Introducing Inclusive Change at work CIC

A unique organisation based in South Gloucestershire with Neurodiversity at our heart.

Our mission at Inclusive Change At Work is to empower people with the knowledge, information and skills to help you achieve success in the workplace.

Our vision is a world where autistic people and those who are neurodivergent can thrive in the work place that is enriched by diversity and social inclusion.

We run a neurodiversity at work programme for adults and young people called Iwork2.

That means we work with people who are autistic, dyslexic, adhd, dyspraxia, tourettes.

Our Iwork2 programme provides meaningful work experience alongside mentoring and developing your awareness of reasonable adjustments and support available.

Neurodiversity is a term that refers to the diversity of human brains. Just like bio-diversity is vital for the sustainability of our planet then neurodiversity is a key part of our workplaces.

Neurodiversity in the workplace can bring benefits like creativity and innovation for organisations. It is also an important facet of reflecting the communities we live in and customers we serve.

It is estimated that 15-20% of adults are neurodivergent. The number may well be higher as there are many undiagnosed or self identifying neurodivergents who aren’t counted in formal statistics.

The ONS in 2021 published statistics that demonstrated that just 22% of autistic adults are in any form of paid employment.

There are many reasons for this which can be summarised by attitudes, environment and systems.

We want to challenge this and make a difference for individuals and organisations.

We are funded from grants alongside trading our services, providing training and support services. We are resourced by volunteers and just one part time employee. We hope as we grow this will change but until then we provide our services as a purpose driven organisation with funding from the following:

In 2022 we founded our first Neurodiversity at Work Experience Programme. This has become iwork2. We work with partners to develop opportunities in a variety of activities.

Our trainees have been able to work on a range of activities from customer service, retail, data management, podcasting, marketing, copywriting, admin, event management, project management, film and photography, website management, digital design and content creation.

We have developed a radio project with Bradley Stoke Radio and Extracare Stoke Gifford Retirement Village.

This project is bringing together different communities to interview and record stories from our older generation. This initially began with stories about HM Queen Elizabeth but has also included lockdown stories and histories.

We work with South Gloucestershire Council to help deliver work experience for neurodivergent adults and young people as part of the Learning Disabilities Development Fund.

This enables us to deliver meaningful work experience, mentoring and support for young people from South Glos.

We take referrals from families, individuals and from other programmes such as We Work For Everyone.

Our core supporting employer is Your Village Shop based in Stoke Gifford Retirement Village.

With a small grant from Warburtons we are developing training events and materials to support individuals and families to understand more about support available to help them succeed at work or in self employment.