MRG’s Charity Sector Specialist Jane Schofield speaks to Tracie Coultas-Pitman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at BeyondAutism
The Charity Begins At series, by MRG charity sector specialist Jane Schofield, explores individuals’ fantastic work in the sector and serves as a fantastic opportunity to spotlight a UK charity. Today, we are privileged to speak with Tracie Coultas-Pitman, who serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at BeyondAutism. Tracie Coultas-Pitman brings a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience in the charity sector, and we are most fortunate to have the opportunity to explore the great work that BeyondAutism carries out.
In three sentences, please provide a brief overview of your charity’s mission and impact.
What are some significant accomplishments or highlights your charity has experienced so far?
One of our most significant achievements is our BeyondAutism Fast Responder® service, accompanied by the recent launch of our Fast Responder #IncludedNotExcluded campaign. Our innovative service provides support within 24 hours to pupils in crisis, aiming to keep them in their current placement and foster a more inclusive culture within the school. Given the increasing constraints on school budgets, our #IncludedNotExcluded campaign aims to fund 12 BeyondAutism Fast Responders® who each have the potential to positively impact up to 30 students and their families. We are proud to announce that the campaign has already secured enough funds to fully support one Fast Responder.
We’re also excited to have launched our online Resource Hub this year! Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, this new platform features over thirty easily digestible fact sheets and videos, equipping parents, carers, and professionals with targeted autism resources tailored to their specific needs. Since the hub’s launch in December, it’s been accessed over 6,000 times. We also continue to grow our lunchtime webinar audience, Lunch & Learn, and are seeing a huge surge in viewership this year.
Our free Early Years provision is another big highlight. After several successful pilots, Early Years became a permanent service in June 2018. Since then, we’ve been able to support over 300 families bridging an important gap in support, increasing their resilience and confidence while providing a lifeline of tailored education and support for children during their crucial formative years.
What challenges or obstacles has your charity encountered, and how have you overcome them?
One of our biggest challenges as an education-focused non-profit is finding creative ways to tackle systemic issues within mainstream schools and across the UK. This past year, disheartening statistics have surged: children with SEND are twice as likely to be permanently excluded compared to their non-SEND peers, only 26% of autistic students report feeling happy at school, and some families are now facing up to two-year waits for an autism diagnosis. To combat these challenges, we promote services like Fast Responder, have launched our Resource Hub with over 30 free factsheets and videos to support parents awaiting diagnosis and continue to expand our Outreach and Training programmes to help teachers and schools feel more confident in supporting SEND students. Through these targeted initiatives, we are committed to overcoming negative trends and promoting better outcomes for autistic students.
What are your current plans for developing and managing your estates and facilities?
Currently we are in the process of forecasting maintenance and securing funding to continue to repair and update our service facilities as required. In the future, we will look towards site suitability and the appropriate roles required.
Is there any additional information or aspects about your charity that are important for us to know?
Please visit our website to explore our services further, make a donation, or learn how you can get involved.
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BSc. Hons; Dip. Conductive Ed; QTS; NPQH; MBA
Tracie has a wealth of leadership and management experience within the field of special educational needs and disability; she worked for Scope for over 20 years, where she held two headships and ultimately rose to the position of Regional Director for the South of England. More recently Tracie was Executive Head of the Autism Schools Trust where she led on setting up a Free School. Tracie has experience of developing early year’s provision, establishing outreach and training services, providing strategic leadership to schools and developing Post 19 and adult services.
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