About us
Who we are
Share this page
Supporting individuals based on their choice - not defining people by their support needs.
We are a charitable Community Benefit Society, formed in 1984, that supports autistic people, people with learning disabilities and/or mental health needs.
Our purpose: creating opportunities for happiness for the people we support.
Our values: - we care, we respect, we learn, we lead - are at the core of everything we do.
We employ around 2,600 staff who support almost 2,000 people across England.
In the late 1980s, we were part of the movement to support people out of institutions and back into communities.
Our support enables people to stand up for their own rights, this includes:
- self-advocacy group the Our Rights Group
- our Quality Checkers are a network of individuals with lived experience who get feedback from people we support, helping us improve our work
- working with regulator CQC to employ Experts by Experience, to help inspect services across England
- introducing assistive technologies to encourage people to be independent.
We are regulated and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), see our ratings.
Board of volunteers
Meet our Board Members here.
Our leaders
Meet our chief executive and her team here.
Diversity and Inclusion
We believe in a society free from discrimination. Read our approach here.
Family Ambassador
Families often need to talk to peers before making decisions on support. Meet Lynda, our voluntary Families Ambassador, here.
Our finances
Our financial statements are here.
Partnership working
We partner to improve social care services in the UK. We build new homes in partnership with the NHS and deliver training, to health practitioners.
Accreditation and memberships
We believe everyone has the right to work; we're a Disability Confident and Mindful employer.
Our membership of different groups gives us a stronger voice and visibility in the sector. Find details about these organisations at the bottom of this page.
