These inclusive music sessions are:

• Free

• Interactive

• In person

• For young people aged 12 to 18

Using music tech, this session will suit both a complete beginner or knowledgeable musician.

A group for women in the North East (18+) with learning disabilities and/or autism.  Make new friends, do new things and feel safe whilst doing so.  Anyone who identifies as a women is welcome.  

Trips out, coffee morning, pamper sessions and MORE.

There is no cost to attend the group.  On days where there are entry fees, ticket costs, or food and drinks, group members much pay for themselves.  

Email andrea.mullen@skillsforpeople.org.uk or call 0191 281 8737 to learn more. 

Geordie Mums is a self-advocacy, social and supportive group for Mums with a learning disability and autistic Mums.

The group meets once a month, on a Wednesday morning.

The group always welcomes new members. To find out more, or to talk about joining the group, please get in touch by phone or email. 

A safe and welcoming group for autistic people to connect with each other.  

Please ring the office on 0191 281 8737 and let us know if you would like to come. 

For more information you can email emily.walsh@skillsforpeople.org.uk 

This is a FREE service for parents/carers of children going through the diagnostic process or with a diagnosis of autism.

These groups give support, advice and information on services available to families. Trained autism practitioners will run sessions that aim to:

A parent and toddler group is a welcoming and friendly group of adults. This includes mothers, fathers, childminders or carers.

They all come together in their own community with their children who are under the age of 5, including those with special needs.  

Parent and toddler groups offer play opportunities for children from birth to 5 year old, as well as an opportunity to mix with others. They also offer support to adults and a break from the normal routines of the day. 

The FAB (Fantastic and Brilliant) Group is a group of young people aged 11 to 25 who have SEND. 

Every month, the FAB Group come together to make friends and share experiences.

Learn more on our website: https://children-ne.org.uk/fab-group/ 

We believe in the importance of a support network of people who understand.

Masquer-Aid is a programme for young people aged 11-25 who have recently found out they are neurodivergent or are waiting for a diagnosis. They will take part in a 12-week programme where they learn about what it means to be neurodivergent and talk about shared experiences.

Come along to these friendly coffee mornings. These are for parents and carers of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Have a nice cup of tea or coffee, and chat with other parents.  You can also find out about what support is available in Newcastle. 

There are several coffee mornings that take place once a month in Newcastle. See the 2025 summer timetable below for upcoming coffee mornings:

The Newcastle Community Team for Learning Disabilities is based at Benton House in Newcastle.

The Adult team provides specialist assessment and treatment to people aged 18 years and over with a learning disability and additional health needs, where the person’s needs are complex and require an integrated approach to care and treatment that cannot be met through mainstream services.

Outreach clinic to provide people with a learning disability who have offended or show offending type behaviour(s), and those involved in caring for them the opportunity to seek advice and support on managing day to day forensic issues.

Areas covered: Cumbria, Sunderland and Newcastle

How to get referred:

Referrals must be made through local community nursing teams for each locality.

The team will work with children/young people between the ages of 4-18 with a learning disability and or Autism Spectrum Disorder where their behaviour that challenges occurs as a result of the young person having limited abilities to communicate distress, and get their needs met in other more adaptive ways.

How to refer:

All referrals must come from a Community CYPS team; it is essential that a care co-ordinator is identified. Consultation clinics are held monthly in each locality where potential referrals can be taken to be discussed.

The Secure Outreach Transition Team (SOTT), provides assessment, intervention, treatment, management and supervision for service users with a learning disability and/or autism spectrum disorder who are:
• Currently in secure care
• In the community following discharge from a period of secure care
• In the community having been referred due to offences or offending behaviour that represents a risk to the general public and who potentially may require admission to secure care.

Our children’s acute physiotherapy team provide a comprehensive range of services for babies, children and young people with musculoskeletal, neurological or cardio-respiratory conditions.

The services we deliver range from treatments for common disorders, to more specialist care for complex problems, such as hydrotherapy, non-invasive ventilation and Ponsetti casting for congenital foot deformities.

Our children’s community therapy services team provide highly specialised physiotherapy and occupational therapy to children who have long-term disabilities and complex health needs.

We work to support the child and their family to reach their greatest physical potential. This includes giving support to schools, respite agencies, and other local community services that children and their families may use.

We provide a specialist regional service to children and their families covering a large geographical area – as far north as the Scottish Borders, south to the North Yorkshire across to the west coast.

Based at the Great North Children’s Hospital, we look after children from new-born through to 18 years old who require ventilatory support.

The majority of our patients that require assistance are managed with mask ventilation overnight however we also support children with tracheostomy who are dependent on ventilation 24 hours a day. 

The children's speech and language therapy service provides expert guidance and support around children’s speech, language and communication.

Our commitment is to help children communicate to the best of their ability.

We aim to minimise any negative impact of speech, language or communication difficulties for the child and their family, as well as on their education and social lives.

Our geographical boundary is Newcastle and we also treat children through regional services.

 We can provide specialist support for:

We offer direct and indirect speech and language therapy input for young people in further education, who have speech and language therapy agreed in their educational health care plan (EHCP).

This may include students who have autism, learning difficulties or hearing impairment as well as a wide range of speech, language and communication difficulties.

The Community Multiple Sclerosis Team, based at Walkergate Park in Newcastle,  is a multidisciplinary team working with people, and their families/carers, who have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). The service provides therapy, information, advice and continued support from diagnosis to end of life.

The team involved in your care could include:

• Physiotherapists
• Rehabilitation Assistants
• Occupational Therapists
• Neuro Rehabilitation Nurse Specialist

Lamesley is an acute admission ward based at the Hadrian Clinic, Campus for Ageing and Vitality in Newcastle upon Tyne. Lamesley has 18 beds providing assessment and treatment by a multi disciplinary team. They will support you to develop new skills to manage your mental health. During your stay you will be offered the following treatments and therapies:
• Occupational therapy – helps with individual or group activities and daily living skills
• Physiotherapy – help with mobility or movement problems or by providing access to gym facilities

A child who has been in the care of their local authority for more than 24 hours is known as a looked after child. Looked after children are also often referred to as children in care. The majority of looked after children are cared for by foster carers or family members other than their parents. A small number of these children are in residential homes.

Children who enter the care system often have more health needs than other children, which means that they often require additional health support.

16 beds (with fully equipped interim flat) providing highly specialised and integrated multi disciplinary rehabilitation for adults following an acquired brain injury or other neurological disease/illness (patients must be medically stable).

How to get Referred
Via single point of access, Donna Lowther.

The Mental Health and Deafness Service, based at Walkergate Park in Newcastle upon Tyne,  is for deaf and deafblind people aged 18 years or older who mainly use British Sign Language to communicate and who have mental health problems. We work with the Community Treatment Team (CTT) in your local area.

How  can I get referred?

You can be referred by a Specialist Mental Health Service.

The children’s health psychology team provide a range of services for children and young people who have psychological issues related to physical conditions, injury and illness.

As well as services for young patients themselves, we can also support family members and carers.

The Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team is a team of experienced  mental health staff, which includes nurses, social workers, psychiatrists and pharmacy staff. We offer assessment and home treatment for people over 16 experiencing a mental health crisis, as an alternative to hospital admission.

The team operates across Newcastle and Gateshead 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  However, the crisis team does not provide an ’emergency’ service such as a 999 response.