The National Autistic Society Scotland is changing the care and support it offers in Ayrshire, by creating a new supported living service for autistic adults.

This will replace the service currently offered at Daldorch House School in Catrine. The National Autistic Society took this decision to transform the service due to the growing age of the people being supporting at the school.

The new service will be for autistic adults with significant and complex support needs. The new service will include adapted housing for up to 11 adults, with access to outdoor space set within an idyllic rural setting. Importantly, there will be 24-hour care and support from specialist staff.

The move will allow the charity to continue supporting many of the people currently at Daldorch House School. We are working closely with local authorities to find suitable alternative provision for the small number of people who are too young for the new adult service.

The ending of education provision may result in redundancies for staff, with education services planned to end in August 2020. The National Autistic Society aims to complete the transformation into an adult service by December 2020.

We are announcing the move now to give local councils as much notice as possible, so they can ensure a smooth transition for the children who are too young for the new adult service.

Nick Ward, Director of the National Autistic Society Scotland said:

“Over the years many young autistic people have benefited greatly from their time at Daldorch House School, gaining a valuable education and learning important independent living skills and I pay tribute to all the staff who have worked hard over the years. It has been a difficult decision but we are excited about this new chapter in Ayrshire, which will reflect the changing needs of the autistic people we currently support.

The new service will provide adapted accommodation and specialist support to autistic adults with significant and complex needs, helping them to lead happy, fulfilled and independent lives. The new service will be a welcome addition to our volunteer-led branches in Ayrshire, together with our ‘One Stop Shop’ which offers advice and guidance to autistic people and families.

We will be working hard throughout the next few months to make sure the small number of people too young for the new adult service can find alternative support and look forward to completing the transformation towards the end of this year”.