OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2021-03-31-accounts

Autistica funds research, shapes policy and works with autistic people to make more of a difference

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2021

Honorary roles and charity management

Our trustees, honorary supporters and leaders help make our vision a reality by overseeing and managing all of the charity’s life-saving and life-changing work.

Contents

03 Honorary roles and charity

management

04 Chair’s Statement 06 Chief Executive’s Statement 08 Objectives and activities 10 Year at a glance

and management

members

Honorary roles

Patron

Professor Sir Michael Rutter President Dame Stephanie Shirley CH

Vice Presidents

Jane Asher Sir Christopher Ball Lady Christine Bett Hugh Merrill MVO

Trustees

Chair

Gill Ackers

Honorary Treasurer

Matthew Harris

Stephen Boyle (joined March 2021) Dr Sarah Caddick PhD (retired July 2020) John Carey Matt Davis Professor Jonathan Green Professor Dr Hilde Geurts Fraser Hardie (retired April 2021) Katie Hudson (joined March 2021) Heather Kleeman

Charity management

Chief Executive

Dr James Cusack

Director of Fundraising

Jennie Chambers

Auditors

Azets Audit Services Greytown House 221–227 High Street Orpington Kent BR6 0NZ

Bankers

Metro Bank One Southampton Row London WC1B 5HA

Registered office

CAN Mezzanine 7–12 Great Dover Street London SE1 4YR

020 3857 4340 info@autistica.org.uk autistica.org.uk

Charity registration no.

1107350

Company registration no. 05184164

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 3

2 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Chair’s Statement

The events of the past year have made Autistica’s vital work assume even greater importance and urgency. Many charitable organisations have experienced significant falls in donations, as people understandably turned their attention and support towards Covid-related causes. In response, we are sharpening our focus on the critical issues for autistic people.

There has been a welcome spotlight on mental health issues as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but mental health was already the single biggest challenge faced by autistic people. There is a real risk that – post pandemic – they will be left even more disadvantaged.

“Autistica’s work has never been more important than it is right now and the commitment of our loyal donors has never been more appreciated. They have my heartfelt thanks for their ongoing support.” Gill Ackers

Autistic people tend to find changes in routine difficult and need certainty around what will happen in order to cope with dayto-day activities. The onset of the pandemic and associated restrictions on activities and behaviours created enormous uncertainty and exacerbated many of the existing problems.

The pandemic has also accelerated some changes that were already underway, such as the increased use of teleservices for the delivery of healthcare. This has been welcomed by many, but there has been no research into whether it is appropriate for autistic people. Similarly, with mental health services already under pressure from growing demand, the needs of the ‘newly-impacted’ are stretching them even more.

The initial lockdown in March 2020 prompted an urgent refocus on the immediate support our community needed. This involved practical issues of dealing with increased anxiety – and the difficulties faced by parents of home-schooling autistic children, whilst working from home themselves. Paradoxically, many autistic people were comfortable with the lockdown restrictions that we all had to adapt to. Many anxieties arise from simple acts such as getting on a train, working in an open-plan office or eating in a school canteen. With these everyday hurdles removed during the lockdowns, it is a return to normal that will present a huge challenge.

This is particularly true of the world of work. Autistic people hold a disproportionate number of lower-paid and less secure jobs, the very roles most threatened by the pandemic. It’s therefore more important than ever that – as employers address their changing needs for physical workspaces and flexible working – they consider how to do that in a more inclusive way.

The impact of Covid-19 on charities has been mixed. Many charities found their day-to-day work, particularly those focused on service delivery in the community, came to an abrupt halt. Ours didn’t, but we did reduce our level of research funding, as many clinical researchers refocused on Covid-19related activities. Lockdown also meant that some research methodologies were simply not practicable; for example, when face-to-face meetings were necessary. We only fund research when we have the cash available to do so. Hence, in such a challenging funding environment, we adopted a conservative

approach when committing to new projects.

In response to the financial pressures our team took a voluntary pay cut and reduced their hours. Inevitably this placed huge pressure on them, since there was no corresponding decrease in workload. Given our flexible approach to working prior to the pandemic, we were reasonably well set up to work from home, but dealing with incoming post and the increased reliance upon technology created new challenges. I am enormously proud of how well the entire staff transitioned to the new working environment and the financial sacrifices they made. Many of our staff found the changes extremely difficult, particularly those home-schooling children. We are so grateful for their continued hard work.

During this difficult time, several of our very committed, significant donors stepped up to support us. Without their loyalty and generosity, we would not have been able to provide the critical services that we did and I’m immensely grateful to them. Their support meant we were able to quickly provide vital resources for those struggling to cope. These included valuable support to parents, carers and autistic people through webinars, website materials, expert insights and access to specialists.

The smooth transition to a new CEO was unquestionably a highlight of 2020. Dr James Cusack steered us skilfully through the most challenging months of the pandemic. Thanks to him, Autistica ended the year with real clarity on the strategy, priorities and resourcing needs for the years ahead.

We were sorry to say goodbye to Dr Sarah Caddick in July 2020 and to Fraser Hardie just after the year end in April 2021. I’m grateful to them both for their wise counsel and support. Just before the year end, we were delighted to welcome Katie Hudson and Stephen Boyle as trustees. They both bring valuable new complementary skills and knowledge to Autistica’s board.

We are committed to creating the breakthroughs that will change autistic people’s lives for the better. Our priority for the coming year is to sharpen our focus on the critical issues that most impact their health, longevity and happiness.

Gill Ackers

Chair

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 5

4 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Chief Executive’s Statement

This year has been incredibly difficult for the autistic people we serve. A cross-charity report, which we were proud to support, comprehensively showed that far too many autistic people and families have been left stranded, with little support in place to allow them to thrive.

That’s why I am so proud of how our team responded when Covid-19 hit. We provided information relevant to the pandemic in a matter of days: a huge first for us as an organisation. We are now providing regular webinars and our communications on anxiety have reached tens of thousands of people.

“As society recovers from the pandemic, Autistica must keep delivering research that addresses the appalling inequalities autistic people face. It is essential we have an ambitious vision and strategy to continue to deliver real change for autistic people.” Dr James Cusack

Research (NIHR). This will fund research on how to provide safe and effective social care that enables autistic adults to live happy, healthy and long lives. Social care is a huge challenge facing the country generally, but an even bigger crisis for autistic people, where there are no clear definitions of what ‘good’ looks like.

The year brought huge and unprecedented challenges for the team. Like many others, we had to adapt to remote working. I am so impressed and inspired by how they adapted and continued working tirelessly to ensure that we have the funds in place to make a real difference.

The charity sector experienced huge declines in income and we decided not to renew the lease on our office when it expired at the end of 2020, seeing it as an unnecessary expense. It’s only thanks to the incredible generosity of our loyal supporters that we entered 2021 with a real vision for how we can transform the lives of autistic people.

In addition, we are working to build environments that are accessible for autistic people, test health checks that address health inequalities, and stop early deaths.

As we hopefully exit and recover from the pandemic, it’s essential that we ensure we have an ambitious vision and strategy that delivers real change for autistic people over the next decade. That’s why we’re focusing on developing some ambitious goals and plans in partnership with autistic people, families, researchers, and other stakeholders. These will give us greater clarity than ever, but to deliver on them means we will need to raise more money than ever and this will be a key priority for us in the year ahead.

In the current environment, it is more pressing than ever that we ensure we are delivering research that addresses the appalling inequalities autistic people face. This year brought home the seriousness of the employment gap for autistic people. The Office for National Statistics produced data (for the first time) showing that only 21.7% of autistic people are in employment. This compares to over half of disabled people (52.1%) and around eight in ten (81.3%) of non-disabled people. In the wake of these shocking statistics, research we funded this year has found ways to bridge this gap, showing employers how they can more effectively recruit autistic people, allow them to disclose their diagnosis, and make reasonable adjustments for them.

Finally, I want to thank all our amazing autistic people and family members, generous donors, collaborative partners, brilliant researchers, supportive trustees and tireless and committed staff at Autistica. The past year has been incredibly challenging, but thanks to this unique community of committed individuals, we have made life-changing breakthroughs that will enable autistic people to live happier, healthier, longer lives. I’m confident that together we can help ensure that the next decade delivers real change for autistic people and their families.

Our expertise and knowledge is also helping to place research at the centre of the development of a national autism strategy, setting out the strategic objectives to ensure that work to improve NHS services for autistic people is evidence-based – and that research and clinical communities are more collaborative.

Dr James Cusack

Chief Executive Officer

Aligned with that, we launched a three-year partnership with the National Institute of Health

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 7

6 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Objectives and activities

We know that research has the potential to transform the everyday lives of autistic people by making sure that treatments, support and services are based on the latest evidence. We also know that too many autistic people and their families face a lifelong struggle to access those appropriate support and services. If we want to overcome these inequalities and deliver real change, it requires a coordinated and focused effort.

expectancy and a marked increase in the amount of autism science globally. Our part in those advances stems from our ability to deliver the evidence that creates real hope through science.

Autistica works in partnership to achieve both a step change in the amount of resource focused on autism research and to ensure that research funding is directed to areas of greatest need. We act as the bridge between autistic people, the research community and other funders of autism science.

Working with autistic people not just as volunteers but as researchers, authors and decision makers in the research community, our unique approach can and will make more of a difference in the short- and the long-term future for autistic people.

This is an exciting time in autism research and significant advances have been made in the last decade, including a deeper understanding of autistic strengths, greater awareness of the tragic gap in life

Our mission

Our vision

is to create the breakthroughs that enable autistic people to live happier, healthier, longer lives.

is a world where every autistic person lives a happy, healthy, long life.

Our values We believe in:

How we work

We make breakthroughs by:

8 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Year at a glance

2020–21 Research spend

£602,902

Scientific staff and research governance

Despite a challenging and uncertain year we’ve had a number of successes in each of the four areas of our work.

£266,823

Communicating research

£229,447

Ambitious about Autism

Funding new and innovative research solutions

With telehealth becoming much more widely used, we are leading on a pilot study to understand how this switch might affect autistic people and how to ensure healthcare is accessible to all autistic people. This project is in collaboration with NHS England and the Peter Sowerby Foundation.

Our ‘citizen science’ project on sensory processing with the Alan Turing Institute involves autistic people not just as volunteers, but as researchers, authors and decision makers. The team are developing a digital platform that will allow any autistic person to share their sensory experiences so that we can design a more accessible world.

We worked with companies in the finance, tech and games industries as part of our DARE project with University College London. They supported us to gather data from employees that is helping us to advise them and develop best practice guidance.

Shaping and growing research across the UK

We invited applications for seed funding to help develop future adult social care research projects that include autistic people. The intention is to secure further funding from NIHR for larger-scale projects. Social care provided to autistic adults remains almost entirely unevidenced – these grants aim to change that.

We continued to support researchers recruiting for studies across the UK, using the Autistica Network. We helped to recruit for 43 studies, all answering questions that are a community priority. We also helped 19 researchers and other organisations to get insights on their studies or services using the Autistica Insight Group.

£1,309,147

Total spend

£80,939

Grant Administration costs

£77,294

Molehill Mountain

£30,000

Epilepsy Dossier

£7,356

Discover national research network

£7,263

Adolescent Psychoeducation

£3,874

Campaigning for better services and shaping national policy

We drafted the first NHS Autism Research Strategy for NHSE. This will help us jointly support transformational science and equip services to support neurodiverse communities.

We worked with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to ensure the new Autism Strategy, which was launched in July 2021, included a focus on building policy and services based on solid evidence.

Sharing evidence-based tools, resources, and information

A rapid response to Covid-19, delivering online support, tools and events to help the autistic community navigate the pandemic.

Together with a research team at University College London, we launched our Research Toolkit. This makes best practice guidance about conducting accessible and high-impact autism research, including template documents, freely available to the research community.

Covid-19 resources

£3,043

Embracing Complexity

£113

DARE

£93

National Lottery community fund

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

10 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

11

Review of the year

A year like no other

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic meant that our community needed us more than ever this year. Autistic people already faced unacceptable inequalities before the pandemic and data suggests that they have been hit particularly hard by the virus. This year we focused on learning from this data and with a number of research and policy initiatives we have been ensuring that those inequalities do not widen further.

‘Some autistic Our community people report Research conducted during the pandemic shows that autistic people and their families were that they disproportionately impacted by the lockdown. will continue Covid-19 compounded an already poor quality to isolate of life, shortened life expectancy and left many themselves people acutely disadvantaged and isolated. because they Despite autistic adults experiencing a greater cannot face the increase in symptoms of anxiety and depression than neurotypical adults, many were not able to access world as it is.’

Careful and innovative use of our resources and a strong performance from the fundraising team meant that we ended the year in good financial health, but the after-effects of the pandemic will be long-lasting.

Learning from lockdown

It’s possible to learn from the pandemic and use the experience to develop new ways of delivering services. We gathered the data and created a briefing document with recommendations for policymakers and services. Written in partnership with the National Centre For Mental Health, it included evidence of the pandemic’s impact, areas for further research and recommendations for policymakers, including:

Despite autistic adults experiencing a greater increase in symptoms of anxiety and depression than neurotypical adults, many were not able to access the support they need, with autism and mental health services cut or non-existent in many areas.

Data from our insight group revealed the autistic community is concerned about what happens next. There are serious fears around the sensory issues of wearing masks and returning to chaotic, sensory-challenging environments. There is also anxiety based on the lack of clarity around social distancing rules and a lack of access to much-needed mental health services.

Some autistic people report that they will continue to isolate themselves because they cannot face the world as it is. They are also deeply concerned about employment after the pandemic. Only 22% of autistic people are in work and the worry from this group is that the employment gap will widen.

Our organisation

Autistica faced multiple hurdles last year: the global pandemic, the most significant economic downturn in 300 years, a sustained pause in clinical research and a profoundly challenging fundraising climate.

Embracing Complexity was recognised as the Best Equality & Inclusion Cause Campaign at the 2020 Purpose Awards

Already at risk of poor mental health and high rates of suicide, research from Ghent University shows autistic people have reported a greater increase in mental health problems than the rest of the population. They are also concerned the postpandemic world could force autistic people further into the margins of society.

In July we launched a new campaign – ‘Know More’ – calling on government, businesses and the public to commit to funding research into improving the lives of autistic people and their families. Led by Charlotte Valeur, then-Chair of the Institute of Directors, Know More calls for investment in research to increase understanding, improve outcomes, cut waiting lists for autism diagnosis and increase access to vital evidence-based services.

The coalition also made joint submissions to four Parliamentary Select Committee inquiries, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on people with NDCs. These prompted the DHSC and NHS England to commission further analysis and direct millions of pounds of investment towards bolstering services for autistic people.

An autumn survey showed that the summer easing of lockdown made very little difference to many of these people. The subsequent #CovidComplexity briefing and campaign highlighted the need for personalisation and choice in a post-pandemic world.

Embracing Complexity

‘Embracing Complexity’ is a coalition of leading UK charities aimed at improving outcomes for people with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs).

The coalition also responded rapidly to the pandemic. Within the first month of lockdown, it collated members’ guidance and resources on social media and produced a briefing on challenges facing the charity sector ahead of a House of Lords debate.

The coalition also raised concerns with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England about the misuse of ‘Do not resuscitate’ orders and the Clinical Frailty Scale in Covid-19 triage, which could have denied life-saving healthcare to some individuals.

“There will be longer term implications for those with learning difficulties who have developed new anxieties during lockdown or who have missed out on the support they require.” Frances, William’s mum

William before lockdown →

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 13

12 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Funding and support

Driving public policy

Thanks to the continued support of our donors, trusts and foundations and partners we’re in a strong position and remain resolutely focused on improving the lives of all autistic people and their families through world-class research, information and campaigning.

Trusts and foundations

Corporate and major donors

Our Trusts & Foundations team delivered above£534,191 target income in what was a very challenging Corporate year. Notable successes including securing a new partnership with Caretech Foundation, who are supporting Autistica with £185,000 to £386,566 fund up to five pieces of social care research.

The Corporate & Games Partnerships team completed the second year of our two-year Charity of the Year partnership with Fujitsu and welcomed them again as the official sponsor of our Autistica Research Festival and the first official sponsor of our World Autism Awareness Campaign, ‘Anxiety Breakthroughs’. We continued to secure more DARE (Discover Autism Research in Employment) partnerships with a number of companies, using data and insights to underpin neurodiversity strategies that maximise both business and employee needs. We also launched our first games partnership with DPS Games, established a calendar of online games streaming events and benefited from the continued support of GamesAid.

Trusts and foundations

We were delighted to continue our successful partnerships with the Waterloo Foundation and £598,397 secured further support from Peter Sowerby Foundation to deliver a pilot looking at the move Major donors to telehealth services for autistic people during the coronavirus pandemic. Grants from the Maudsley Charity also supported us with funding £127,308 to design and launch our Molehill Mountain app.

Individuals and community

Individual donors

We continued to benefit from the loyal support of our Major Donors who help us deliver on our unique commitment to tackling the challenges that matter most to autistic people and their families. Their significant gifts throughout a period of profound uncertainty have ensured we can continue investing in ground-breaking areas of research and lay the foundations for a radical step-change over the next decade.

Throughout the year we benefitted from the generosity and energy of supporters who took £197,998 part in their own innovative Covid-safe fundraising events, virtual events organized by Autistica Gifts in kind and charity sector-wide events. Despite event cancellations, we still had six friends take part in the £2,083 virtual London Marathon raising £7,000. We also ran our own virtual art event – ‘Creative Differences’ – One-off events featuring artwork from autistic artists and supporters of the charity, combined with a webinar about the £159,279 value of autistic creativity. The artwork was sold in an online auction to raise funds for Autistica. We’re Other so grateful to the regular givers who continued to donate every month. This year our number of donors increased and our overall target for individual giving £5,755 was surpassed despite a difficult economic climate.

£5,755 Investments

£2,011,577 Total income

‘Autistica and NHS England are now formal partners on studies to ask what postdiagnostic support should look like, identify how digitallydelivered healthcare can be made more accessible and test health checks for autistic people.’

With our wide networks and expertise in evidence building, Autistica has become the thinktank driving autism policy. Throughout 2020, we worked hand-inhand with the NHS to help them deliver their Long Term Plan commitments to autistic people and are increasingly supporting other public bodies to make more of a difference.

Influencing the political narrative

Partnering with the NHS

As part of their secondments with NHS England, our Heads of Policy and Research drafted a ground-breaking NHS Autism Research Strategy and guided the largest ever single investment in NHS services for autistic people. We briefed NHS eating disorder and crisis services on the latest evidence about supporting autistic people and our longstanding recommendation that the deaths of autistic people should be investigated has been reflected in changes to the LeDeR (Learning Disability Mortality Review) programme.

Autistica’s vision can now be seen across the NHS Long Term Plan and the Government’s new Autism Strategy. As a result of our work, the new strategy – which was eventually published in July 2021 – focuses on autistic people’s priorities and commits to developing the (long neglected) research and data infrastructure needed to drive lasting changes.

Beyond that, the Government’s official proposals for reforming the Mental Health Act used content from Autistica’s policy briefings to articulate how the law should balance safeguarding autistic people’s mental health and freedom. A new briefing from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, which we helped prepare, now ensures MPs are better informed about key issues facing autistic people and families.

Autistica and NHS England are now formal partners on studies to ask what post-diagnostic support should look like for young autistic people, to identify how digitally-delivered healthcare can be made more accessible and to test health checks for autistic people. We successfully leveraged over three quarters of a million pounds of investment to expand our study of health checks – co-designed with autistic people – by Newcastle University into a full trial.

During the year we also helped the NHS Autism Team to begin using data to guide improvements in NHS services for autistic people.

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 15

14 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

World class research

World class research

“Being a part of the Citizen Science Project…has truly captured my attention and given me a purpose to see through the pandemic.”

Autistic adult working on our project with the Alan Turing Institute

Our research is conducted in conjunction with autistic people to ensure we deliver real and authentic change. During the year – and despite the pandemic – we continued to drive progress in key areas.

the use of remote telehealth methods to provide healthcare to autistic people beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. The second focuses on designing a package of support for autistic adolescents after they receive their autism diagnosis.

Partnerships

Our role in research partnerships is wide-ranging. For example, we support researchers to recruit participants and involve the community throughout their research. We also place members of the Autistica Insight Group on governance and oversight boards. In some instances, we work with research teams to communicate their findings to those responsible for policy decision making, to ensure their work achieves tangible change.

After many years of successful partnership, this year marked the end of Autistica’s financial support to the national autism database (ASD-UK) and Database of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Living in the North East (Daslne), led by Professor Jeremy Parr and hosted by Newcastle University. The research databases supported recruitment of participants to many high-quality studies across the UK, developing an influential model of including community members in governance decisions about access to support and was ahead of its time in coordinating participant recruitment.

Over the last year we entered 21 new research partnerships. These leveraged a total of £3.4 million to fund projects focused on a range of critical issues. Our research partnerships have focused on, for example, improving autism diagnosis, understanding skills and training needs of the clinical workforce to support autistic people, developing Covid-19 informational resources, suicide prevention and the impact of the classroom environment quality on educational outcomes.

DARE is our unique collaboration with the Centre for Research in Autism Education at University College London. Its cutting-edge research helps companies recruit and retain neurodiverse talent through evidence-based insights on best practice. In February we published a report featuring researchbased insights for companies wishing to attract and support autistic and neurodivergent staff.

To coincide with the launch of our three-year partnership with the NIHR we invited applications for seed funding. The funding must be used to help develop applications for the forthcoming NIHR Research for Social Care competition and relate to a research project about social care for autistic adults. Our Grant Development Awards and NIHR Research for Social Care partnership is made possible by the generous support of CareTech Foundation.

The report lists possible adjustments to job roles and management processes, the physical environment and social and cultural practices.

In August we launched a project to develop practical advice and tools to increase the amount of research focused on autistic people with complex needs. The project will create an online resource for researchers – Complex Needs Research and Development Hub (Comrad) – on how to include autistic individuals with complex needs in their work.

Autistica continue to work closely with the National Autism Team at NHS England and NHS Improvement to embed evidence in the work they are doing to improve health provision for autistic people. This year we have supported two research teams to use evidence to inform future health policy. The first of these focuses on

are doing.”

Insight Group member

Four in ten autistic people have a learning disability and three in ten speak few or no words. Finding ways to identify anxiety and depression and ensuring timely and effective support will ensure better care and wellbeing for this group. Our ongoing project with Aston University is helping to design a practical way of diagnosing these conditions in autistic people with learning disabilities.

Autistica Network

The Autistica Network brings together autistic people, families, professionals and researchers to do bigger and better research.

Network aims:

  1. Improving the quality and efficiency of autism research

  2. Giving autism research stakeholders a voice throughout the autism research cycle

  3. Driving the translation of autism research into real-world change

In the year to 31 March 2021, we sent 61 emails to members of the Autistica Network, including 43 emails sharing opportunities for members of our community to take part in high-quality research projects that focus on answering questions that are a community priority.

During the year we offered 19 external insight group opportunities and 15 internal insight group opportunities to members of the Autistica Network. Over 130 individual members of the Insight Group took part in at least one involvement activity. These included our series of Covid-19 surveys, which supported the science and comms teams in reacting to the changes from March 2020 onwards and creating content that reflected our community’s needs. Later in the year, Insight Group members fed into the crisis resource that the science and policy teams created for the NHS, sharing their experiences for case studies and reviewing the content and recommendations within the resource.

Externally, many involvement opportunities were initial consultation workshops in which researchers shared their ideas and plans with Insight Group members. The group’s valuable feedback allowed them to tailor their research to closely align with community priorities and be accessible to the community they wish to recruit.

improve services.” Professor Will Mandy, UCL

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 17

16 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Communications

“This is a wonderful short film about #anxiety & #autism voiced by the amazing @FernBrady. This is a really useful short clip to share with schools.”

Teacher on Twitter responding to Anxiety Breakthroughs

“I’m struggling with transitioning back into the office due to Covid. I found this helpful to validate my feelings/ struggles and give me ideas of ways to cope. Thank you.” Webinar viewer

We look to go beyond simply communicating about the projects we fund. Through identifying, translating and applying research findings for different audiences, we help to ensure that evidencebased solutions are made available to everyone.

Engaging our community

Support during the pandemic

The Autistica Network is the UK’s national autism research network and our corporate partners Fujitsu have helped us develop the concept for its future. Through an immersive virtual workshop with staff, researchers and Autistica Insight Group members, they are helping us to identify technology that could help us better understand who our members are, track their interactions with us and provide a more personalised experience. We are also exploring the potential for a blog or community platform to transform the Network from a mailing list to a hub, enabling people to connect with others and become involved in our work.

We secured two grants for our coronavirus resources and the Autistica Podcast. These enabled us to allocate staff time to producing high quality information for our community and supporters throughout the pandemic. In all we produced some 26 separate resources, comprising web content, podcasts and events. There were over 15,000 visitors to the Covid-19 hub, more than 6,000 webinar viewers and almost 2,000 podcast listeners. We also gained an additional 7,800 email subscribers.

Highlighting anxiety

In April 2021 we ran ‘Anxiety Breakthroughs’, an information and fundraising campaign for World Autism Awareness Month (WAAM). Fully funded by a Charities Aid Foundation grant and sponsorship from Fujitsu, it included an explainer animation film, a hub of web-based resources, researcher videos, webinars and case studies. These combined to really drive engagement and fundraising, make this our most successful WAAM campaign. The film had 40,000 views and there were 60,000 visits our website during the month, most of these being new visitors. Up-and-coming comedian Fern Brady voiced the animation and shared her own experiences of anxiety.

The Autistica Research Festival is the UK’s leading autism research conference. It brings together autism researchers, autistic people, family members and professionals to discuss innovative research and barrier-pushing involvement and participation work. Our 2020 virtual research festival in July included a range of sessions showcasing the very latest research. Our wide range of content included Dr Sarah Cassidy, Dr Katie Maras and Professor Jacqui Rodgers as keynote speakers.

For the first time, we included a medical humanities session: ‘Taking an interdisciplinary approach to autism and neurodiversity’.

Recognition in the media

Our ‘Know More’ campaign on neurodiversity led by business leader Charlotte Valeur was covered by the national media, including The Times, the Independent and Sky News. There was also considerable media attention on the appointment of James Cusack as our CEO, the first openly autistic charity chief executive. We were especially delighted that Radio 2 DJ Ken Bruce – whose son is autistic – was the voice of our Radio Four appeal, our most successful appeal to date.

The Festival was attended by over 2,000 people, a quarter of whom were from the autistic community. Delegates were able to choose which sessions to attend, fitting them around their working week and personal interests. The majority of sessions were recorded and shared after the festival.

“I downloaded this app to use as something to track my daily anxiety, and to have a record to share during CBT therapy. It was immediately helpful and I started to see what anxiety triggers were for me, I loved the daily tips and am using them. They have been great help while recovering from depression and anxiety.”

18 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Looking ahead

Public benefit and impact

‘The Autistica Network now has over 16,000 members and demand from researchers to recruit from the network is growing.’

We want to ensure that autistic people have a right to the appropriate support and care, sustainable employment, healthcare and mental health treatments – and to be accepted, understood and empowered.

support, empower and develop our existing staff, who have shown themselves to be hard working, resilient and loyal during this difficult time.

The pandemic – and the knock-on effects for our income and fundraising pipeline – highlighted the need to urgently clarify our vision for the future. We have evaluated how we can best accomplish these aims with the resources we have – to ensure we make a tangible difference.

New ways of working for a new world

We moved out of our office at the end of our lease, which fell during the pandemic, and the team went fully remote. This suited many colleagues, although some are keen to get back to meeting in person. We are continuing to consult with the team to understand their preferences for future working. Most of our staff would prefer to work more days at home than in the office and feel that meeting room space is key for any future workspace. We are working with our Trustees to identify potential office solutions that meet our needs as a growing charity, aiming to create an accessible and inclusive working environment for our increasingly neurodiverse workforce.

Our future efforts will be focused on tackling several key issues:

A diversity that reflects our community

This year we worked hard to increase the diversity on our trustee board and within our team. We also continued to look at ways to broaden the diversity of voices that feed into our work. We have plans to involve more young people in our work through a youth arm of the Autistica Insight Group.

Clear goals for major impact

We are in the process of developing a set of ten-year goals. These goals will dictate the research that we support, the policy change that we push for and the communications campaigns that we run. The goals will be supported by an ambitious fundraising and partnerships strategy because we know that we cannot achieve major change alone. We’ll be announcing these goals in autumn 2021, with the aim of engaging existing supporters and bringing in new audiences.

A valued and engaged community

The Autistica Network now has over 16,000 members and demand from researchers to recruit from the network is growing. We feel it is time to build on this success and create a better experience for members who currently receive emails from us.

We are investigating the potential of developing a community hub, which will allow us to engage with members in a more personalised way and enable researchers and community members to tailor their involvement and interactions with us. This will help us to track impact and update and thank participants who become involved. Hopefully this will lead to greater engagement and encourage members to support the charity by taking part in studies, fundraising or simply through spreading the word.

A team to make more of a difference

Recruitment went on hold during the pandemic and as a result our headcount decreased. However, as we recover and set some ambitious long-term goals, we need a team that can develop and execute these new strategies and help us to grow. We are recruiting in all areas of the charity – and expect to increase our headcount from 15 to 24 over the next six months. We are also looking at ways to

The trustees have referred to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in relation to the charity’s aims and objectives. The trustees consider it important to demonstrate to supporters and others interested in our work that the research we have funded will support breakthroughs, tangible progress and enhance understanding.

Autistic people and their families are at the heart of our research strategy, our national research network and embedded within our wider governance processes. Our overarching aim by doing so is to improve outcomes, giving happier, healthier and longer lives to all autistic people.

quality, internationally competitive and does not inappropriately duplicate investment made elsewhere. As a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities, we are committed to the highest possible standards of research governance and independent peer review underscores all the research that we fund.

Autistic people and family members play an active role on our Scientific Review Panel and the many other advisory structures which oversee our work. Our Annual Health Checks programme has received further funding from NHS England and, alongside our many of our interventions studies, is supported by NIHR’s clinical research network. Through the Autistica Network we provide mechanisms to involve autistic people and families in research as participants, advisers, co-designers and researchers.

In addition to the Scientific Review Panel which scores and deliberates on all research proposals, we are fortunate to benefit from independent strategic advice from world-leading experts in neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism.

Autistica is regulated by the Fundraising Regulator and a proud member of the Fundraising Standards Board. We are committed to best practice in fundraising and customer service. Through our privacy policies, we promise to keep our supporters informed about our work and to treat their information with respect.

We know how important it is that scarce resources are deployed on research that is not just important to families, but is also of the highest

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

20 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

21

Structure, governance and management

How we are governed

Autistica was registered as a charity in December 2004 and its governing document is its Memorandum and Articles of Association, which were adopted on 20 July 2004. Autistica is incorporated under the Companies Act 2006 as a company limited by guarantee having no share capital. For the purposes of this Act, the chair and other trustees (none of whom receives any remuneration) are the directors of the company. A full list of trustees, together with other legal and administrative information, can be found at the front of this report.

The board of trustees meets formally four times a year and additionally relies on a number of board sub-committees to provide further oversight of the work of the charity (see page 41), which are each chaired by a trustee. All key decisions, are each chaired by a trustee. All key decisions, including the allocation of funds for research, are taken at full meetings of the trustee board.

“I’d heard really of the work of the charity (see page 41), which are each chaired by a trustee. All key decisions, good things including the allocation of funds for research, about Autistica are taken at full meetings of the trustee board. and how they On 31 March 2021 there were 10 members of involve autistic our trustee board. Trustees may serve for up to people, and I two terms of three years and are appointed in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of wanted future Association. The board approved the appointment research and of Katherine Hudson and Stephen Boyle in March information to 2021. Dr Sarah Caddick stepped down in July 2020 reflect autistic and Fraser Hardie stepped down in April 2021. women’s The following issues are addressed experiences.” by the trustees during the year:

Each year the skills and expertise required within the trustee board are reviewed to help the charity deliver its objectives. If gaps are identified or a vacancy occurs, new trustees with the appropriate skills and experience are identified. All trustees are offered a full induction when they join and trustee training is available to keep trustees up to date with the environment in which the charity operates.

How we are managed

The chief executive is responsible to the Board of Trustees for the management of the charity. The director of fundraising, head of communications, head of policy and head of research report to the chief executive. Remuneration for senior staff is set at market rates and reviewed annually by the board.

The offices of the charity are registered in Southwark.

Risk management

The trustees formally consider the major risks faced by the charity as part of a risk management strategy that comprises:

The charity has identified a number of key risks this year, including the short term and long-term impact of Covid-19 on research, fundraising, policy influencing, communications and staff; the medium-term impact of a potential recession on our income, and; the medium-term effect of Brexit on income, income diversification and improving national and international collaborations in autism research. Our loyal donor base and strong external relationships put us in a strong position to maintain income and influence and continue supporting UK autism research. We continue to actively seek new partnerships within and beyond autism science and build pro bono support to increase capacity.

Reserves

The trustees review the reserve policy annually and consider the charity should hold free reserves of approximately £800,000 (2019-20: £550,000) to cover six months’ operating costs with a contingency of £50,000 in the event of a significant reduction in planned income. At 31 March 2021 the charity had free reserves excluding designated funds of £1,379,794 (2019-20: £732,807). Our designated funds were £82,000 (2019-20: £82,000). We would traditionally designate the surplus above the free reserve threshold towards future research spend but in light of the coronavirus pandemic we agreed to keep the excess in the free reserve until the economic and research impacts were clearer.

At 31 March 2021 the charity had restricted reserves of £323,007 (2019-20: 472,272).

When the rescheduled London marathon was cancelled a group of fundraising friends decided not to put their training to waste and ran solo marathons instead.

Investments

Free reserves and other surplus cash are held in interest-bearing deposit accounts with authorised UK deposit takers or in regulated money market funds, with a maximum of four to six months’ operating costs (c.£400,000– £550,000) held in the current account.

Cash outside of the current account should be held

in individual interest-bearing deposit accounts with authorised UK deposit takers which benefit from the government FSCS guarantee scheme (currently up to £85,000), using the Insignis cash management platform. The maximum amount per deposit account should not exceed £100,000. These can be a mix of instant or close to instant access and longer-term access accounts.

A maximum of 50% of total cash or £1,100,000, whichever is lower, can be held in regulated money market funds with an AAA rating from Fitch and/or Standard & Poor’s, provided that the funds offer instant, or close to instant, access. A maximum of 25% of total cash or £750,000, whichever is the lower, can be held in equities or funds in line with the asset investment policy. These should be managed by a regulated asset manager. Investments are reviewed by the finance committee, which meets four times a year, and trustees are advised of any recommended changes at full meetings of the trustee board.

Statement on Covid-19

The trustees judge that the coronavirus pandemic was an event that occurred during the financial year ending 31 March 2021. As such, the financial statements reflect the impact of the pandemic as at 31 March 2021. The trustees are aware that they must continue to monitor events and evaluate their impact on Autistica.

The charity is predicting its 2021–22 income to be 20–25% lower than pre-pandemic levels with donations from challenge events, community fundraising, corporate fundraising, and major donors likely to be affected.

A number of donors who have given restricted gifts have signalled their willingness to be flexible in how these gifts are subsequently deployed by the charity, potentially resulting in transfers between restricted and unrestricted funds.

All grants that the charity commits to are supported by reserves held in cash. Therefore, we remain able to complete all previously committed grants in full, subject to the recipient(s) meeting the defined criteria for their studies.

Going concern statement

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, but the trustees recognise that the economic impact of coronavirus in the medium term remains unclear. The trustees have carefully considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from the approval of these financial statements. The trustees have concluded that the budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern.

Approval

The report has been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ and in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to smaller entities. The Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements were approved by the board of trustees on 5 October 2021.

On behalf of the Board

Matthew Harris Honorary Treasurer 5 October 2021

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 23

22 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities

Statement of disclosure to auditors

On 7 September 2020, Wilkins Kennedy (trading as Wilkins Kennedy Audit Services) changed its name to Azets Audit Services Limited. The name they practice under is Azets Audit Services and accordingly have signed their report in their new name.

The trustees (who are also directors of Autistica for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees’ annual report (including the strategic report) and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Insofar as the trustees are aware:

Gill Ackers Chair of Trustees

“I support Autistica because their research is improving life for my autistic family members and friends.”

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 25

24 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Autistica (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2021 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the Financial Reporting Council (FRC)’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the trustees’ annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the

Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

Matters on which we are required to

report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report and the trustees’ report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

Responsibilities of Trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 24, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

effect on the financial statements or the operations of the company through enquiry and inspection;

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or noncompliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the FRC’s website. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Michelle Wilkes FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Azets Audit Services Statutory Auditor, Chartered Accountants

223–227 High Street Orpington Kent BR6 0NZ

6 October 2021

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 27

26 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2021

Statement of Financial Activities, including Income and Expenditure

for the year ending 31 March 2021

----- Start of picture text -----
Year ending Year ending
31 March 2021 31 March 2020
Income from Notes Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Total Funds
£ £ £ £
Donations 2 1,371,494 634,328 2,005,822 1,713,075
Investments 5,755 - 5,755 12,144
Total income 1,377,249 634,328 2,011,577 1,725,219
Expenditure on
Costs of raising funds
Costs of generating donations 3 249,221 28,853 278,074 401,445
Cost of events 3 3,898 - 3,898 12,988
253,119 28,853 281,972 414,433
Expenditure on charitable activities
Grants for medical research 4 530,487 210,386 740,873 1,050,167
Medical research dissemination 4 291,519 276,755 568,274 529,604
822,006 487,141 1,309,147 1,579,771
Total expenditure 1,075,125 515,994 1,591,119 1,994,204
Net income
(expenditure) before gains and losses on
investments and transfers 302,124 118,334 420,458 (268,985)
-
Net gains on investments 77,264 77,264 15,599
Transfer between funds 14 267,599 (267,599) - -
Net movement in funds 646,987 (149,265) 497,722 (253,386)
Total funds brought forward 814,807 472,272 1,287,079 1,540,465
Total funds carried forward 1,461,794 323,007 1,784,801 1,287,079
----- End of picture text -----

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure is derived from continuing operations.

Notes
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
8
Investments
9
Current assets
Debtors - amounts falling due within one year
10
Cash at bank
Creditors
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
11		 2021
2020
£
£
£
£
-
161
459,657
382,393
459,657
382,554
236,517
432,318
1,920,084
1,326,534
2,156,601
1,758,852
(662,446)
(649,786)		 2021
2020
£
£
£
£
-
161
459,657
382,393
459,657
382,554
236,517
432,318
1,920,084
1,326,534
2,156,601
1,758,852
(662,446)
(649,786)		 2021
2020
£
£
£
£
-
161
459,657
382,393
459,657
382,554
236,517
432,318
1,920,084
1,326,534
2,156,601
1,758,852
(662,446)
(649,786)		 2021
2020
£
£
£
£
-
161
459,657
382,393
459,657
382,554
236,517
432,318
1,920,084
1,326,534
2,156,601
1,758,852
(662,446)
(649,786)
Net current assets 1,494,155 1,109,066
Total assets less current liabilities
Creditors
Creditors: amounts falling due after one year
12		 1,953,812
(169,011)		 1,491,620
(204,541)
Net assets 1,784,801 1,287,079
Reserves
Unrestricted funds - general
13
Designated funds
13
Restricted funds
14		 1,379,794
82,000
323,007		 732,807
82,000
472,272
Total funds
15		 1,784,801 1,287,079

Approved by the board of trustees on on 5 October 2021 and signed on behalf of the board

Matthew Harris Honorary Treasurer Company Registration Number: 05184164

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 29

28 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2021

for the year ending 31 March 2021

Statement of Cash Flows

Notes 2021 2020
£
£
Net cash (outflow)/inflow from operating activities 16 587,795
(1,159,494)
Cash flow from investing activities
Bank interest 5,755
12,144
Purchase of fixed asset investment - (212)
Proceed from disposal of fixed asset investment - 206,946
Net cash from investing activities 5,755
218,878
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents 593,550
(940,616)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 1,326,535
2,267,151
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 1,920,085
1,326,535

1. Accounting policies

a. Basis of preparation

Autistica is a company limited by guarantee in the United Kingdom. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity. The address of the registered office is given in the charity information on page 3 of these financial statements. The nature of the charity’s operations and principal activities are set out on page 8.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2017, the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 31 March 2018.

The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention, modified to include certain items at fair value. The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity.

The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all years presented unless otherwise stated.

b. Income

All income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity is legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received.

For donations and grants receivable are included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable.

Investment income is accounted for when received. Tax recoverable on investment income is accounted for on a receivable basis.

Other income is included in full in the SoFA when receivable.

Gifts in kind and donated services are included at the open market value of the goods or services provided .

c. Expenditure

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Expenditure is recognised where there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payments to third parties, it is probable that the settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

It is categorised under the following headings:

d. Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

The designated fund balance has been represented to ensure that fund balance stated accurately reflects the designation policy adopted by the trustees.

e. Tangible fixed assets

All assets costing over £5,000 are capitalised. Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost or valuation of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives as follows. • Computer equipment 33% straight line • Other equipment and fittings 25% straight line f. Debtors and creditors receivable / payable within one year Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in expenditure.

f. Debtors and creditors receivable / payable within one year

g. Leasing commitments

Assets acquired under finance leases are capitalised and depreciated over the shorter of the lease term and the expected useful life of the asset. Minimum lease payments are apportioned between the finance charge and the reduction of the outstanding lease liability using the effective interest method. The related obligations, net of future finance charges, are included in creditors.

Rentals payable and receivable under operating leases are charged to the SoFA on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 31

30 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2021

advancement, future investments, economic utilisation and the physical condition of the assets. See note 8 for the carrying amount of the tangible fixed assets, and note 1(e) for the useful economic lives for each class of assets.

h. Going concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, but the trustees recognise that the economic impact of coronavirus still remains unclear. The trustees have carefully considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from the approval of these financial statements. The trustees have concluded that the budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves appropriate for the charity, in the current circumstances, to be able to continue as a going concern.

Bad debts

Debtors are regularly reviewed for recoverability. Any debts which in the opinion of trustees are not recoverable are provided for as a specific bad debt.

There are no key assumptions concerning the future and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year.

i. Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

The following judgements (apart from those involving estimates) have been made in the process of applying the above accounting policies that have had the most significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements:

j. Fixed asset investments

Investments are recognised initially at fair value which is normally the transaction price excluding transaction costs. Subsequently, they are measured at fair value with changes recognised in ‘net gains / (losses) on investments’ in the SoFA if the shares are publicly traded or their fair value can otherwise be measured reliably. Other investments are measured at cost less impairment.

Useful economic lives of tangible assets

The annual depreciation charge for tangible assets is sensitive to changes in the estimated useful economic lives and residual values of the assets. The useful economic lives and residual values are re-assessed annually. They are amended when necessary to reflect current estimates, based on technological

2. Income

Income
2021
2020
£
£
Donations
Gifts in kind
Challenge events
Unrestricted income
Restricted donations
Restricted gifts in kind
Restricted income		 1,338,908
670,679
-
57,395
32,586
49,747
1,371,494
777,821
436,330
870,892
197,998
64,362
634,328
935,254
Total income 2,005,822
1,713,075
Gifts in kind 2021
2020
£
£
Costs of activities for generating funds, challenge events
Charitable activities, disseminating information on autism and autism research - unrestricted
Charitable activities, disseminating information on autism and autism research - restricted		 -
1,500
-
55,895
197,998
64,362
197,998
121,757

The above activities were organised by the charity. Income from activities organised by individuals and donated to the charity are included in voluntary income.

3. Cost of raising funds

Cost of raising funds
Costs ofgenerating donations 2021
2020
£
£
8,245
8,909
14,202
66,596
34,517
46,911
221,110
279,029
278,074
401,445
2021
2020
£
£
967
3,715
550
6,038
2,381
3,235
3,898
12,988
Website, database, literature and PR costs
Other fundraising expenses
Allocation of administrative support costs (note 6)
Staf costs (note 7)
Cost of Events
Challenge events costs
Other event costs
Allocation of administrative support costs (note 6)

4. Expenditure on charitable activities

Expenditure on charitable activities
Grants for medical research Unrestricted
Restricted
2021
2020
£
£
£
£
"The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Mental Health - Anxiety Toolkit"
The Autism Spectrum Database - UK
Discover Network
Ambitious about Autism
Research Databases
SHAPe, The Sowerby Health intervention for Autistic People
Adolescent Psychoeducation
Epilepsy Dossier
Research Passport
DARE
Autistic-Led Grants - Kabie Brook
Autistic-Led Grants - Royal Holloway, University of London
Autistic-Led Grants - Sara King
Autistic-Led Grants - Joseph Scanlon
Embracing Complexity
City University – Comrad
(Complex Needs Research and Development hub)
University College – ARFID – Eating disorders & autism
Covid 19
National Lottery
Governance costs (note 5)
Grant Administration costs (note 6)
Staf costs(note 7)		 -
77,294
77,294
258
-
-
-
(513)
-
7,356
7,356
141,531
229,447
-
229,447
-
-
-
-
(106,824)
-
-
-
259,469
-
7,263
7,263
-
-
30,000
30,000
-
-
-
-
28,654
-
113
113
91,246
-
-
-
1,797
-
-
-
1,797
-
-
-
1,797
-
-
-
1,797
-
3,043
3,043
66,320
-
-
-
125,743
-
-
-
6,000
-
3,874
3,874
-
-
93
93
-
15,174
-
15,174
15,307
80,939
-
80,939
109,998
204,927
81,350
286,277
305,790
Total grant expenditure 530,487
210,386
740,873
1,050,167
Research dissemination
Governance costs (note 5)
Staf costs (note 7)		 71,418
195,405
266,823
208,507
15,174
-
15,174
15,307
204,927
81,350
286,277
305,790
822,006
487,141
1,309,147
1,579,771

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 33

32 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2021

5. Governance costs

Governance costs
2021
2020
£
£
External audit
Trustees’ liability insurance
Consultancy & recruitment costs
Other governance costs
Allocation of administrative support costs (note 6)
Staf costs (note 7)		 9,460
9,280
3,337
3,259
6,132
-
1,565
6,440
1,190
1,618
8,664
10,017
30,348
30,614

No trustees were paid during this period. No trustees received reimbursements for expenses (2020: £947). Governance costs were allocated equally against Grants and Dissemination expenditure in Charitable Activities.

7. Staff costs

Staf costs
2021
2020
£
£
Salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs
These are allocated:		 734,376
824,638
75,397
86,482
20,920
23,049
830,693
934,169
Generating donations (note 3)
Charitable activities £162,700 is restricted expenditure (2020 £145,888) (note 4))
Corporate governance (note 5)
Administration - support costs (note 6)		 221,110
279,029
572,554
611,580
8,664
10,017
28,365
33,543
830,693
934,169

The charity employed 18 full-time and 8 part-time staff members during the year to 31 March 2021 (2020: 20 full-time and 6 part-time). Staff costs are allocated between the various activities according to time spent.

6. Administrative support costs

The following administrative support costs are allocated between other categories of resources expended as detailed below. Costs are attributed directly where possible and the balance is allocated based on time spent by trustees, staff and consultants.

2021
2020
£
£
Telephone
IT
Stationery, copying, postage and other ofice expenses
Staf recruitment and professional development
Rent and rates
Depreciation
Other
Staf costs(note 7)		 5,444
6,852
16,740
21,733
10,529
6,531
27,933
35,698
15,156
43,517
161
781
14,699
13,107
28,365
33,543
Total support costs 119,027
161,762
These are divided:
Generating donations 29% (note 3)
Events 2% (note 3)
Charitable activities 68% (note 4)
Corporate governance 1% (note 5)		 34,517
46,911
2,381
3,235
80,939
109,998
1,190
1,618
119,027
161,762
2021 2020
The amounts disclosed above include the following number of highly paid employees: no. no.
£60,000-£70,000 - 1
£70,000-£80,000 2 2
£90,000-£100,000 - 1

The total amount of employee benefits received by key management personnel is £286,479 (2019 – £269,304). The charity considers its key management personnel to comprise those individuals listed on page 3.

8. Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fxed assets
Cost Computer
equipment
Other
equipment
and fittings
Total
£
£
£
At 1 April 2020 2,760
1,285
4,045
As at 31 March 2021 2,760
1,285
4,045
Depreciation
At 1 April 2020
Depreciation on disposals
Charge for theyear		 2,760
1,124
3,884
-
-
-
-
161
161
As at 31 March 2021 2,760
1,285
4,045
Net book value at 31 March 2021
Net book value at 31 March 2020		 -
-
-
-
161
161

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 35

34 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the year ending 31 March 2021

9. Investments

Investments
Market Value 2021
2020
£
£
As at 1 April 2020
Additions
Disposals
Unrealised gains/loss		 382,393
573,527
-
580,765
-
(787,498)
77,264
15,599
As at 31 March 2021 459,657
382,393
Historical cost
Investments at fair value comprise		 386,995
386,995
Fixed income
Equities
Alternatives
Cash		 62,604
87,038
299,152
218,672
66,842
54,902
31,059
21,781
459,657
382,393

All investments are carried at their fair value. Investments in equities are all traded in quoted public markets, primarily the London Stock Exchange. Holdings in common investment funds, unit trusts and open-ended investment companies are at the bid price. The basis of fair value for quoted investments is equivalent to the market value, using the bid price. Asset sales and purchases are recognised at the date of trade at cost (that is their transaction value).

2021 2020
Investments individually representing greater than 5% of theportfolio held are: £ £
Waverton Global Strategic Bond Fund 'A'
UK Treasury 2% 22/07/2020		 24,853
-		 -
23,858
Waverton Sterling Bond Fund 'A' Inc
GBP Capital Account		 -
28,103		 29,852
-

10. Debtors: amounts falling due within one year

Debtors: amounts falling due within one year
2021
2020
£
£
Other debtors
Prepayments and accrued income		 178,511
370,895
58,006
61,423
236,517
432,318

Other debtors includes £32,314 receivable within more than one year

11. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
2021
2020
£
£
Trade creditors
Other creditors
Grant commitments (note 12)
Accruals and deferred income		 54,589
24,342
314
1,441
369,300
581,754
238,243
42,249
662,446
649,786

12. Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year

----- Start of picture text -----
2021 2020
£ £
Grant commitments (see table below) 169,011 204,541
Less than 1 yr More than 1 yr Total
£ £ £
At 1 April 2020 581,754 204,540 786,294
Transfers 131,683 (131,683) -
Grant commitments 163,294 96,154 259,448
Paid in year (507,431) - (507,431)
As at 31 March 2021 369,300 169,011 538,311
13. Unrestricted funds 2021
Balances Income Expenditure Transfers Balances c/f
£ £ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds - general 732,807 1,377,249 (1,075,125) 344,863 1,379,794
- - -
Designated funds 82,000 82,000
814,807 1,377,249 (1,075,125) 344,863 1,461,794
----- End of picture text -----

13. Unrestricted funds 2021

Designated funds

£82,000 2020 Future Leader Awards in Epilepsy

Unrestricted funds 2020
Balances
Income
Expenditure
Transfers
Balances c/f
£
£
£
£
£
Unrestricted funds - general
Designated funds		 534,120
789,965
(1,327,181)
735,903
732,807
497,000
-
-
(415,000)
82,000
1,031,120
789,965
(1,327,181)
320,903
814,807

Designated funds

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 37

36 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the year ending 31 March 2021

14. Restricted funds 2021

Restricted funds 2021
Balances b/f Income Expenditure Transfers Balances c/f
University of Newcastle £ £ £ £ £
ASD-UK Research Database - - - - -
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Mental Health - Anxiety Toolkit 270,106 2,593 (115,428) (11,924) 145,347
Discover Network 74,949 - (89,667) 14,718 -
Local Engagement 8,027 - (36,067) 28,040 -
Epilepsy 18,000 2,500 - (20,500) -
Intolerance of Uncertainty - 4,200 - (4,200) -
Anxiety and Depression in
Minimally Verbal Individuals - 22,000 - (22,000) -
University College
Anorexia Nervosa in Autistic Women - 13,000 - (13,000) -
SHAPe, the Sowerby Health
intervention for Autistic People (34,312) 57,653 (700) (10,375) 12,266
Autistic-led Grants 50,000 - - - 50,000
Alan Turing Institute
Turing citizen science fellow - 195,405 (195,405) - -
Residential Care - - - - -
DARE (2,068) 42,065 (4,203) (35,794) -
Home Based PECs - 23,000 - (23,000) -
Podcast 896 - (1,095) 199 -
Embracing Complexity 38,824 40,000 (32,199) (2,000) 44,625
AI Summit 2,000 - - (2,000) -
City University - Comrad
(Complex Needs Research and Development hub) - - - - -
MQ Fellow - 1,000 - (1,000) -
Future Leaders Award – Jane Waite - 29,960 - (29,960) -
Social Care Scoping 25,000 - - - 25,000
University College
ARFID – Eating disorders & autism 850 - - (850) -
Ambitious about Autism –
Education to employment 20,000 53,500 - (50,000) 23,500
CareTech – Social Care Fund - 10,000 - - 10,000
Sowerby – Digital Breakthrough - 10,000 - (10,000) -
Adolescent Psychoeducation - 9,975 (7,263) - 2,712
National Lottery - 10,000 (93) - 9,907
Covid-19 - 50,393 (3,874) (26,869) 19,650
NHS England - 57,084 - (57,084) -
Epilepsy Dossier - - (30,000) 10,000 (20,000)
Total restricted funds 472,272 634,328 (515,994) (267,599) 323,007

Restricted funds are funds where the donor has specified the funds must be spent on a particular project as listed above. All of these grants represent either programme grants for autism research at a particular institution, specific Autistica-led projects or where specified fellowships are awarded for the purposes of supporting individuals engaged in autism research. Restricted funds were received in the subsequent financial year.

Transfers out of restricted funds were restricted donations received after funding was committed to specific projects. Transfers into restricted funds were donations received as unrestricted and subsequently restricted by request of the donor. Negative balances against specific projects reflect in-year spend which exceeds restricted funds received, but where further restricted funds were received in the subsequent financial year.

14. Restricted funds 2020

Restricted funds 2020
Balances b/f Income Expenditure Transfers Balances c/f
University of Newcastle £ £ £ £ £
ASD-UK Research Database - 12,713 - (12,713) -
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Mental Health - Anxiety Toolkit - 270,365 (259) - 270,106
Autism Clinical Research Network 307,905 - (204,303) (28,653) 74,949
Local Engagement 14,553 30,000 (36,526) - 8,027
Epilepsy - 23,000 - (5,000) 18,000
Intolerance of Uncertainty - 3,000 - (3,000) -
Anxiety and Depression in
Minimally Verbal Individuals - 8,500 - (8,500) -
University College
Anorexia Nervosa in Autistic Women - 1,000 - (1,000) -
SHAPe, the Sowerby Health
intervention for Autistic People 147,628 104,200 (283,740) (2,400) (34,312)
Autistic-led Grants 15,807 100,000 (7,186) (58,621) 50,000
Alan Turing Institute
Turing citizen science fellow - 50,000 - (50,000) -
Residential Care - 1,000 - (1,000) -
DARE 3,452 61,550 (20,052) (47,018) (2,068)
Home Based PECs - 63,214 - (63,214) -
Podcast 10,000 - (9,104) - 896
Embracing Complexity 10,000 114,087 (85,263) - 38,824
AI Summit - 36,625 (15,440) (19,185) 2,000
City University - Comrad
(Complex Needs Research and Development hub) - 5,000 - (5,000) -
MQ Fellow - - - - -
Future Leaders Award – Jane Waite - - - - -
Social Care Scoping - 25,000 - - 25,000
University College - ARFID
Eating disorders & autism - 6,000 (5,150) - 850
Ambitious about Autism –
Education to employment - 20,000 - - 20,000
CareTech – Social Care Fund - - - - -
Sowerby – Digital Breakthrough - - - - -
Adolescent Psychoeducation - - - - -
National Lottery - - - - -
Covid-19 - - - - -
NHS England - - - - -
Epilepsy Dossier - - - - -
Total restricted funds 509,345 935,254 (667,023) (305,304) 472,272

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 39

38 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Board of Trustees Committees and Advisory Committees

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2021

15. Analysis of net funds 2021

Analysis of net funds 2021 General
Restricted
Total
£
£
£
Fixed assets
Investments
Debtors
Cash and cash equivalents
Liabilities
Analysis of net funds 2020		 -
-
-
459,657
-
459,657
58,006
178,511
236,517
1,237,277
682,807
1,920,084
(293,146)
(538,311)
(831,457)
1,461,794
323,007
1,784,801
General
Restricted
Total
£
£
£
Fixed assets
Investments
Debtors
Cash and cash equivalents
Liabilities		 161
-
161
382,393
-
382,393
61,423
370,895
432,318
637,549
802,749
1,440,298
(68,032)
(786,295)
(854,327)
1,013,494
387,349
1,400,843

Analysis of net funds 2020

16. Reconciliation of net expenditure to net cash flow from operating activities

2021 2020
£ £
Net movement in funds 497,722 (253,386)
Bank interest (5,755) (12,144)
Net gains on investments (see note 9) (77,264) (15,599)
Depreciation charges 161 781
(Increase)/decrease in debtors 195,801 (186,464)
Increase/(decrease)in creditors (22,870) (692,682)
Net cash flow from operating activities 587,795 (1,159,494)

Board Committees

Finance Committee

Chair: Matthew Harris

Gill Ackers

Matt Davis (joined March 2020)

Jeff Saul (retired August 2019, co-opted as non-Trustee member August 2019) Vinny Smith (retired March 2020)

Nominations Committee

Chair: Gill Ackers

John Carey

Matthew Harris

Heather Kleeman

Advisory Committees

Scientific Review Panel

Chair: Professor Terry Brugha MD (NUI), FRCPsych

Vice Chair: Professor Christopher Oliver BSc, MPhil, PhD, CPsychol.

Professor Dermot Bowler, PhD

Leneh Buckle

Professor Mark Brosnan, PhD, CPsychol

Professor Lucy Henry, DPhil, DClinPsych

Dr Catherine Jones, PhD

Claudia Klaver

Professor Jonathan Mill, PhD

Professor Courtenay Norbury, PhD Dr Richard Rowe, MSc, PhD

17. Related Party Transactions

Related party transactions during the period to 31 March 2021 – £0 (2020: £947.06).

18. Guarantee

Autistica is a company limited by guarantee. Its Memorandum of Association prohibits any income or property of the company being paid or transferred to the members. Members of the company undertake to contribute a maximum of £1 to cover its liabilities.

19. Lease commitments

The charity had the following commitments under operating leases at theyear end 2021
2020
£
£
Due within one year -
31,050
-
31,050

20. Post balance sheet review and Covid-19

Subject to the financial impact of Covid-19 that has arisen in March 2020, the trustees have assessed the operational and financial impact on the charity in the Trustees’ Report on pages 12, 14, 22 and in the going concern statement at note 1h.

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 41

40 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Thanks

We were very grateful for significant support in 2020–21 from the following:

Trusts & Foundations

(over £5,000 and selected under £5,000)

National Lottery Community Fund Highway One Trust CareTech Foundation The Alison Hillman Charitable Trust The Eveson Charitable Trust City Bridge Trust Masonic Charitable Foundation Maudsley Charity The Waterloo Foundation Peter Sowerby Foundation Edith Murphy Foundation The Gerald Palmer Eling Trust The Stanley Grundy Foundation The Swire Charitable Trust The Stevenson Family’s Charitable Trust The Pixel Fund The Hugh Fraser Foundation Basil Samuel Charitable Trust

Major donors (gifts over £5,000) Adrian and Lisa Binks Charles Sharland Dame Stephanie Shirley John and Margaret Skerritt Alex Wilson

Corporate

Argus Media Brunswick Group LLP Herbert Smith Freehills Fujitsu Next plc The employees of Wellington Management Company

Advisors

Network Steering Committee Prof Dame Sue Bailey (Chair) Freddie Adu Dr Carole Buckley Dr Laura Crane Bec Hanley Prof Francesca Happé Sine Littlewood Keren MacLennan Dr Karen Matthews Mark Minnot Prof Jeremy Parr Jenny Shorthouse Lisa Wood

Scientific Review Panel Professor Dermot Bowler, PhD Professor Mark Brosnan, PhD, CPsychol Leneh Buckle Professor Lucy Henry, DPhil, DClinPsych Dr Catherine Jones, PhD Professor Jonathan Mill PhD Claudia Klaver Dr Richard Rowe BSc, MSc, PhD

Authored by: Lizzie Wilkinson

Thank you to the autism community and all the supporters who make our work possible.

Games

Autistica Play Ambassadors DPS Games GamesAid UKIE

Individual Giving / Events

Students, staff and parents at Stanley House, Wellington College

Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021 43

42 Autistica Annual Report and Accounts 2021

Autistica

Making more of a difference

CAN Mezzanine 7–12 Great Dover Street London SE1 4YR T 020 3857 4340 info@autistica.org.uk autistica.org.uk Registered in England Company No. 5184164 Charity No. 1107350