It is with great sadness that the leading Derbyshire charity - Derbyshire Autism
Services (DAS) has announced it is facing imminent closure, with the loss of 33 jobs.
DAS was founded 35 years ago to provide support and services for autistic people, their families and carers, across Derbyshire. Due to the huge spending cuts that have been made in Social Care spending, DAS has either struggled to get by or lost money for several years now, using reserves to balance the books. However, this can no longer carry on, so unless the Trustees can find a financially sustainable business plan going forward, DAS will have to close.
The Trustees have officially begun consultations with staff about a financial crisis it is facing. They have warned that redundancy notices might have to be issued to staff in early September, and that DAS might cease trading on 31st October if sufficient funding isn't found.
There is some hope though that most, if not all, of the services and projects that DAS delivers now, will be able to be transferred to other service providers. The Trustees are in contact with at least two potential partners to do this.
The DAS staff believe the services that DAS provide is too important to lose and they are fighting back. The DAS staff have formed two working groups. One to prepare a detailed business case for a financially viable future; the other group is setting about fundraising.
However, in order to survive and plan a sustainable future, DAS needs to raise the sum of £35k by 12th September to cover a cash-flow crisis.
The fundraising group will be setting up a Crowd Funding page for anyone to make a donation through. If anyone wishes to help raise funds please contact DAS via the enquiries@derbyshireautismservices.org email for a fundraising pack or to donate visit www.derbyshireautismservices.org/donate
