Social Care Services...

At The Wessex Autistic Society we understand that every person with Autism is a unique individual  with unique strengths and needs. Working with the person and those who know him or her best, we will support a person centered assessment to identify the independence and quality of life outcomes to which the person (and their family) aspires and the support, care and health service inputs that we and/or others need to provide to achieve this.

Our staff have a good understanding of the impact of Autism on a person’s life and have good experience and knowledge in developing strategies to minimise that impact.

Through its Community Support Services the Society provides community-based short breaks during the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays. These individualised supports are extremely flexible and tailored around the needs of the child and his/her family. The Community Support Services are registered as domiciliary care services with and inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

At Wessex Lodge we provide overnight short breaks. Wessex Lodge is a purpose built four-bedroom bungalow on the grounds of Portfield School. It is open every night of the year and patterns of attendance are negotiated to balance individual need with ensuring that access is fairly allocated to user families. Wessex Lodge is registered as a children’s home with and inspected by Ofsted.

For more on short breaks, click here

The Wessex Autistic Society operates a number of residential care homes for adults with Autism in Dorset and Somerset. Our homes are small (maximum 4 people sharing) and pursue a person centered approach to care, support and lifestyle planning. These homes are registered with and inspected by the Care Quality Commission. Typically, our residential care homes are fully occupied but do contact us to find out if we have an vacancies or what new services we are developing. We are always willing to work positively with commissioners in the development of new services.



Click here for more information on adult residential services

Our community support services are designed to provide individualised and flexible supports to children, families and adults whatever their degree of need and wherever they live.
Our teams of trained staff exist to give people with Autism and their families the support they need to live the lives they want to live. If you need a short break; a drop in group; supported living; supported employment; supported further education; supported leisure or supported housing, that’s where we come in.

For more about our community support services, click here

Follow the links for more information on our Social Care Services, and contact us for tailored advice on how you can benefit.