Brighton charity Assert has been given a prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the equivalent of an MBE for volunteer groups.
The charity supports adults with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism in the city since 2002, and it won The Argus’s charity of the year award in 2006.
The adults supported by Assert often have difficulty accessing the help which they need as they fall in the gap between mental health and learning disability services. In some cases this has led to people descending into crisis including homelessness and serious ill health. Assert wants to continue to provide support and advocacy free of charge, without asking anyone to pay, or restricting themselves to only specifically-funded individuals.
Services Assert offers include: one to one informal support and advice on benefits, housing, the mental health system, education, employment, relationships and more. Assert also hosts a monthly drop-in support group for adults with Asperger syndrome and High Functioning Autism and a monthly mutual support group for parents and carers of adults with Asperger syndrome and High Functioning Autism. Individuals with the condition can approach Assert in order to access social events or outings, the telephone helpline and a resource library. Assert liaises with statutory services on behalf of individuals with Asperger syndrome and High Functioning Autism in order to gain adequate and appropriate support.
