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Support for families whilst waiting for a School Age Autism assessment

Support for families on the School age ASD pathway

Support for Families in Hammersmith and Fulham

Hammersmith and Fulham support with mental health, behaviour and emotional regulation

  • The Confident Parent Happy Child service

Provides support for parents/carers of children aged 0-18 years. The project offers a range of evidence-based parenting programmes, information, advice and support for parents and carers. The confident parent happy child service accepts referrals from parents/carers and professionals. Confident Parent Happy Child parenting programme Hammersmith Fulham

  • Kooth Online Wellbeing Community

Online support where young people (age 11 to 25) can chat to counsellors, keep an on-line journal, read articles written by other young people, and connect with others through a moderated group. Kooth also has a separate section on neurodiversity with useful resources. See: https:/ /kooth.com

  • West London Action for Children

Provides therapy and counselling for vulnerable children and young people and their families. The service predominantly sees families on low income/family tax credit. For further information, please contact 020 7352 1155 or visit their website: www.wlac.org.uk  

  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

CAMHS provide mental health assessment and treatment for children and young people aged 0 to 18, and support for their families. Further information on how to get referred to H&F CAMHS can be found at: H&F CAMHS 

  • Mind: Mental Health Support Teams (MHST)

Provide individual support/advice, workshops and groups, to support children and young people, parents, carers, schools and education staff. Much of this support is school-based so speak to the SENCo at your child’s school to find out if they have access to this support or view the Mind website at: Children & Young People - Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing and Hounslow Mind (hfehmind.org.uk)

  • Cheyne Clinical Psychology Service

The Cheyne Clinical Psychology team, along with Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language, Music Therapy, and Specialist Nurses, run the EMBRACE group for parents with children aged 0-7 years. This group focuses on understanding your child, and making sense of their behaviour. For further information, please contact the team at: chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

  • The Whole-Brain Child by Dr Dan Siegel

This book demystifies meltdowns, explaining the science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. Complete with clear explanations, age-appropriate strategies for dealing with day-to-day struggles, and illustrations. The Whole-Brain Child explains how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives.

  • Cheyne mental health support webpage

For further information about supporting mental health please see the Cheyne webpage on mental health support by clicking here. 

Hammersmith and Fulham support with Sleep

  • Cerebra

This charity provides advice and support to families on a range of areas including sleep. Its website has useful information leaflets and parents can also access one-to-one support from its sleep advice service Sleep Advice Service - Cerebra

  • The Sleep Charity, incorporating The Sleep Council

This charity provides advice and support on sleep. It runs a number of online courses and also has a telephone helpline (Tel: 03303 530 541) run by a team of specialist trained sleep advisors https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/information-support/children/

  • Cheyne Clinical Psychology Team

The Cheyne Clinical Psychology Team run a sleep workshop for parents and carers with children aged 0-7, covering common issues around sleep. For further information, contact the team at chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

  • Cheyne Sleep support webpage

For more information on sleep support please  click here to go to the Cheyne sleep support page. 

Hammersmith and Fulham support with feeding

  • SOS (for support with feeding)

This video offers parents and caregivers an introductory view on how complicated feeding/eating is, why children struggle to eat, and how to help children to eat better. Click here to see the video. 

  • The National Autistic Society (NAS)

The NAS website provides useful information on feeding difficulties. Please click on the link for more information: NAS  

The Cheyne Clinical Psychology and Occupational Therapy Team run a group to help parents and carers with children aged 0-7 with common issues around feeding. For further information, contact the team at chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

  • Cheyne Sleep support webpage 

For more information on sleep support please  click here to go to the Cheyne sleep support page. 

Hammersmith and Fulham support with toilet-training and self-care skills 

  • ERIC - The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity provides advice and information on toilet training and common toileting problems at https://eric.org.uk/.
  • Family Fund

This charity gives grants to families on low income for washing machines, tumble driers or towards costs of bedding and clothing. https://www.familyfund.org.uk/

  • The Children and Young People’s Occupational therapy service (CYPOT)

Provide information on their website to support children to develop a range of self-care skills. For advice on dressing, feeding, toileting, sleep, handwriting and gross motor skills, go to their website and follow the link to Programmes: Occupational Therapy for children - Inner London :: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust

  • The National Autistic Society website provides information on toilet-training autistic children at: NAS toilet training web page 
  • H&F Inspire Team also run termly toileting workshops for parents. For more information enquiries should be directed to the Inspire team at: Inspire@lbhf.gov.uk 
  • The Cheyne Clinical Psychology/Occupational Therapy team run a group to help parents and carers of children aged 0-7-years, with common issues around toileting. For further information, contact the psychology team at chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

 Hammersmith and Fulham support with communication

  • Speech & Language Therapy Service:

If you have concerns around your child’s speech or other aspects of their communication, you can request a referral to the mainstream Speech and Language Therapy Service via your GP. This service provides an assessment and advice service for school-age children. If your child has an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), they are likely to receive speech and language therapy through their EHCP.

Further information on the H&F Speech & Language Therapy service can be found on the CLCH Speech and Language Therapy Hub on: Speech and Language Therapy for Children :: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust

The Speech & Language Therapy Hub also has a toolkit of useful resources to support various aspects of children’s communication skills.

Hammersmith and Fulham support with sensory processing

Please see our webpage on sensory processing difficulties for more detailed information: Click here

Where to get more support:

The OT support Hub is a really helpful webpage that has more information on sensory needs and this can be accessed here: Sensory needs :: OT Support Hub

Other helpful links (trusted, easy‑to‑read)

The following websites help explain sensory processing differences and give some strategies on how to help manage these differences. The websites below contains excellent online training (please note, the parent groups are only available for people living in those areas).

The following are some useful books on sensory processing:

  • The out-of-sync child (original) by Carol Stock Kranowitz, C.S (2003) – has some fun activities for children with sensory integrate dysfunction
  • James has a Sensory Processing Disorder: Stories for Special Children by Alison Harris & Nika Oberholster
  • Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for healing your child with sensory processing issues by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske (2009)

Hammersmith and Fulham School Support

All schools have a Special Educational Needs (SEN) budget to help meet the needs of pupils with additional needs. Most children’s needs can be met with this level of support. If you have concerns about how your child is coping at school, speak to your child’s class teacher or Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). Schools can access additional services including the following:

  • H&F Inclusion and Specialist Intervention Outreach Service (INSPIRE):

Provides input to schools supporting children/young people with hearing or visual impairment, autism, language and communication issues, literacy/numeracy difficulties or significant developmental delay. Support may include specialist interventions, assessment, teaching and advice, training and workforce development.

The Inspire team also run weekly online drop-in sessions for parents/carers and for school staff looking for support/advice. Further information can be found on the Inspire hub: Home - Inspire

  • Hammersmith & Fulham Education Psychology Service

Most schools have access to an Educational Psychologist who can provide support and advice around meeting individual children’s needs. This service is only accessed by referrals from the school SENCo so if you have any concerns, speak to the SENCo at your child’s school. The Educational Psychologist will consult with you and key school staff, they may also observe and meet with your child. They will jointly develop a support plan with the school. Further information is available on the following link: Educational Psychology Service | London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

  • Educational Health Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA)

A small number of children and young people may require a higher level of support at school. This is assessed through an EHCNA where professionals are asked to contribute advice and this is collated into an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). Decisions are based on level of need (not diagnoses) and your child’s school will need to demonstrate what support they are already providing for your child. You should always talk to your school SENCo about this in the first instance. For further information, see: Education, health and care plans (EHCP) | London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (lbhf.gov.uk)

  • SEND Information and Advice Support Service (SENDIASS):

This service provides independent advice, information and guidance to parents on issues relating to Special Educational Needs & Disability. For further information, contact: Hammersmith & Fulham Information and Advice Support Service, 141-143 King Street, London, W6 9JG Tel: 020 3886 1582. https://www.hfsendiass.org.uk/

Hammersmith and Fulham parent support & voluntary organisations

  • Stephen Wiltshire Centre Family Hub

Stephen Wiltshire Centre (SWC) is a specialist Family Hub, offering a range of services for children with additional needs or disabilities aged 0-18. SWC is a purpose built building that also hosts a Changing Places Bathroom for members of the public to use.

SWC Family Hub hosts a range of drop-in sessions (Welfare Benefits / SENDIAS / 0-5 Little Explorers Play and Stays) and some that you need to book (Housing Clinic / CAMHS ). We also host a range of one-off workshops run by other organisations, including Parents Active, Cheyne CDS and Early-Years. Our SWC Family Hub Navigator will also be providing drop-ins to provide information and advice.

As part of our Short Break service, we run a weekly drop in (during the term-time) 0-8 Play and Stay for families with children with identified needs and we deliver after-school clubs / weekend clubs and holiday clubs, for children who have been given SWC as part of their assessed Short Breaks package.

SWC Family Hub runs a duty line (0208 753 4443) each weekday (9.30-12.30, Monday-Friday), for parents to call and book into sessions. Our duty line is also able to answer queries and give information about SWC Family Hub services, as well as providing information about services for children with additional needs in H&F and wider afield.

Family Hub Stephen Wiltshire Centre | London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

Other H&F Family Hubs

Families can also access support through the other family hubs, which provide a range of family support, holiday activities, employment/housing advice, and councillor surgeries.

Tudor Rose Community Centre: Tudor Rose Building, Fulham Court, London SW6 5PG

Family Hub Tudor Rose Community Centre | London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

Old Oak Community Centre: 76 Braybrook Street, White City, London W12 0AP

Family Hub Old Oak Community Centre | London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

For further details, contact 020 8753 6070 or email: familyhubs@lbhf.gov.uk

  • Cheyne Child Development Service Coffee Mornings

The Cheyne team run monthly coffee mornings for parents/carers of children and young people who are awaiting assessment or have recently been seen in the service. These provide an opportunity for parents to meet other parents and to receive advice and signposting to support available locally. For further information, please contact the psychology team at: chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

  • Parents Active Parent/Carer Forum

This is a parent/carer forum for residents in Hammersmith & Fulham run by parents of children with disabilities, dedicated to improving the quality of life for disabled children and their families. It provides a support network for parents and carers and holds coffee mornings, training sessions, events and focus groups to support and empower. Parent carers can feedback on services relevant to their child's disability. Call 020 8748 5168, email: info@parentsactive.org.uk, or visit their website at: www.parentsactive.org.uk

  • Centre for ADHD and Autism Support

Supporting neurodivergent individuals and their families to receive the services they need throughout their journey, both pre- and post-diagnosis. For more information, please contact 020 8429 1552 or visit the website:  https://www.adhdandautism.org/

  • Lets Unite for Autism

A not-for-profit organisation that supports autistic children/young people and their families by providing support, education, practical advice, and recreational/leisure-time activities to improve lives and develop skills, capacities and capabilities.

  • National Autistic Society

Provides advice and guidance on a range of topics including assessment, diagnosis, post-diagnostic support, education, health, social care, financial support, etc. For further information, visit their website on www.autism.org.uk/

Further information on the Hammersmith & Fulham  SEND Local Offer

The Local Offer provides further information on local services and support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families: Local Offer for SEND | London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

Support for children in Kensington and Chelsea

      • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

      CAMHS provide mental health assessment and treatment for children and young people aged 0 to 18, and support for their families. Further information on how to get referred to Kensington & Chelsea CAMHS can be found at: CAMHS K+C 

      • Kooth

      Online support where young people (age 11 to 25) can chat to counsellors, keep an on-line journal, read articles written by other young people, and connect with others through a moderated group. Kooth also has a separate section on neurodiversity with useful resources. See: https:/ /kooth.com

      • Mind: Mental Health Support Team

      Provide individual support/advice, workshops and groups, to support children and young people, parents, carers, schools and education staff. Much of this support is school-based so speak to the SENCo at your child’s school to find out if they have access to this support or view the Mind website at: Home | Kensington and Chelsea Mind

      • West London Action for Children

      Provides therapy and counselling for vulnerable children and young people and their families. The service predominantly sees families on low income/family tax credit. For further information, please contact 020 7352 1155 or visit their website: www.wlac.org.uk  

          • Cheyne Clinical Psychology Service

          The Cheyne Clinical Psychology team, along with Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language, Music Therapy, and Specialist Nurses, run the EMBRACE group for parents with children aged 0-7 years. This group focuses on understanding your child, and making sense of their behaviour. For further information, please contact the team at: chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

          • The Whole-Brain Child by Dr Dan Siegel

          This book demystifies meltdowns, explaining the science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. Complete with clear explanations, age-appropriate strategies for dealing with day-to-day struggles, and illustrations. The Whole-Brain Child explains how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives.

          • Cheyne Mental health support webpage

          For further information about supporting mental health please see the Cheyne webpage on mental health support by clicking here. 

          Kensington and Chelsea support with sleep

          • Cerebra

          This charity provides advice and support to families on a range of areas including sleep. Its website has useful information leaflets and parents can also access one-to-one support from its sleep advice service Sleep Advice Service - Cerebra

          • The Sleep Charity, incorporating The Sleep Council

          This charity provides advice and support on sleep. It runs a number of online courses and also has a telephone helpline (Tel: 03303 530 541) run by a team of specialist trained sleep advisors https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/information-support/children/

          • Cheyne Clinical Psychology Team

          The Cheyne Clinical Psychology Team run a sleep workshop for parents and carers with children aged 0-7, covering common issues around sleep. For further information, contact the team at chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

          • Cheyne Sleep support webpage.

          For more information on sleep support please  click here to go to the Cheyne sleep support page. 

          Kensington and Chelsea Support with feeding

          • SOS (for support with feeding)

          This video offers parents and caregivers an introductory view on how complicated feeding/eating is, why children struggle to eat, and how to help children to eat better. Click here to see the video. 

          • The National Autistic Society (NAS)

          The NAS website provides useful information on feeding difficulties. Please click on the link for more information: NAS  

          The Cheyne Clinical Psychology and Occupational Therapy Team run a group to help parents and carers with children aged 0-7 with common issues around feeding. For further information, contact the team at chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

          • Cheyne Sleep support webpage.

          For more information on sleep support please  click here to go to the Cheyne sleep support page. 

          Kensington and Chelsea support with toilet-training and self-care skills 

          • ERIC - The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity provides advice and information on toilet training and common toileting problems at https://eric.org.uk/.
          • Family Fund

          This charity gives grants to families on low income for washing machines, tumble driers or towards costs of bedding and clothing. https://www.familyfund.org.uk/

          • The Children and Young People’s Occupational therapy service (CYPOT)

          Provide information on their website to support children to develop a range of self-care skills. For advice on dressing, feeding, toileting, sleep, handwriting and gross motor skills, go to their website and follow the link to Programmes: Occupational Therapy for children - Inner London :: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust

          • The Cheyne Clinical Psychology/Occupational Therapy team run a group to help parents and carers of children aged 0-7-years, with common issues around toileting. For further information, contact the psychology team at chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

          Kensington and Chelsea support with communication

          • Speech & Language Therapy Service:

          If you have concerns around your child’s speech or other aspects of their communication, you can request a referral to the mainstream Speech and Language Therapy Service via your GP. This service provides an assessment and advice service for school-age children. If your child has an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), they are likely to receive speech and language therapy through their EHCP.

          Further information on the H&F Speech & Language Therapy service can be found on the CLCH Speech and Language Therapy Hub on: Speech and Language Therapy for Children :: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust

          The Speech & Language Therapy Hub also has a toolkit of useful resources to support various aspects of children’s communication skills

          Kensington and Chelsea support with sensory processing

          Please see our webpage on sensory processing difficulties for more detailed information: Click here

          Where to get more support:

          The OT support Hub is a really helpful webpage that has more information on sensory needs and this can be accessed here: Sensory needs: OT Support Hub

          Bi-borough Inclusion Service

          The bi-borough inclusion service have a training session for staff and parents/carers called practical sensory strategies. Find more information about this here: Westminster Special School - Practical Sensory Strategies. More information about the bi-boroughs training offer can be found here: 

          Additional information:

          The following websites help explain sensory processing differences and give some strategies on how to help manage these differences. The websites below contains excellent online training (please note, the parent groups are only available for people living in those areas).

          Kensington and Chelsea school support

          All schools have a Special Educational Needs (SEN) budget to help them meet the needs of pupils with additional needs. Most children’s needs can be met with this level of support. If you have concerns about how your child is coping at school, speak to your child’s class teacher and/or the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). Schools have access to a number of additional services including the following:

          Bi-borough Inclusion Service – Autism Advisory team: Specialist teachers who offer support for students with special educational needs and parents: Click here 

          Kensington & Chelsea - Educational Health Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA).

          A small number of children and young people may require a higher level of support at school. This is assessed through an EHCNA where professionals are asked to contribute advice, and this is collated into an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). Decisions are based on level of need (not diagnoses) and your child’s school will need to demonstrate what support they are already providing for your child. You should always talk to your school SENCo about this in the first instance. Further information click here. 

          Education Psychology Service

          Most schools have access to an Educational Psychologist who can provide support and advice around meeting individual children’s needs. This service is only accessed by referrals from the school SENCo, so if you have any concerns, contact the SENCO about this. The Educational Psychologist will consult with you and key school staff, and may also observe and meet with your child to jointly develop a support plan with the school. Family Information Hub | Educational Psychology Consultation Service

          Kensington & Chelsea SEND Information and Advice Support Service

          Provides confidential and impartial information, advice and support for parents, children and young people in Kensington & Chelsea aged 0-25 with SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disability). IASS (SEND) - Full of Life

          Kensington and Chelsea parent support & voluntary organisations

          • Centre for ADHD and Autism Support (CAAS)

          Supporting neurodivergent young people (age 11-25) and their families to receive the services they need throughout their journey, both pre- and post-diagnosis. For more information, please contact 020 8429 1552 or visit the website: https://www.adhdandautism.org/

          • Family Lives

              This is a charity that provides targeted early intervention and crisis support to families: https://www.familylives.org.uk/

          Further information on Kensington and Chelsea  SEND Local Offer

          This website offers free music therapy groups for children with SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disability) and their parents. Twice a month they run groups for 3-10year olds, 11-18year olds, and 19-30year olds. Music Therapy — In deep

          Support for families in Westminster

          Westminster support with mental health, behaviour and emotional regulation

          • Kooth Online Wellbeing Community

          Online support where young people (age 11 to 25) can chat to counsellors, keep an on-line journal, read articles written by other young people, and connect with others through a moderated group. Kooth also has a separate section on neurodiversity with useful resources. See: https:/ /kooth.com

            • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

            CAMHS provide mental health assessment and treatment for children and young people aged 0 to 18, and support for their families. Further information on how to get referred to Westminster CAMHS can be found at https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/camhs

            • Mind: Mental Health Support Teams (MHST)

            Provide individual support/advice, workshops and groups, to support children and young people, parents, carers, schools and education staff. Much of this support is school-based so speak to the SENCo at your child’s school to find out if they have access to this support or view the Mind website at: Mind in Brent Wandsworth & Westminster 

            • Cheyne Clinical Psychology Service

            The Cheyne Clinical Psychology team, along with Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language, Music Therapy, and Specialist Nurses, run the EMBRACE group for parents with children aged 0-7 years. This group focuses on understanding your child, and making sense of their behaviour. For further information, please contact the team at: chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

            • The Whole-Brain Child by Dr Dan Siegel

            This book demystifies meltdowns, explaining the science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. Complete with clear explanations, age-appropriate strategies for dealing with day-to-day struggles, and illustrations. The Whole-Brain Child explains how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives.

            • Cheyne mental health support webpage

            For further information about supporting mental health please see the Cheyne webpage on mental health support by clicking here. 

            Westminster support with sleep

            • Cerebra

            This charity provides advice and support to families on a range of areas including sleep. Its website has useful information leaflets and parents can also access one-to-one support from its sleep advice service Sleep Advice Service - Cerebra

            • The Sleep Charity, incorporating The Sleep Council

            This charity provides advice and support on sleep. It runs a number of online courses and also has a telephone helpline (Tel: 03303 530 541) run by a team of specialist trained sleep advisors https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/information-support/children/

            • Cheyne Clinical Psychology Team

            The Cheyne Clinical Psychology Team run a sleep workshop for parents and carers with children aged 0-7, covering common issues around sleep. For further information, contact the team at chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

            • Cheyne sleep support webpage.

            For more information on sleep support please click here to go to the Cheyne sleep support page. 

            Westminster support with feeding and eating

            • SOS (for support with feeding)

            This video offers parents and caregivers and introductory view on how complicated feeding/eating is, why children struggle to eat, and how to help children to eat better. Click here to see the video. 

            • The National Autistic Society (NAS)

            The NAS website provides useful information on feeding difficulties. Please click on the link for more information: NAS  

            The Cheyne Clinical Psychology and Occupational Therapy Team run a group to help parents and carers with children aged 0-7 with common issues around feeding. For further information, contact the team at chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

            • Cheyne sleep support webpage 

            For more information on sleep support please click here to go to the Cheyne sleep support page. 

            Westminster support with toilet training and self-care skills 

            • ERIC - The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity provides advice and information on toilet training and common toileting problems at https://eric.org.uk/.
            • Family Fund

            This charity gives grants to families on low income for washing machines, tumble driers or towards costs of bedding and clothing. https://www.familyfund.org.uk/

            • The Children and Young People’s Occupational therapy service (CYPOT)

            Provide information on their website to support children to develop a range of self-care skills. For advice on dressing, feeding, toileting, sleep, handwriting and gross motor skills, go to their website and follow the link to Programmes: Occupational Therapy for children - Inner London :: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust

            • The National Autistic Society website provides information on toilet-training autistic children at: NAS toilet training web page 
            • The Cheyne Clinical Psychology/Occupational Therapy team run a group to help parents and carers of children aged 0-7-years, with common issues around toileting. For further information, contact the psychology team at chelwest.ccds.psychology@nhs.net

            Westminster support with communication

            • Speech & Language Therapy Service:

            If you have concerns around your child’s speech or other aspects of their communication, you can request a referral to the mainstream Speech and Language Therapy Service via your GP. This service provides an assessment and advice service for school-age children. If your child has an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), they are likely to receive speech and language therapy through their EHCP.

            Further information on the H&F Speech & Language Therapy service can be found on the CLCH Speech and Language Therapy Hub on: Speech and Language Therapy for Children :: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust

            The Speech & Language Therapy Hub also has a toolkit of useful resources to support various aspects of children’s communication skills.

            Westminster support with sensory processing

            Please see our webpage on sensory processing difficulties for more detailed information: Click here

            Where to get more support:

            The OT support Hub is a really helpful webpage that has more information on sensory needs and this can be accessed here: Sensory needs: OT Support Hub

            Bi-borough Inclusion Service

            The bi-borough inclusion service have a training session for staff and parents/carers called practical sensory strategies. Find more information about this here: Westminster Special School - Practical Sensory Strategies. More information about the bi-boroughs training offer can be found here: 

            Additional information:

            The following websites help explain sensory processing differences and give some strategies on how to help manage these differences. The websites below contain excellent online training (please note, the parent groups are only available for people living in those areas).

            Westminster school support

            All schools have a Special Educational Needs (SEN) budget to help them meet the needs of pupils with additional needs. Most children’s needs can be met with this level of support. If you have concerns about how your child is coping at school, speak to your child’s class teacher and/or the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). Schools have access to a number of additional services including the following:

            Bi-borough Inclusion Service – Autism Advisory Team: Specialist teachers who offer support for students with special educational needs and parents: Click here 

            Westminster - Educational Health Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA)

            A small number of children and young people may require a higher level of support at school. This is assessed through an EHCNA where professionals are asked to contribute advice, and this is collated into an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). Decisions are based on level of need (not diagnoses) and your child’s school will need to demonstrate what support they are already providing for your child. You should always talk to your school SENCo about this in the first instance. See website link: Click here. 

            Education Psychology Service

            Most schools have access to an Educational Psychologist who can provide support and advice around meeting individual children’s needs. This service is only accessed by referrals from the school SENCo, so if you have any concerns, contact the SENCO about this. The Educational Psychologist will consult with you and key school staff, they may also observe and meet with your child to jointly develop a support plan with the school. Family Information Hub | Educational Psychology Consultation Service

            Westminster SEND Information and Advice Support Service

            Provides confidential and impartial information, advice and support for parents, children and young people in Westminster aged 0-25 with SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disability). WIASS – Westminster Information Advice Support Service

            Westminster Parent Support & Voluntary Organisations

            • Centre for ADHD and Autism Support (CAAS)

            Supporting neurodivergent young people (age 11-25) and their families to receive the services they need throughout their journey, both pre- and post-diagnosis. For more information, please contact 020 8429 1552 or visit the website: https://www.adhdandautism.org/

            • Family Lives

            This is a charity that provides targeted early intervention and crisis support to families.

             https://www.familylives.org.uk/

            • Make It Happen

            Make It Happen supports parents/ carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Westminster. We provide guidance and advocacy on education, health, social care, and all SEND-related matters to help families navigate available services, as well as shaping new resources. https://wppg.org.uk 

            • Incredibly Elev8ed

            This is a non-profit foundation developed by parents, for parents: https://www.incredibly-elev8ed.com/

            Further information on Westminster SEND Local Offer

            • Westminster SEND Local offer - Information directory of local services for children, young people and families with special educational needs. 

            • Further information on services and support available locally can be found on Westminster’s council website Local Offer page: Homepage | Westminster City Council

            • In Deep Music Therapy

              This website offers free music therapy groups for children with SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disability) and their parents. Twice a month they run groups for 3-10 year olds, 11-18 year olds, and 19-30 year olds. Music Therapy — In deep