Manchester Adult Social Care’s Autism Board is looking for a Joint Chairperson who can help support the development and culture change of adult social care for autistic people. We want a co-chair who is autistic and who is able to deliver the requirements listed below. It is anticipated that this role will be needed for around 20 hours annually (with 6 board meetings every year).

What does it mean to be the “Co‑Chair”?

The Co‑Chair helps to lead the Autism Strategy Board.

This includes:

  • Attending board meetings
  • Helping to guide discussions
  • Making sure a full range of autistic voices are included in our decision making
  • Giving feedback about what is working and what needs to improve
  • Helping the board stay focused on autistic people’s needs in Manchester

They would share this role with David Pye, Head of Commissioning in Adult Social Care.

About the Autism Board

The GM Autism logo shows the initial GM on top of the word AUTISM, with a slinky 'dropping' from beside 'GM' to the base of the logo.The board discusses:

  • Priorities for autistic adults in Manchester
  • Progress on the Greater Manchester Autism Strategy
  • What needs to change to improve services
  • How to make sure autistic people’s experiences guide our work

The strategy and many other relevant bits of info can be found at Greater Manchester Autism Consortium’s (GMAC) website: GMAC – Everything you need about autism and more.

About the Meetings

  • The board meets every two months.
  • Each meeting lasts 1.5 hours.
  • Meetings are usually online on Microsoft Teams.

People at the meetings include professionals from adult social care and others who support autistic adults. Some attendees are neurodivergent and/or use autism/ social care services themselves.

Criteria and Essentials for the Co‑Chair

The Co‑Chair should be able to:

  • Share viewpoints that reflect different autistic experiences
  • Recognise that autism is not the same for everyone
  • Listen to discussions and offer suggestions
  • Tell us where we are doing well and where we need to improve
  • Support the board to make positive changes for autistic people and their families

We recognise the importance of having Experts by Experience who:

  • Live in Manchester
  • Are not employed by Manchester City Council
  • Can challenge us and help us improve
  • Can represent a range of autistic perspectives

Remuneration

We would pay the Co-chair for their time, which we approximate will be around 20 hours. The rate will be £15 per hour.

Apply Now!