'We're used to battling for our autistic son's care'

Charles and Tina said they were "used to battling" for their son's care

The parents of a man with severe autism said they had to "battle" to get him the care he needs.

Christopher, from Southampton, was diagnosed with autism aged one, and needs constant care and special help.

Now 25, he lives in supported accommodation, paid for by social services and the NHS, but his parents, Charles and Tina, said they contacted dozens of facilities before a suitable one was found.

The couple have written a series of books - Tell It As It Is - about their experience, in a bid to help others.

Christopher lives in an assisted care facility

Tina said Christopher's behaviour was "challenging" when he was younger and that she and her husband had "battled" to get him into a special school.

When he turned 18 they needed another solution, she continued.

They contacted more than 75 care homes in the south of England before they found an assisted living space near their house, which costs £8,000 per week.

Charles said the couple were "used to battling" for their son's care but since he started living in his new home he had "grown full of happiness".

Charles said his son was "full of happiness" in his care facility

Care Minister Stephen Kinnock said the government was "alive" to the need to look at the way adult social care was funded.

"We can't have a healthcare system that works without an adult social care system that works," he said.

He also said the fair pay agreement for care workers, promised in the King's Speech in July, would help fill vacancies in the sector, making the service better able to cope with demand.

"That is a big mountain that we need to climb in terms of fixing adult social care," he said.

Laura Watts said adult social care was about providing everyone with "quality of life"

Laura Watts, from Kind Tailored Care which operates in the community to provide social care, said it was cheaper to provide the kind of accommodation Christopher needed to begin with instead of having a string of failed placements, resulting in people "falling back" on the NHS.

"If you're getting it right from day one, think how much money that saves in the long run," she said.

She said people like Christopher deserved to live a life where they could do the things they want with the "right support", and that it was upsetting for people like his parents to have a "continuous fight" to get their son the right care.

"It's a positive thing to have your own house and to be involved in [things like] cooking," she said.

"It's quality of life."