Wiltshire Service Users' Network - Trowbridge

Charlotte Lee

Claim they help autistic people with benefits, but just half heartedly filled in the form like they didn't care & didn't know about autism. Then when I was turned down for benefits and asked for help to appeal, they said they don't do that any more and to go elsewhere. Then I heard they had a lottery award to help autistic people and a speciality being applying for benefits. Maybe they were too busy working for the lottery award so they could get a salary and career for themselves out of vulnerable people, while not helping the vulnerable people with their prospects.
Edit, if you can't find me, then maybe your record keeping is as bad as everything else. I wouldn't go back if I was paid.

Pa Co

People who weren't diagnosed until adults after a lifetime of difficulty need those who will help them fight for services and help as there isn't much. Not those who will go along with what's already causing autistic people difficulty, or use them for their own benefits.
WSUN were being paid to run the Autism Board for the Wiltshire Council, which is supposed to represent the voice of autistic people in Wiltshire, but the only autistic people who were invited to attend were the same two men for years, one if which told me he wasn't even interested in the subject.
They claim to be autism experts, but as a person with the condition and who has asked others with the condition who were in contact with them, they don't seem to be, but if they were experts they would know many females aren't diagnosed until later in life after a lifetime of awful treatment, and then as adults there's very little support, apart from the adult social group, where people get help and support from each other. Yet no females were invited to give their voice.
For years they were being paid by the council to represent autistic people to various departments, such businesses and the council, but they didn't even tell autistic people at the social group that Wiltshire Council were stopping the funding to the NAS social group, for anybody to protest against it. We only knew when we were told years later that after the council had stopped funding, the NAS were funding it themselves for years, but could no longer afford to. I think the board achieved more for the departments and businesses make friends and help each other make money from autistic people.
So there was only one service that was useful to autistic adults which was the social group, which met up often, and the organiser was given a phone to keep in touch with those who weren't online, as a surprising number weren't online.
Yet after it's widely accepted WSUN achieved nothing for autistic people at the autism board, and as the only useful service for people diagnosed as adults was the NAS social group, they had one job to help keep the social group going but they didn't achieve that. Then after they were no longer being funded to run the autism board as WiltsCIL took it over who are much better at standing up for disabled people, WSUN said they had lottery funding to run an Autism Hub to help autistic people with things such as applying for benefits, of which the people at WSUN would receive a salary out of the lottery award, and now after doing nothing for years to save the social group, WSUN are now running it at a much lower standard, as don't meet often or even give the very good organiser, who tries his best, a phone to keep in touch with those who don't use the internet.
When I went to WSUN for help with benefits they told me they didn't have time and to find somebody else to help, and then not long later I found out they were too busy trying to get the lottery awards to give themselves a salary before they would help, to then act like autism saviours helping those apply for benefits. I think they're mainly interested in helping their egos act like autism experts and for lottery awards for their own financial benefits.

Sigourney “Ziggy” Baldassarra

We first met Jen earlier this year after my PIP claim was refused, WSUN Autism hub was recommended to me by Mickey at WADS.

Jen introduced me to alot of services and frequently met up and chatted to me any time I needed help and settled my mind about alot of things, especially to do with PIP and my new diagnosis of autism. It's been really difficult for me to overcome and to realise the things I do; feel and the way I think, is due to my diagnosis.

Jen really helped me to not feel so alone and that I'm not odd; or abnormal like I feel that I am, I'm just wired differently. Jen helped me, and my Husband, understand my day to day living experience and existence. Not only has Jen helped me with the neurological side of my day to day but my physical side also as I have alot of struggles generally such as pain and mobility concerning coordination etc. She helped me ask for referrals from my GP for OT and falls clinics, by sending emails which I could forward to them. She also helped me to put together a hospital passport, with help of my husband. She has also sent forms for counselling.

I never would have been able to go through any of my PIP claim; gather any evidence, go through all the phone calls and correspondence, and cope with the mental stress from DWP without Jen and my husband also. She has been not only an outreach representative but a rock in helping us understand and overcome my life and in this we managed to achieve a great result from the PIP tribunal (which without Jen, I NEVER would have gotten any further than the first refusal).

I am incredibly greatful for this service and to Jen Wickens. I thoroughly appreciate all the time spent on me and helping me through this past year and am so grateful.

Ma22hew B

Well meaning, but poorly organised.

Amanda Attwood