The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Autism support group rescued from brink of collapse with funding
Emergency cash will cover charity’s costs for next three months
A lifeline autism charity has been saved from closure with emergency aid from the Scottish Government.
Perth Autism Support, which provides crucial help to 650 families, was forced to suspend services on Friday amid a major funding crisis.
Bosses said their pleas for help with core funding had been ignored by Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside, leaving them with a shortfall of around £120,000 a year.
The Scottish Government has agreed to pay £30,000 towards core funding costs for the next quarter. Talks will continue to secure annual funding for the group’s long-term future.
The charity’s chief executive, Angie Ferguson, said: “We are delighted at the quick response from the Scottish Government to ensure our families can access services again immediately and this support allows us time to work with the council to ensure continued sustainability after the next quarter.”
She said: “The Scottish Government will also be supporting us through Inspiring Scotland to build capacity into the organisation and work with us to develop plans beyond their initial support of our core costs.”
She said the charity was committed to working with the council and health bosses, although neither organisation had so far contacted them directly. “We believe they are starting the processes to be able to look at the opportunity to support us and we are looking forward to hearing from them,” she added.
The charity has thanked John Swinney MSP and Pete Wishart MP for helping secure Scottish Government funding. Mr Swinney said: “Over the weekend, I was inundated with representations from constituents, asking for a solution to be found.
“The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of autistic people through the implementation of the Scottish Strategy for Autism and we recognise the value of the services Perth Autism Support delivers to autistic children and their families. That is why we’ve decided to immediately invest to sustain the services for the next quarter, while local decisions are pending.”
Mr Wishart said: “Since we became aware of the crisis we have all been working flat out to find a solution and this is very good news from the Scottish Government.”
The local authority and NHS Tayside said they became aware of the charity’s difficulties on Thursday and are now working on a solution.
We are delighted at the quick response from the Scottish Government. CHARITY CHIEF EXECUTIVE ANGIE FERGUSON