Autism & Neurodiversity North Scotland (A-ND) is set to merge into national charity Scottish Autism, the organisations have announced.
A-ND will become a subsidiary of Scottish Autism although the smaller charity will initially retain its own branding and name.
Both charities’ offices will remain open, a spokesperson confirmed, however the merger could enable A-ND to expand new facilities in Aberdeen and Moray for specialised neurodiverse-specific care.
There are no redundancies planned as a result of the merger, the charities have stated.
Dorry McLaughlin, chief executive of Scottish Autism, will remain as leader of the merged charity while Billy Alexander, CEO of A-ND, will become a director.
‘Powerful partnership’
Scottish Autism, the largest provider of autism-specific services in Scotland, has over 1,200 employees working across Scotland.
It recorded an income of £50.3m for the year to 31 March 2024, according to its most recent accounts, with an expenditure of £37.7m.
A-ND, which provides direct support to individuals and families as well as through its online support group, recorded an income of £911,000 for the year to 31 December 2023, with an expenditure of £846,000.
Through their merger, the two organisations hope to combine the national reach and expertise of Scottish Autism and A-ND’s work in neurodiversity, children and young people’s services, and whole-family support.
They aim to ensure that services are designed with the people they support in mind, rooted in local communities, while being accessible and responsive to the intended individuals and their families.
McLaughlin said: “We have had a long-standing relationship with A-ND North Scotland and following discussions at senior level we each felt that a merger was the logical step for our charities to take.”
Alexander said both organisations were “creating a powerful partnership that is both innovative and forward-thinking” at a time when many charities are struggling to ensure that they can continue providing their services to those who need them.
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