PTSB announces multi-year partnership with Ireland’s Autism Charity, AsIAm, as it becomes first bank in Ireland to receive Autism-Friendly branch accreditation

• Agrees three-year charity partnership with AsIAm, Ireland’s Autism Charity, to promote Autism acceptance and supports
• PTSB becomes first bank to have accredited Autism-Friendly branches in key locations around the country
• Partnership and accreditation announced at launch of newly opened, state of the art Stillorgan branch

PTSB has announced a multi-year partnership with AsIAm, Ireland’s Autism Charity, that will enable the charity to further support autistic customers and families and to promote and drive greater inclusivity in Irish society. The bank has also become the first financial institution in Ireland to be accredited with Autism-Friendly branches in key locations across the country.

These significant initiatives were announced at an event held in PTSB’s newly opened, state of the art Stillorgan branch in Dublin.

Multi-year partnership with AsIAm

Under the terms of this three-year partnership, PTSB will provide funding to AsIAm to scale and grow the supports that the charity offers throughout Ireland.

AsIAm provides supports, guidance and resources to autistic children and adults, to their families, to businesses who want to become more autism-friendly, to employers who want to promote greater diversity and inclusion in their workplace, and to community groups.

Key highlights of the partnership include financial sponsorship and advisory and volunteering support for:

• The National Autism Conference, hosted by AsIAm, taking place on Saturday 5^th October in Dublin and live streaming across AsIAm’s social media channels;
• The AsIAm Autism-Friendly Towns Initiative, which promotes autism inclusion and empowerment in local communities across Ireland;
• The AsIAm Forest Ramble, a sensory tour that takes place in six forest locations across the country in the first half of the year and is delivered in association with Coillte; and
• Workplace training and support for PTSB colleagues, as well as parents and carers of Autistic children and young people.

Autism-Friendly branch accreditation

To coincide with the AsIAm partnership agreement, PTSB has announced that four of its branches have been accredited as Autism-Friendly. PTSB is the first bank in Ireland to receive this accreditation. The four branches are located in:

• Athlone, Co. Westmeath;
• Clonakilty, Co. Cork;
• Longford Town, Co. Longford; and
• Stillorgan, Co. Dublin.

The Autism-Friendly accreditation has been received because these branches meet the following AsIAm criteria:

• A minimum of 90% of front-facing staff have been trained in ‘Understanding Autism’ and ‘Supporting Autistic Customers & their Families’
• A sensory and accessibility audit and evaluation has been carried out in each branch
• PTSB has designed and published a sensory map for each branch, which is being made available both online and in-branch
• PTSB has created a Charter of Inclusion for each branch outlining short, medium and long-term goals and recording relevant achievements in progressing towards these goals

PTSB is currently working towards achieving accreditation in additional branches nationwide.

Launch of Newly Opened Stillorgan Branch

PTSB announced their partnership with AsIAm and their Autism-Friendly branch accreditation at an event held in its new Stillorgan branch location.

The bank has recently moved to this new location on the Lower Kilmacud Road following a significant refurbishment of the premises, rebranding to its new visual identity and upgrading of its branch services. The new branch includes additional features that exceed the Autism-Friendly accreditation requirements, such as the provision of a dedicated quiet space with customised lighting for customers.

Speaking at the launch event:

Neale Richmond, Minister of State at the Department of Finance, said:

“As the first bank in Ireland to receive Autism-Friendly branch accreditation, PTSB are leading the way in ensuring that their financial services are accessible to everyone. I was delighted to join PTSB in their Stillorgan branch to mark this achievement and I look forward to more branches across the country becoming Autism-Friendly.”

Adam Harris, AsIAm Founder and CEO, said:

“We would like to warmly congratulate PTSB on this landmark achievement of becoming Ireland’s first bank to achieve a branch accreditation.

The measures which we have supported PTSB to put in place in-branch will not only make day-to-day banking experiences more accessible for Autistic people in the community, but also provide an important platform to increase public understanding and acceptance of Autism and the accessibility needs of our community.

This development comes at a time in which banks have an important role in facilitating the rights of many people within our community in terms of the Assisted Decision Making Capacity Act. We look forward to building on this progress as we roll-out our accreditation to further PTSB branches in the months and years ahead.

It is testament to PTSB’s commitment to breaking down barriers for Autistic people that we are also formally launching a 3 year partnership which will support the growth of our Autism-Friendly Towns Programme in communities across Ireland and invite everyone in towns and cities across Ireland to join us in bringing about the same chance to live work and play in the community for the at least 1 in 27 people in Ireland who are Autistic”

Leontia Fannin, PTSB’s Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer, said:

“Elevating our social impact and connecting with local communities is a key area of focus for PTSB.

Our partnership with AsIAm is an important step in demonstrating our commitment to all our customers and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to access the products, services and supports that PTSB has to offer.

We look forward to developing our partnership with AsIAm over the coming years and are delighted to be the first bank in Ireland to gain accreditation for Autism-Friendly branches.”