EarlyBird is a course for parents who have a child under 5 with a diagnosis of autism. It is a 10-week course consisting of 8 face to face group sessions and 2 home visits.

The programme aims to support parents post diagnosis and establish good practice in supporting their child at an early age.

Does your child have a special educational need or disability?

Come to our support group. It’s a friendly place for parents and carers to chat and get advice.

• Get advice from professionals.

• Talk to other parents and carers.

• Share ideas.

This group meets on the first Monday of every month. 

No need to book - just turn up.

Are you a neurodivergent young person aged 16-25 who could benefit from a mentor to support you with the skills for employment? 

The Neurodiversity Employability Project works with neurodivergent young people, whether you have a formal diagnosis or self-identify. We match young people across Tyne and Wear with mentors who can help you:

MOVErs & Explorers is a free pre-school support group at Percy Hedley School providing a range of fun, nurturing, sensory based programmes. It is for families with young children who have neurological or motor disorders (such as cerebral palsy).  They may also have associated speech, language and communication difficulties.  Children are welcome to attend from the age of 3 months to preschool.

Sessions aim to work with parents develop their child’s physical, cognitive, social and communication skills via explorative play. 

Friends Action North East (FANE) support adults with learning disabilities and autism to meet new people and make lasting friendships.

Their services include:

• one to one mentoring programme where adults are supported to develop friendships, learn friendship skills and be more active in their community

• supported social activities

• workshops around friendship and social interaction

Visit their website to find more information: https://www.friendsaction.co.uk/

Join our friendship mentoring programme and get access to the following support:

• Your own volunteer mentor to help with friendship and confidence skills

• Free workshops about social skills and building healthy relationships

• Regular social and well being groups supported by trained staff and volunteers​

• Telephone befriending

• Travel buddy support

To find out more call 0191 231 4327 or email info@friendsaction.co.uk

For parent and carers we host a weekly Coffee Morning every Thursday between 9.30 – 11.30am, (term-time only).  Our coffee mornings provide an opportunity for parents to chat to other families and mutually support each other.  

Coffee Morning refreshments are provided free of charge.

Families with pre-school or home educated children are welcome to bring your child(ren) with you, but please be aware they remain your responsibility at all times.

A course to help parents/carers manage the behaviour of people with learning disabilities and/or autism. It will help you understand their behaviour and ways to support them.

Find out more about Positive Behaviour Support here: Positive Behavioural Support

For more information about this course, call 0191 281 8737 or email information@skillsforpeople.org.uk. 

Daisy Chain offers a variety of free online learning sessions to support individuals and families. These sessions are available to families in the North East and Yorkshire.

What Autism Central Offers:

• High-quality autism education, training, and support.

• Peer educators who are autistic people, and parents and carers of autistic people, trained to support other families.

• A dedicated website for resources and information.

Who Can Join:

NEAS Newcastle Autism Hubs are a supportive environment for parents and carers of autistic children. Currently these hubs offer:

• one-to-one sessions where families can discuss any issues in confidence

• workshops designed to help parents understand and support their autistic children. 

The workshops cover topics such as common misconceptions, differences in autistic children, and practical strategies for everyday life.

For parents/carers of children who are on the diagnostic pathway or post diagnosis of Autism. Children must be living in Newcastle.

Supporting your autistic child workshop

These sessions will cover:

• worries and action planning

• common misconceptions

• differences in autistic children

• practical strategies to use in everyday life

We have the following dates available:

Drop in anytime between 10am and 12pm on the dates listed.

Each month there is a focus on a particular topic. However, you can talk with us about any other sexual health and relationships topics.

There is no cost.  Free Condoms and sexually transmitted infection (STI) test kits are available at all sessions!

For more information, please get in touch via email or phone.  

These workshops cover a wide range of topics.  Come along if you would like to learn more about sex and relationships.

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:

The Community Eating Disorder Service (CEDS) provides community support and hospital inreach. This specialist eating disorder service supports young people and their families in the community to manage their condition and prevent hospital admission. They provide family based therapy in a range of settings as well as specialist clinical assessment and inreach to paediatric and acute mental health settings.

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

At Advantage Healthcare, we employ motivated and dedicated people who have 24-hour back-up through local hubs and our out-of-hours on-call team. We provide continuity of care to our patients and are diligent in matching our staff with clients to ensure long-lasting placements. All our staff are supervised and given ongoing training.

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.

14 beds providing a behaviourally managed environment in which people with cognitive, emotional or behavioural outcome of an acquired brain injury can have access to rehabilitation.

How to get Referred:
Via Consultant

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.