All about P.A.S.S

P.A.S.S offers three services…

How and why P.A.S.S. has been developed?

The establishment of the Plymouth Autism Spectrum Service (P.A.S.S.) was advocated for by Plymouth’s Autism Partnership Board and commissioned by Plymouth City Council as part of a wider Devon Sustainability Partnership Trust initiative. This commissioning has been influenced by key legislation; The Autism Act 2009 and its statutory guidance, the NHS Long Term Plan and the Transforming Care Agenda.

P.A.S.S. has been developed to provide a dedicated and specialist service for adults with autism, their families, health and social care services and to collaborate with community organisations within Plymouth.

Services have not been adequately meeting the needs of adults with autism; this has huge implications for people with autism and the wider community. It is known that adults with autism are less likely to be in fulfilling employment; may need more support to live independently; may experience reduced access to social and leisure opportunities; often experience enduring discrimination and are more likely to develop mental health problems.

It is important that people with autism feel empowered, enabled and advocated for to have equal opportunities to participate in community life. To feel supported to live a meaningful and rewarding life, on their own terms and unique ways.

P.A.S.S. has attempted to be as accessible as possible for the people that need our support and have therefore collaborated with the autism community to help set the foundations of the service and will continue to do so as it develops. P.A.S.S. intends to embed itself and be integrated with Plymouth’s community, services and organisations.  P.A.S.S. hopes that by working in this way our society will be encouraged to accept and be inclusive of neurodiversity, and that a cultural shift can be developed and sustained within Plymouth’s health, social care and community services; to embrace and adapt to the needs of adults with autism.

What does P.A.S.S. do?

P.A.S.S. intends to provide a service that is strengths-based, person-centred, holistic, time-sensitive, accessible, appropriate, dynamic and responsive. The aim is to promote and provide pro-active strategies to support adults with autism to live their lives as they want and to prevent the number of crises that they may experience.