Our History
Discover the story of CASPA, from its beginnings as the Children on the Autistic Spectrum Parents Association through to its transition to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), while preserving the history of the charity that continues today.
Our Story
CASPA was founded in 2005 as the Children on the Autistic Spectrum Parents Association, with the aim of supporting autistic children, young people and their families. Over the years, the charity has continued to deliver programmes, support and services for the autistic community.
On 31 August 2024, the charity transferred from its original charitable trust (Registered Charity 1110260) to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), now registered as CASPA (Registered Charity 1200786, Companies House CE030486).
Although the legal structure changed, the organisation’s work did not. CASPA continues to provide the same support, services and opportunities for the autistic community under its new charitable structure.
Why We Changed Our Legal Structure
The decision to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) was made to provide a more suitable legal structure for the charity’s future.
Moving to a CIO provides limited liability for Trustees, similar to that of a charitable company. However, unlike a charitable company, a CIO only needs to submit its annual accounts to the Charity Commission rather than both the Charity Commission and Companies House. This reduces administrative requirements and allows the organisation to focus more of its time and resources on delivering its charitable work.
As part of the transition, the charity also formally adopted the name CASPA, reflecting the name by which it was already widely known by members, donors, partners and funders.
The Transition
On 31 August 2024, all assets, liabilities and operations of the former charitable trust were transferred to the new Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
For members, donors, partners and service users, this change did not affect the programmes, support or services provided by CASPA.
View the historic Charity Commission record for the former charity (1110260).
Historic Documents
The documents below form part of the historical record of the former charitable trust prior to its transition to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. They have been retained here to preserve the charity’s history and provide access to previous annual accounts.
Continuing Our Journey
The transition to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation marked a change in legal structure, not in purpose. CASPA continues to support the autistic community under its new charitable registration, building on the foundations established when the organisation was first founded in 2005.