Aspire’s Housing Team provide impartial advice and guidance on housing issues. We also offer temporary housing for those that need a suitable, safe place to live.
It can sometimes seem like you are trying to navigate a maze when it comes to knowing which welfare benefits you are entitled to, and how best to claim them. Aspire’s Welfare Benefits service offers advice and support to ensure you are getting all you are entitled to.
We all experience times in life when we feel we are losing control of our finances and don’t know how we’ll keep up with our commitments. When that happens, Aspire’s Money Matters service is there to help you take back control.
Aspire’s Assistive Technology Programme enables everyone, regardless of the level of their injury, to independently use a computer or phone.
Aspire’s Your Fund is a simple way to raise money by crowdfunding, helping you purchase much needed specialist equipment and services.
Aspire’s Independent Living Advisors work in the specialist Spinal Cord Injury Centres, offering advice, guidance and support.
Back Up inspires people affected by spinal cord injury to get the most out of life. We support people to get from where they are, to where they want to be. We are the only UK charity providing dedicated support for children and young people with a spinal cord injury.
Our practical peer-led services challenge the perceptions of what’s possible and increase skills, independence and confidence when living with a spinal cord injury. These include;
Over the phone our outreach and support team can help you as you start to rebuild your life. They all have a spinal cord injury and so can offer helpful advice based on their own experiences and signpost you to other relevant services.
Taught in spinal centres, towns and cities, our courses and our new wheelchair skills app we can teach you the skills needed to help you become more confident in your manual or power chair.
Our accredited mentoring service
We can connect you, or a family member, with someone in a similar situation, who truly understands and can help you achieve the goals that matter to you. We have mentors of all ages, genders and levels of injury – including those who can walk, power chair users and different relatives.
An education inclusion service
We help staff and students better understand spinal cord injury, and ensure the voices of all children and young people with a spinal cord injury are heard so they can fully participate in all aspects of education life.
Support for Children & Young people
We provide opportunities for children and young people with spinal cord injury to meet each other and share experiences through our courses, mentoring and volunteering roles.
Our life skills and activity courses are designed to help you learn new skills and develop confidence in a supportive environment. Our courses are for people of all ages, backgrounds and levels of injury.
Our fortnightly online forum is open to everyone affected by spinal cord injury and the conversation topics are driven by you – whatever goes!
It can be difficult to accept that your family member’s injury will affect you too. Our relatives’ days will help you learn how spinal cord injury will affect both your lives moving forward, and with our dedicated family mentoring you’ll be matched with someone who meets your needs.
Whether you’re actively seeking a job, or starting to think about what work might look like for you, our Back Up to Work course will equip you with the skills you need to start your journey into volunteering or employment.
Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) is the national patient representative body and voice of the spinal cord injury community. With more than 12,000 members SIA acts as the go-to expert, voice and facilitator of a network of support for all spinal cord injured (SCI) people, health care professionals and organisations supporting or working with those affected by spinal cord injury.
Our vision is a fulfilled life for everyone affected by spinal cord injury – defined by a holistic framework of ‘body, mind and life’ metrics. SIA reaches SCI people wherever they are – in Spinal Cord Injury Centres, Major Trauma Centres, District General Hospitals, rehabilitation settings, care homes, community settings and in their own homes.
The charity’s operating model is as a national association that can facilitate a network of support to enhance the care pathways set out by the NHS. The charity offers:
Expertise and direct delivery via:
Specialist services such as SCI-led counselling and specialist nursing (including neurogenic bowel, bladder and skin management) for SCI people within health services and in the community.
Expert information and guidance provided online and via a 111-style telephone Support Line.
Training and education, including in latest developments and innovation, through a central hub (SIA Academy) of specialists, enhancing SCI expertise amongst generalist health and care professionals.
Patient representation and advocacy via:
Clinical advocacy to negotiate health, care and support services needed through the care pathway of a patient.
Direct advocacy to secure appropriate levels of health and social support such as NHS Continuing Healthcare and Social Care packages.
Local and national mobilisation of patient representative bodies and DPOs to challenge the barriers faced by spinal cord injured people – particularly in the face of limited services through the pandemic.
A network of support via:
Linking and referral to a growing network of regional and specialist providers of rehab, mental health, care, fertility support and other essential services.
Building user/patient feedback loops between NHS/charity/business provision and SIA to coordinate improvement to the efficiency and effectiveness of services available to SCI people.