can all give, it will continue to do so for generations to come. Craig s story Like many people who register high on the spectrum, I often find that I view the world slightly differently to other people, often much more simplistically, but sometimes I m aware of far more detail than others. In my role as a software developer, this has been quite a useful tool. On the down-side, I frequently find it quite hard to understand new programming concepts. However, when it comes to building an interface for people to use, I m much more capable than most of recognising what s confusing and what feels natural to an end user. By understanding that I m not perfect but I have real worth in my role, I still make it into work each day. When I have a good, productive day at work, it still feels great. If you want to enable young people with autism to get the same education, training and work opportunities as other young people, please support our appeal. 09

11 011 Ambitious Futures Case for Support Looking to the future: We need your help to secure the final 1 million To deliver our Ambitious Futures programme, we have to secure 4.4 million in voluntary income. Thanks to the fundraising efforts to date and the support of our partners including Pears Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation and Baroness Dido Harding we have just 1 million left to secure. The final 1 million will help fund the development of our permanent college campuses to the point that they become self-sustaining. This critical investment has benefits far beyond a small group of young people and their families; investing in further education will make a difference measurable in quality of life and in pure economic terms. The National Audit Office estimates that supporting a young person with learning difficulties to live more independently can reduce lifetime support costs by 1 million per person. Join us in making the ordinary possible for more children and young people with autism, join us in providing Ambitious Futures. 4.4m 3.4m 09 10

12 Please contact: Tel Pears National Centre for Autism Education, Woodside Avenue, London N10 3JA Tel Web Our North London Campus: Pears Campus at CONEL College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, Tottenham Green, Town Hall Approach Road, London N15 4RX Our West London Campus: Pears Campus at West Thames, West Thames College, London Road, Isleworth, TW7 4HS Charity number Registered company