When Angie Ferguson's son was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome she was dismayed that there was a lack of support so she foundPerth Autism Support
How many hours do you normally work in a week?
There are no standard hours for my job, some weeks I might get away with a relatively easy 40 but other weeks where deadlines are due or we are running events then that can increase dramatically. I don’t think anyone who wants to do a standard 9-5 job works in our sector as the demands are high with limited resources so we all tend to go the extra mile – my family may however say I always go the extra marathon!
Why did you set up your charity?
I set up the charity in 2011 following my son’s diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome in 2008. We struggled to find any mainstream out of school activities that could accommodate him and as I am what could be described as a “fixer” I decided to do something about it! I left my full time job and set up Perth Autism Support and we now support 190 individual children and young people on a weekly basis through our activities programme, as well as all of our Parent/Carer/Family Support, School Support and delivering training nationally across the UK.
Is it harder as a charity to get support if you are not based in Glasgow or Edinburgh?
I think there are real challenges for support across the sector at the moment, however we do find that it is harder to have our voice heard not being within Glasgow or Edinburgh. Our community is spread over a wide geographical area which brings its own challenges in service delivery and that rural element is perhaps not as readily recognised if you live in larger cities. Most of the sector based training takes place in Glasgow or Edinburgh and this can be challenging financially for us as a medium sized organisation to be able to afford our staff to attend with travelling costs. On the plus side, funders can be really open to looking to projects in our area as there is no other competition and our communities and corporate supporters within Perth & Kinross are amazing and love that when they support Perth Autism Support, their money remains here to help kids and families locally.
We struggled to find any mainstream out of school activities ... I decided to do something about it!
What are you working on just now?
For us just now the focus of our work is sustainability. For the last five years we have developed all areas of our service models and evidenced the need and success of each area, but, as with all others in our sector, the financial security of our organisation is always a concern. We don’t have any funding from statutory services and there are very few funders out there who will fund on a three or five year cycle which means that we are constantly applying for funding to ensure that we have a continuous stream of income to the charity.
What did you do before this role?
Before I set up Perth Autism Support, I worked for another local third sector organisation and previously with our local authority in a variety of roles including Housing and Criminal Justice. Prior to that my background was in recruitment.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
There have been so many highlights in the past five years within Perth Autism Support, watching our kids grow in skill and confidence and building friendships, to our families building their own peer networks and autism communities, to the fabulous team of staff we have around us and the amazing volunteers who choose to dedicate their time to us. The recognition of the services we provide is always great for team morale, the most recent being at the ScottishPower Foundation Awards, where we won the Education Partnership Award in Wales last month. We are truly proud of all that we achieve at Perth Autism Support.
Who is or was your role model?
My dad is my ultimate role model, we lost him in 2004 and so he never got to see what we have built with Perth Autism Support, but I know he would have been very proud and it’s been his work ethos and belief that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to that has kept me going and shaped the person that I am today.
If you could give one piece of advice what would it be?
Always look for the positive! We have been through some tough times in the last 5 years but by looking for the silver lining in every situation can help! Energy and positivity are required by the bucket load in the Third Sector!
How did you end up in your job?
Through sleepness nights, long hours and wine!
Is this a step on the ladder to success or your final destination?
Perth Autism Support is my baby and I can’t ever imagine not being here, but we still have big plans for the organisation! With the integration of health and social care we are looking at sustaining our Perth services to then allow us to deliver in other areas of Tayside in line with statutory service provision.
What motivates you?
The families we support, without them we wouldn’t have a Perth Autism Support and without us they would have very limited support, I want to ensure that every child and young person has access to appropriate, knowledgeable support at every stage in their lives and that families have advice, support and information at a time that is right for them. I love what I do and I love making a difference.
What’s your favourite film and why?
Singles. This film captures the mood of my teenage generation, with an amazing soundtrack with some of my favourite bands!
Would your 18-year-old self be impressed with where you are now?
My 18 year old self was unimpressed with everything so probably not! I am not sure I would have really understood what it takes to develop, run and sustain a Third Sector organisation and I was too busy in the Student Union, listening to music and generally learning about life! My 40 year old self is pretty much the same but with less Student Union!
Which Brian Cox?
The physicist – without question, my son would be horrified if I didn’t pick him and I love the fact that he is musical physicist!
Angie Ferguson is chief executive of Perth Autism Support.
