A CLACKS charity has been ranked very highly in a recent inspection report and has been praised for the “compassion, dignity and respect” it shows its patrons.

Scottish Autism, based in Hilton House in Alloa, was ranked '5 - very good' on the six-point scale, where one is unsatisfactory and six is excellent.

The charity received the second highest merits in two inspected categories – how well Scottish Autism supports people’s wellbeing and how good their leadership is.

The report stated: “People experienced support with compassion, dignity and respect.

“Staff provided personalised support to everyone, which benefitted their wellbeing and enhanced their day-to-day life.

“People appeared happy and relaxed in their surroundings. Staff were generally sensitive and knowledgeable about people’s needs and wishes.”

The leadership within Scottish Autism was also singled out, with members of the Care Inspectorate highlighting the relationship between the leaders and the wider staff team.

The report continued: “There was good evidence of people being supported to identify and achieve their personal goals and outcomes.

“There were regular opportunities to access the local community along with going on holiday with support staff.

“Leaders in the service promoted responsibility and accountability within the larger staff team. All the staff we spoke with felt supported by their managers.

“Staff demonstrated knowledge of their own role in driving improvement and were proud of people’s achievements.”

A key strength for Scottish Autism is the relationship it holds with the families of those it caters for. Inspectors spoke with family members to get a thorough understanding of the service, with glowing reviews handed out consistently.

One family member stated: “[My child] is very active, and enjoys long walks, bike rides, fitness training, and swimming. They also enjoyed a recent holiday.”

Another said: “We have never had an issue with Scottish Autism and are kept up to date with any news. The team are great. We are thrilled with everyone’s continued efforts."

Inspectors did have some minor improvements that they asked to be made. This included that information and guidance around autism specific practice could be improved. They also asked that support plans could be enhanced by ensuring they focused more on the strengths people had.

Lastly, they recommended that external leaders should have “a regular cycle of auditing activities to ensure key tasks, such as support plan updates, were completed within required timescales and to a high standard”.

Jill Ferguson, regional manager for central services, said: “We are delighted to have received such a positive report from the Care Inspectorate which is a reflection on the quality of care and support which our dedicated members of staff provide to the individuals we support.

“Our focus as an organisation is to support autistic people to lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives, and the comments from family members and the conclusions of the Care Inspectorate demonstrate that is what our staff are delivering.”

The full Care Inspectorate report can accessed at www.careinspectorate.com.