We no longer accept new referrals and if you or your family member/ client wish to access an employment service please contact Lydia Lynas at the Orchardville Society (90732326) or Brian Maguire (90436400) at the NØW Project.
We have developed a CD ROM entitled 'working with autism' which includes information and resources for individuals with ASD who wish to enter into employment and also the professionals supporting them to do so.
There will be a 5 destination roadshow between 21st September and 22nd November 2007 to disseminate this CD, please see the main Orchardville Society website for details of dates and venues. If you wish to attend any of these events please contact the project administrator.
The Project
Employment for Autism commenced early in 2005 and will continue until the end of 2007. The project is a pilot study to research methodologies of supporting individuals with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to gain and retain paid employment using the Supported Employment model. The project is unique within the Orchardville Society as it is working across Greater Belfast through a Development Partnership (DP) of nine organisations (listed below) and one individual with an ASD. Transition of clients from this project to the Orchardville Society and NOW Projects main employment services began in May 2007 and will continue until the end of September 2007.
All individuals referred to the project belonged somewhere on the Autistic Spectrum but may not have an additional learning disability as it was felt that support methodologies needed to be researched to incorporate the range of ability on the spectrum.
We worked with individuals with a range of ability within the project and numbers were limited to allow for one to one ongoing support where needed
Background
With an increase in the number of individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) being referred to services in the Orchardville Society, the Deputy Chief Executive, Margaret Haddock, approached a number of organisations early in 2004 with a view to developing specific support mechanisms in order to enable us to provide a better service for this client group. The opportunity to secure funding for a Pilot Study to identify and develop methodologies to support individuals with ASDs came in the form of Equal, a European funding body. Upon securing confirmation of funding in the autumn of 2004, Margaret Haddock (The Orchardville Society) and Maeve McRory (NØW Project) set about establishing the details of the pilot study through a Development Partnership of initially six organisations:
From Spring 2005, this was expanded further to include:
An individual with an ASD
Overview
Between February and July 2005 the project staff were recruited and are detailed as follows:
- Project Manager - Sara Fowles
- Employment Support Officer for South and East Belfast - Tracie Dougherty
- Employment Support Officer for North and West Belfast - Nancy Moreland
- Project Administrator - Sarah Malcolm
- Project Finance Officer - Annemarie Coogan
The project secured and moved into its premises on the Cregagh Road in June 2005 and following relevant induction periods has been working in conjunction with partners to develop an assessment procedure to allow us to establish a trainee's level of previous training and experience in employment and develop support from that. The first referrals were made to the project in September/ October 2005 and the employment support staff have been working with these and additional individuals to build up a relationship and carry out the needs assessment procedure.
There is an emphasis on achieving paid employment in this project however we are aware that due to some trainees' lack of experience with employment; we may need to facilitate a period of job tasters to ensure that the individual experiences a range of working environments and can make an informed decision about their choice of career.
Literature Review
As part of this project's initial stages, a literature review entitled 'Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Employment' was developed and is available on request, please email Sara Fowles at the address below to request a copy.
Information on Autism
If you would like to have more information about Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) or access our 'working with autism' CD ROM resource please contact us directly.
Contact Details
Please contact us for more information about the project using any of following:
By post
1st Floor 75 Cregagh Road, Belfast BT6 8PY
By phone
02890460256 / 07725 305581
By email
Project Manager - Sara Fowles (sara.fowles@orchardville.com)
Project Administrator - Sarah Malcolm (sarah.malcolm@orchardville.com)
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