Below is some general information on types of accommoation and support available for autistic adults in England.
Every individual will be affected by autism in a different way. The level of support needed by any autistic adult will vary according to how autism impacts upon them personally.
If an autistic person is living at home and wants to remain there it may be possible to access support for in-home domiciliary help (please see below). If there are family carers in the home, they might be eligible for carer allowances.
Below are some types of accommodation and support which can be considered by autistic adults and their families/carers.
Residential Care
A residential care setting provides a complete and whole service including accommodation, activities and care support. A local authority makes a contract with a Service Provider specifying what needs to be provided. The home is usually up and running and can be viewed in advance. The home is inspected regularly by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) against a range of standards.
In this setting individuals might not be able to have a say in who else lives with them and they are also unlikely to have a say in the future or direction of the service. If a placement breaks down, the service provider has the right to end the placement.
The local authority would need to carry out an Adult Needs Assessment to establish if residential care is suitable. An individual would be required to contribute most of their benefits to the local authority who pay for the service placement.
Supported Living
Supported living is for people who are no longer going to be living with their family, but who need regular and substantial support.
In the supported living model, the most important thing is every individual has their own tenancy. They rent their accommodation, usually from a Housing Association. As a tenant they have more rights than in a residential care setting and cannot be made to leave their home.
Individuals are supported in making choices about their day-to-day living. The emphasis is on support, whereas often in residential care, the emphasis is on direct care. Individuals can be supported in their personal care, as well as with accessing community facilities and with their budgets. A local authority needs assessment will establish what level of support is necessary.
A Care Provider organisation provides the support needed. The individual can choose who provides their care. Some people with profound and complex disabilities and conditions are successfully supported in Supported Living settings.
Individuals can claim Local Housing Allowance for rent and various benefits to cover the cost of their care such as Personal Independence Payments.
Temporary or ‘Respite’ Care
Respite care is short-term care which is intended to provide a family or carer with a break from daily routines and stresses. It is geared to the specific needs of the individual and their carer/s. It can be provided in the individual’s own home or in a variety of external settings.
The breaks do not usually last for longer than three months of continuous care.
For financial help towards respite care, an individual would need a community needs assessment from their local authority to assess their needs.
There are different types of respite including residential respite care, emergency respite care and domiciliary care. All these types of care allow the carer to have a short break whilst knowing that the individual’s needs are being met.
Home Care (Domiciliary Care)
When care is provided in your own home by one or more care workers or nurses it is called home care or domiciliary care. The carers offer assistance to enable continuation of daily living, helping to maintain personal independence, comfort and contact with friends and family in the local community.
The care provided is very flexible and could just be for a few hours or could be 24-hour care and can be on a temporary, intermittent or long-term basis. Carers will provide help with preparing meals, bathing and dressing.
Care can be arranged through local authorities who will be able to send care workers to care for people in their own homes either directly, or through agencies. This local authority support can be paid for through direct payments from the local authority once the local authority has carried out a community needs assessment.
Individuals can also arrange home care directly through nursing agencies or through associations for homecare providers, eg the UKHCA. Individuals can use their Personal Independence Payments to pay for this home care.
If you need help looking for services for an autistic person, we will do our best to help. Click below for our Autism Residential and Supported Living Placement Support Service.
