“Lethrede is a lovely place to work, we support five autistic men, and every day is different. They each have their own routines and activities they like to do. The job can be demanding but so rewarding.  Our support might range from supporting them to cook their own meal and do their housework, to use their computer, driving their car or taking part in other activities they choose, such as riding bikes.

“For the men who live at Lethrede, the most important element for us is understanding and developing their communication methods – we use tablets, boards and other visual and tech methods – and really just getting to know them.

“Another key element is understanding what might upset or distress them. We are supporting people who can have very fixed expectations of their routines and the order of their day. We do everything we can to keep things running smoothly for them, while building in challenges to encourage their progress. We develop proactive strategies to avoid them feeling distressed, as that is when they let us know how they are feeling very clearly through their strongest method of communication – their behaviour.

“The management team are flexible and ready to help, their attitude makes the rest of us very committed and loyal – we all help each other. It is such a lovely working environment and we supporting each other on the tough or challenging days and we know our hard word is appreciated, both by the service manager, and FitzRoy. I have never worked for another organisation where I felt so thanked and valued, with lovely incentives such as Team of the Month.

“We have confidence in the management – we trust they are doing their best for the people we support and for us as a staff team with a diverse culture. We appreciate everyone’s culture and often we will all eat together like a family, we have a strong bond and we will all chat about our days. The team are strong and complement each other, with such a supportive team it is a great place to work!”