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About Autism West Midlands

We are the leading charity in the West Midlands for autistic people. We use our passion and expertise to enrich the lives of people on the autism spectrum and those who love and care for them.

About Autism West Midlands

There are more than half a million autistic people living in the UK, an invisible and misunderstood disability. 60,000 live in the West Midlands.

We are the leading charity in the West Midlands for people on the autism spectrum. We use our expertise to enrich the lives of autistic people and those who love and care for them. Our passionate, expert staff and volunteers work across all age groups and abilities, providing direct support.

  • We support autistic people to live as independently as possible, in residential care, or in their own or the family home
  • We provide a free autism information helpline offering a first point of contact for families and individuals in crisis
  • We provide advice and support sessions families and carers of children on the autistic spectrum
  • We enable adults to access support within their local community to build resilience, confidence, and skills to actively participate in society
  • We offer training to parents, professionals and individuals and much more!

Our Vision

A world where autistic people are universally understood and accepted as equal citizens.

Our Mission

To provide specialist support and advice to autistic people of all ages and their families living in the West Midlands, enabling them to meet their full potential.

Our Values

We are passionate and committed, supportive, creative and flexible, transparent and open, specialists

Our History

Our story began in 1965 when groups of parents with children on the autism spectrum in Birmingham joined together to provide each other with support and encouragement. By the 1980s, parents were campaigning to raise funds to set up Oakfield House, our first residential home, opened by Princess Anne in 1988. We now have six residential homes; two supported living establishments, and provide support in the community to hundreds of people on the autism spectrum and their families. Parental support groups remain very important: we have large numbers of support groups throughout the West Midlands.

Download our "30 years of Autism West Midlands" timeline

Autism West Midlands - Celebrating 30 Years

CQC Ratings

All but one of our services are rated ‘Good’ by CQC.

To view our CQC reports please click on a location below:

Gender Pay Gap

Under new legislation that came into force in April 2018, UK employers with more than 250 employees are required to publish their gender pay gap.

Please click the link below to read our most recent Gender Pay Gap Statement.

Gender Pay Gap Statement

Meet the Team

Day to day running of the charity is the responsibility of the staff, led by the chief executive.

Tom Harrison

Tom Harrison

Chief Executive Officer

Jason Johnson

Shabir Ladak

Director of Finance & Resources (Deputy Chief Executive)

Carole Knowles

Christina Yewdell

Director of Operations

Serena Sanghera

Serena Sanghera

Director of People & Culture

Henry Webster

Operations Manager – Community Services

Kerry Webster

Operations Manager

Craig Summers

Operations Manager

Our Trustees

Our charity is governed by Trustees, all of whom give their time for free. Our Trustees are responsible for agreeing the overall strategy of the charity and for its governance.

  • Phil Jordan (Chair)
  • John Drozd (Chair of the Finance Committee)
  • Gurdip Singh
  • Ashok Roy
  • Glenys Jones
  • Joy Taylor
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