Needs Led Neurodevelopmental Pathway

This page provides more information for young people, families and professionals about our needs led approach, the assessment diagnostic process and the support available before, during and after assessment.

Across Darlington, we have a ‘needs led’ neurodevelopmental pathway as we want to make sure you and your child are supported as much as possible, if you or a professional thinks that your child has a neurodevelopmental need. These are needs which are associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

We have created a ‘bubble of support’ across your local area with many services which can offer advice, guidance or support. There is also a very active Parent Carer Forum which can offer peer support. Details of all the support available is listed below. There is also a comprehensive ‘virtual’ offer which provides alternative websites and support tips for you to try at home.

If you live in the Tees Valley, the Family Support Service, delivered by Daisy Chain, is here for you. The team supports children and young people aged 0-18 years and their families, no matter where they are on their Autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing or Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) journey. This means that your child or young person does not need to have a diagnosis or be on the neurodevelopmental pathway to access support from the service. The Family Support team is here to listen to your concerns and offer support.

Click here to find out more about the Family Support Service.

Details of the family support service drop-in sessions for local families can be found here.

Please take time to look through the Self Help and Virtual Offer advice and guidance as there are various organisations, websites, and videos for you to access. All have been recommended by NHS England and the Regional Parent Carer Forum. Please take time to explore all the information provided, as there are a selection of strategies, activities, and webinars for you to access.

The SEND Local Offer is for families, children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities from birth to 25 years old. It provides local information, advice and support about education, health & social care. Each Local Authority have a local offer:

To access the local offer for Darlington Click Here

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation have made all their videos about managing behaviour that challenges available online. Please visit the following links to view these videos:

Video challenging behaviour
Challenging Behaviour Foundation.

The Challenging Behaviour website also offers lots of helpful advice and guidance for parents, carers, and professionals.

Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) is an evidence-based approach which is recognised as best practice in supporting people with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge. The overall goal is to improve a person’s quality of life and the lives of people around them and minimise the chances of behaviour that challenges happening in the first place.

The North East and Cumbria PBS Steering Group has worked with partners from across the health and care sector, including Northumbria University to develop a website which provides information and resources to support families around PBS on upcoming events, courses and latest news. For more information please visit here.

Below is the link to a short film created to showcase the co-production of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) training for parents of children with a learning disability, autism, or both. The project has been created by parents who work at Skills for People working alongside North East and Cumbria PBS Community of Practice. The film was made by Beacon Films and funded by an NHS England / NHS Improvement, sharing, and celebrating patient and public involvement in the Healthcare Community Grant.

The video (with subtitles) can be accessed here.

Returning to School: The following webinar, delivered by colleagues from NHS Cumbria, Northumberland & Wear (CNTW) and NHS Tees Esk & Wear Valley (TEWV) Foundation Trusts, provides families with support and strategies for managing behaviour and worry when returning to school.

Autism Central
This is a new programme, co-designed to provide high-quality and accessible autism information, education and coaching for families, and carers, and co-delivered by autistic people, families and carers. Autism Central has been commissioned by NHS England’s Workforce, Training and Education Team and is delivered nationally by nine not-for-profit organisations.

Find out more about the project and apply here.

Understanding Autism
The following website can give everyone a better understanding of what autism is, for more information please visit here.

Transformed children centres in local authority areas ensure all families can access the support they need. The programmes will:

provide support to parents and carers so they are able to nurture their babies, children and young people, improving health and education outcomes for all
contribute to a reduction in inequalities in health and education outcomes for babies, children, young people and families across by ensuring that support provided is communicated to all parents and carers, including those who are hardest to reach and/or most in need of it
build the evidence base for what works when it comes to improving health and education outcomes for babies, children, young people and families in different delivery contexts

For more information and how to access children centres in Darlington, please visit here.

The 0-19 Service is a team of specialist public health nurses that include health visitors and school nurses. The roles of this team are to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of children and young people aged from birth to 19 years old. More information can be found by visiting Darlington 0-19 team.

Parent Carer Forums work in partnership with Health and Social Care to ensure that the voices of parents and carers of children and young people are heard. The parent carer forums will also offer support, advice, and guidance to families with Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). To access your local parent carer forum please visit:

The Darlington Parent Carer Forum

To access regional parent carer forum information please visit here.

Parents can get Special Educational Needs (SEN) help and advice by visiting:

Darlington SENCO information

Please check the following link to see if your child’s school is involved Mental health support teams in schools

Further information for parents can be accessed by visiting here.

Young people can access this support through education and by contacting either Alliance or school’s mental health and wellbeing lead direct. Young people can self-refer via an online e-referral process and parent and carers can also refer on their behalf. A response is aimed for within 24 hours of referral being made. For further information and how to access use the following:

E-Referral or Instagram @alliancemhst

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Crisis Team – offer 24/7 support for children and young people in mental health crisis. Call 08000 516171 or visit the website at CAMHS crisis and liaison service.

MIND is a Mental Health charity in Darlington with the aim that everyone in the local area has good mental health. The charity works with all individuals across all communities to ensure they can access support to improve their emotional wellbeing. For further information please visit here.

The North East & North Cumbria Child Health & Wellbeing Network works to bring organisations together to design and deliver joined up services to provide improved outcomes for children and young people. For more information please visit here.

Below are a list of national resources and information for families to access:

This May Help – Children’s Mental Health Advice for Parents and Carers
This May Help, is a new national initiative providing mental health advice to parents and carers. This May Help is aimed at parents and carers who may have concerns about their child’s mental health and is part funded by the Quality Improvement Taskforce for Children and Young People’s Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Inpatient Services.

The website gives easy-to-follow advice to help families manage their child’s mental health. This advice was developed by NHS professionals and parents who’ve been through their own child’s mental health journey. Parents and carers have shared advice that helped them and that may also help other families. Professionals who work with children and young people are also being encouraged to use the website.

The advice covered on This May Help includes, self-harm, gaming and online activity, teenagers’ safety, eating disorders, school avoidance, understanding mental health, understanding teenagers, online threats, building rapport, building resilience, building a support network, self-care tips, managing an emergency, managing in a crisis, and preparing for a children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) appointment.

These subjects were chosen by families and young people who have gone through their own mental health challenges. Gary Lineker, Myleene Klass, and Tanni Grey-Thompson are amongst 16 presenters featured in the films. Please click here to access more information.

Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families – provides research, developing clinical practice and policy and workforce development nationally, working to support families of children and young people with mental disorders and associated challenges by developing resilience and supporting to manage these challenges. Visit AnnaFreud website for further information.

Kooth is a free, online forum and counselling/mental health support for young people aged 11+. Visit Kooth to find out more. QWELL is a free, online and counselling/mental health support for adults. Visit Qwell to find out more.

Recovery College Online provides free resources to help support people struggling with mental health difficulties. Visit the recovery college online to find out more.

Childline – free, private, and confidential service where children can talk about anything. Visit Update from Childline

Shout 85258 – free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. Visit here.

WeheartCBT – free CBT resources to help schools, parents and professionals support children with mental health difficulties. Visit here or on Twitter @WeHeartCBT

The Learning Disability Matters website for families has a range of resources to support family resilience and health and wellbeing of children and young people with a learning disability.

The Early Help team provide support to a family when a problem emerges, at any stage in a child or young person’s life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years. For more information visit:

Early Help for Darlington.

Early Years is a team of skilled and experienced specialist staff that provide specialist home support for very young children with complex needs. Find out more here.

The North East Autism Society (NEAS) is a registered charity that work together to inspire, support, celebrate and equip autistic and neurodivergent people to fulfil their potential in life. The organisation offers a wealth of knowledge to support families living with autism.

For more information please visit North East Autism Society.

Carer support services provide a range of different services to help support adults, children and young people who are in a caring role. More information can be found by visiting the following links:

Support for young carers and young adult carers and/or support for adults

The Tees Valley Sleep service supports families who have a child with any additional needs by using a tiered approach offering support, resources, workshops and assessments.

For more information please visit Tees Valley Sleep Service

Independent travel training is tailored and practical help for people to travel by public transport, on foot or by bike. It aims to help children and young people travel independently and without fear so they can get to school or college, work and for social and leisure activities.

For Darlington, please visit here.

The Speech and Language Therapy service work with children and young people who have a speech, language and communication needs or difficulties with eating, drinking, and swallowing.

As well as working with children and young people the service also provide support to families and carers, teachers, and other adults around them. The service aims to develop their best possible communication skills, considering their individual abilities and needs.

Speech and Language Therapy in Darlington is provided by North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust Speech and language therapy for children.

Other speech, language and communication resources you might find useful:
South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Paediatric Speech & Language Therapy
South Tees NHS Speech Therapy YouTube channel
BBC website ‘Tiny Happy people’

Sensory ideas for the home

A recorded webinar has been developed by an Occupational Therapist to outline tips and guidance for supporting children and young people with sensory needs within the home.

Check out the following website for useful ideas, top tips and information for children's occupation therapy.

North Tees Autism information and guidance
Darlington Borough Council Early Years and childcare
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

The Neurodevelopmental Pathway Team

A team has been developed specifically to co-ordinate the assessments and support which a child and their family might need whilst undergoing an assessment for ASD and ADHD. The service is provided by Tees, Esk & Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) and is for children aged between 5 and 18 who are registered with a GP in Darlington.

The team aims to support young people, parents and carers as much as possible throughout their assessment process and is happy to offer support and advice. For any additional information, please contact tewv.darlingtonneuro@nhs.net

For children aged under 5, the referral route remains the same with all children seeing a paediatrician. However, please speak to your health visitor for further advice and support and access the services available through the Bubble of Support.

Additional Information

The following documents include a guide on how to refer your child and the Referral form:

County Durham and Darlington Neurodevelopmental Assessment Pathway Additional Information

Referral Form

This information is to help children, young people, their families, and the professionals who support them within County Durham understand how to access support for needs associated with a neurodevelopmental condition.

If you would like to make a referral for your child or a child you are supporting to the County Durham Needs Led Neurodevelopmental Diagnostic Pathway please visit here to download the referral form. The form should be completed as fully as possible by the parent(s) or carer(s) of the child, and at least one professional who knows the child. A teacher, nursery teacher, health visitor or social worker are all examples of professionals who may know the child.

This form is for children aged between 5 and 18 years old. For children aged under 5 please speak to your GP or Health Visitor.

In County Durham, the telephone number for the Health Visiting service is 03000 263 538.

If you’re not registered with a GP practice, you can use the NHS website to find the one nearest to you and information on how to register.

*This diagram and all wording on this webpage is subject to review by MCT, Summer 2024

The word neurodevelopmental refers to the development of the nervous system, including the brain. Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities are examples of neurodevelopmental differences. Often these are a spectrum, with variations in the characteristics and severity of any potential differences.

Someone with a neurodevelopmental condition may be referred to as being neurodivergent.

Neurodivergent
The brains of people who are neurodivergent functions, learns and processes information differently to those who are neurotypical.

Neurotypical
The brains of people who are neurotypical functions and processes information in the way society expects.

Neurodivergent is an "umbrella" term which includes a wide range of conditions and disabilities such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), sensory processing differences, anxiety, and social and communication differences.

If you have access to the internet there are a couple of short, helpful videos from Differing Minds which explain neurodiversity. Either click the links below or type the following www.youtube.com/@DifferingMinds

What is neurodiversity? (youtube.com)

Neurodiversity for Children - Part 1 - Different Brains (youtube.com)

Neurodiversity for Children - Part 2 - What is Neurodiversity? (youtube.com)

The County Durham Needs Led Neurodevelopmental Diagnostic Pathway was created to ensure that children and young people who have needs that may or may not be related to neurodevelopment, are supported to have those needs met.

Having an actual diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition is not a prerequisite to a child’s needs being met.

The County Durham Needs Led Neurodevelopmental Diagnostic Pathway isn’t focussed on providing just an Autism or ADHD assessment, although if an assessment is appropriate, it can be accessed through the pathway (this is called a neurodevelopmental assessment). The pathway is focussed on understanding all your child’s strengths and builds on those to make sure they get the support they need to thrive. There are many ways that we can support your child depending on what they (and the adults who care for them) need as individuals.

To access the pathway, you and at least one professional who knows your child need to fully complete the referral form and submit it.

If the form is not fully completed or not enough information has been provided, the form will be returned to you. You and your professional(s) will need to include the missing information and re-submit the form before it can be accepted.

The information that you provide on the referral form plus any other information that’s available, is considered by a group of specially trained people working as a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary panel. The panel discuss why your child / young person has the needs they do and agree how best to support them.

The Panel take lots of factors into account, and if they feel they need more information to decide, they will always aim to seek this out. This allows for a range of professionals to input to how best to support your child's needs.

The Panel can discuss 50 children's referrals each week. In County Durham, there are between 70 and 80 referral forms received every week. This means that you will have to wait a few weeks from submitting the referral form before its discussed by the Panel.

The Panel will provide you with feedback and their recommendations of how best to support your child. If the Panel think a neurodevelopmental assessment is appropriate the referral form will be accepted by the County Durham Needs Led Neurodevelopment Assessment Service (delivered by Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust) and your child will join the assessment waiting list. You will not need to complete another referral form.

The Panel is made up of specialists from:

County Durham Neurodevelopmental Assessment Service
County Durham SEND and Inclusion Support Service
County Durham Early Help Team

"The hardest part of getting any kind of support for yourself and your child is taking that first step. Yes it is scary talking to someone you don't know for the first time, or telling someone that you need help. But you've got to do it and you can do it. If you're waiting for someone to notice that you need help, and for them to go get it for you, you might be waiting a very long time.

Find a group of parents who also have neurodiverse children and join them. They've been there and got the T shirt. Talking with others can really help. This is sometimes called "Peer Support" or "Social Support" or "People with Lived Experience". It can be a formal arrangement (a group that meets regularly) or an informal arrangement (a group of friends or people in a similar situation who keep in touch to support each other). There are lots of charities and community groups that offer online virtual meet ups too. You don't have to feel like you're alone, because you're not."

Families tell us that they are often told their child needs a diagnosis from the NHS before they can receive support.

This is not true.

The no diagnosis = no support is a myth.

Families also tell us they expected a lot of support and services to be made available to them once they received a diagnosis and were shocked when the same support available to them before diagnosis is also available after an assessment or diagnosis and the diagnosis does not give access to any additional support.

Don’t wait for support to be offered to you – you can access support for your child and yourself now.

County Durham Family Hubs

All support available through the County Durham Family Hubs is free. As well as parent groups and free training sessions there are coffee morning style drop-in sessions for parents to speak face to face with a neurodiversity specialist in some of the Family Hub buildings.

You do not have to access the Family Hub nearest you, you can go to any in County Durham. Find your nearest Family Hub. Click on each of the Hub locations to see a schedule of activities, along with the location address and telephone number.

Go to help for families and look for “Courses and groups for families of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)” to find out what neurodevelopmental support is on and where.

The County Durham Family Hubs Facebook page is updated every day with useful information and activities/events taking place across all 15 Family Hubs.

Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and our Local Offer

The "Local Offer" in County Durham is designed to help you find the very best support for your child or young person (from birth to 25 years) with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It is here to help you find information, advice and guidance about the types of services and support available to you.

It’s Good To Talk!

If your child is in school, ask for a chat with the school SENCO. Each school has a SENCO who is a teacher that has had extra training in special educational needs and/or disabilities. Any parent can ask to meet with the SENCO to talk about their child/the child they care for.

SENCO
SENCO stands for special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator

If you’d like to talk with other parents, contact Making Changes Together. Making Changes Together are Durham’s official Parent Carer Forum and a group of parent carers volunteers who work with professionals to influence and improve services to children and young people (0-25 years) with special educational needs and disabilities within the Durham local authority area.

The Making Changes Together website has a great list of useful links and support groups.

Durham SEND Information Advice and Support Service

Another good source of support is the Durham SEND Information Advice and Support Service. The service provides confidential information advice and support through a range of services. This includes home visits, attending meetings in educational settings and liaison with all services working with children and young people. Training and guidance to parents/carers, young people and professionals on SEND issues are also provided.

Website: durhamsendiass

Telephone: 0191 587 3541 or 03000 267 007
If you are unable to get through, please leave a voicemail and we will return your call within 5 working days.

Email: sendiass@durham.gov.uk
Online: You can contact us by completing our contact form.
Facebook: Durham SENDIASS Facebook

	How do I get in touch?	Who can they help?	How can they help?
Being a parent of an autistic child (EPEC course) EPEC = Empowering Parents Empowering Communities	Email: EPEC@durham.gov.uk	All families are different, and all autistic children are different. Our free course supports you and your autistic child. For parents, carers, and grandparents.	This is an in-person, 10 week course. If you usually work during the times when the course takes place, get in touch as Family Hubs may be able to support you to attend.
Supporting your autistic child - course from Durham Learn	Durham Learn durhamlearn@durham.gov.uk 03000 266 115	Mams, dads and carers of children or young people who are pre or post autism diagnosis.	A popular series of 10 workshops helping you develop personal coping strategies, communicate better with your child, find out about support both in and out of school. Please note we can enrol you on a course after the start date has passed.
Stepping stones (Triple P) course - course from Family Hubs	Stepping stones (Triple P) course - Durham County Council	Parents who also have a child with a disability or additional needs.	Stepping Stones is for parents of children with a disability or additional need up to the age of 12. It is great if you are struggling with your child's behaviour or if you would like to learn parenting skills to help promote their development and potential.
Supporting your autistic child - workshop by North East Autism Society	To book a place please contact Rebecca Weatherstone on 0191 410 9974 or email rebecca.weatherstone@ne-as.org.uk	Mams, dads and carers of children or young people who are pre or post autism diagnosis.	One off workshop covering, worries and action planning, common misconceptions, differences in autistic children, practical strategies to use in everyday life.
One-to-One session to discuss any issues in confidence with North East Autism Society	To book a session please contact Rebecca Weatherstone on 0191 410 9974 or email rebecca.weatherstone@ne-as.org.uk	Mams, dads and carers of children or young people who are pre or post autism diagnosis.	These appointments are for families that have questions or would like to discuss any issues in confidence.
Online sessions by North East Autism Society	Zoom webinars (ne-as.org.uk)	Mams, dads and carers of children or young people who are pre or post autism diagnosis.	Webinars available through Zoom including: Introduction to supporting autistic children, and Supporting the emotional wellbeing of autistc children
Daisy Chain are the regional hub for Autism Central in the North East and Yorkshire	Delivered by Daisy Chain in 4 Family Hub buildings: Durham (Gilesgate), Peterlee, Chester-le-Street, Bishop Auckland. Daisy Chain contact: 01642 378461 support@daisychainproject.co.uk Daisy chain coffee mornings and workshops - Durham County Council	Parents and carers of children who have a need relating to autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), sensory processing differences, anxiety and social and communication differences.	Coffee mornings and workshops for families of neurodiverse children (with or without a diagnosis). In person workshops: Understanding ADHD Sibling Support Learning Workshop Understanding autistic overwhelm Introduction to ADHD
In-person workshops and events	www.autismcentral.org.uk/events	Parents and carers of children who have a need relating to autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), sensory processing differences, anxiety and social and communication differences.
Online workshops and events	www.autismcentral.org.uk/events	Parents and carers of children who have a need relating to autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), sensory processing differences, anxiety and social and communication differences.	Sessions such as Girls and Autism can be accessed through the website.
Courses to support the health and development of children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)	The Growing Healthy SEND Team Email: hdft.0-25senddurham@nhs.net	Support for families of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Workshops on topics that are often raised by parents and carers of children with SEND. You can attend at any venue and are welcome to attend one, two or all three sessions depending on what you feel would be useful for your family. The workshops are aimed at parents and carers of SEND children aged two to 10 years old.	* Sleeping well with SEND: strategies and support * Empowering Families: SEND children and continence challenges * Sensory challenges and fussy eating: strategies for SEND children
Making Changes Together Parent Carer Training and Workshops	To book places on any of the training sessions please email: tewv.countydurhamcamhstraining@nhs.net	Parents and carers of children who have a need relating to autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), sensory processing differences, anxiety and social and communication differences.	* Understanding Sleep * Understanding Behaviour Development in Children and Young People * Understanding Why Children Might Be Anxious About School * Anxiety, triggers and how to support your children * Emotional Wellbeing of our children and ourselves
Durham SEND Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) drop-in sessions	sendiass@durham.gov.uk 03000 267 007	Durham SEND Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) is a statutory service providing confidential, impartial support and advice for parents, carers, children and young people up to the age of 25 years in relation to special educational needs and disability. SENDIASS operates at 'arm's length' from the council.	Why not pop into one of the monthly drop-in sessions in our Family Hubs if you: * have questions about your child's educational needs * would like more information or support in relation to SEND * need help with transfer arrangements, or paperwork, regarding the choice of your child's next education setting
Educational Psychology drop-in sessions for parents and carers	03000 261 111	Any parent who is concerned about their child can pop in to one of our drop in sessions, where one of our friendly team can offer advice, talk through your concerns and help you plan what to do next.	We can help if, for example: * You are worried your child isn't talking enough. You struggle to know what is best to do when your child has a 'tantrum'. You've noticed your child doesn't play with other children much. * Your child is always on the go and doesn't sit still for any activity. * Your child really struggles to be apart from you.
Pre-school group for children with complex needs (Portage)	Download, complete and return the form on this website Or telephone 03000 263 350 to complete the form over the phone		We are a group of parents and carers of children, young people and adults aged 0-25 who have special educational needs and/or disabilities who live in North Tyneside. Our aim is to support parents and carers in our community enabling them to access services and give them a voice in shaping and developing these services.
North East Parent carer forums regional PBS (Positive Behaviour Support) Workshops	Book via Eventbrite		We are a group of parents and carers of children, young people and adults aged 0-25 who have special educational needs and/or disabilities who live in North Tyneside. Our aim is to support parents and carers in our community enabling them to access services and give them a voice in shaping and developing these services.

Family Hubs Durham Sleep Action Pathway

Families can access lots of support and advice from the County Durham 0-25 Family Health Service through their app. Download from your usual app store to a smart phone or tablet for free, create an account and then scroll to bottom of the home page to access "Sleep Support".

If you do not have access to a smart phone or tablet, here are the links to trusted information about sleep for children of different ages:

In our place - (for babies and young children)

NHS sleep and young children

Sleep action gateway to good sleep

If you have looked at the above and still need support you can telephone to ask for support from your health visitor or a Sleep Action Workshop in the Family Hubs 03000 263 538. The Sleep Action Workshops can be booked through the Growing Healthy app.

Free online Solihull courses, available to parents, carers and grandparents living in County Durham

As a parent, you already know a great deal about your child. What’s different about the Solihull Approach is that it applies key messages from research to add to your understanding of your child.

The courses below can also be support for your emotional wellbeing. Parenting a child, especially one with additional needs can bring a range of big emotions, that at times may feel overwhelming.

Recognising and processing these feelings is a really important part of the care you provide your child.

Understanding your child with additional needs
Understanding the impact of the pandemic on your child
Understanding the impact of the pandemic on your teenager
Understanding your own trauma
Understanding your child's feelings (a taster course)
Understanding your child's mental health and wellbeing
Understanding your child: from toddler to teenager
Understanding your teenager's brain
Understanding your brain (for teenagers only!)
Understanding your feelings (for teenagers only!)

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Our child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) service in County Durham and Darlington offers free online training for parents and carers of children and young people. These sessions are for parents/carers of children and young people aged 0 to 25 years of age.

Understanding why children might be anxious about school
Anxiety (age 5 - 11, or over 11)
Emotional wellbeing
Adolescent sexual development and sexual risk
Child to parent violence and aggression
Understanding sleep
Understanding behaviour development in children and young people

County Durham Early Help Team

Early Help is about identifying where a child or young person and their family might need support in either the early years of a child’s life or in the early stages of a problem at any time in their childhood.

For more information, please visit the portage service.

The Toby Henderson Trust

The Toby Henderson Trust (TTHT) is an independently funded charity supporting autistic children, young people and adults, their families and carers in the North East of England. We have an ongoing programme of FREE webinars, support groups and fundraising events. Webinar subjects covered can include Social Stories, Toileting, Sleep and Managing Meltdowns, to name but a few and are available to all families who reside in the UK.

Alternatively you can book by emailing us at: support@ttht.co.uk or calling: 0300 365 3055

A polite note: Please can we encourage you to only book onto webinars if you can attend (whilst appreciating that cancellation is often unavoidable due to the hectic constraints of family life!) Sadly over 100 booked onto a recent webinar but only 16 attended and we had to turn away others prior to the event who had wanted to join but could not because of capacity. This would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Durham County Carers Support

Durham County Carers Support and Darlington Carers Support offer a variety of different services to local carers. We can work with you to help you find the information you need to care for someone and can inform you about other services to help you look after yourself.

Opening Hours: 9am-5pm Monday-Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)

Address: Durham County Carers Support Enterprise House, Enterprise City Meadowfield Avenue Spennymoor Co Durham DL16 6JF

Telephone: 0300 005 1213 : Text service: 07860017632

Email: admin@dccarers.org

Eric Charity

ERIC is the national charity dedicated to improving children’s bowel and bladder health. They support families to reduce the impact of continence problems for Children and Young People from birth.

Further information can be found by visiting their website.

Council for Disabled Children

The Council for Disabled Children support disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs to have full and happy childhoods, to fulfil their potential, and be active within the community also supporting parents of disabled children to be parents first and live ordinary lives. The service work with health, social care and education services around inclusion, training, education, and policy.

For further information please visit their website.

Little Treasures

We're a volunteer run charity who support autistic adults and children right across the North East. We aim to relieve the needs of autistic adults, children, young people and their parents, carers and siblings by providing facilities for play and recreation in the interests of social welfare in a safe and secure environment, and by providing support and practical advice to parents and carers.

Website

Email - littletreasures18@gmail.com

Tel - 07749681130

Cerebra Sleep Advice Service

Alongside our Sleep Tips booklet and relevant guides, we also offer one-to-one support. This involves completing an application form for your child and two weeks’ worth of sleep diaries which we'll send out to you as long as you come under our criteria for support.

If you need one-to-one support and are a parent/carer or a professional referring a family with their consent to having sleep support, please click the button below to contact the sleep service.

If you have a question or query about our services please visit the website or email us at sleep@cerebra.org.uk.

Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA)

Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (known as IPSEA) is a registered charity operating across England. IPSEA offers free and independent legally based information, advice and support to help get the right education for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

For further information please visit the website.

North East Autism Society

The North East Autism Society offers support to families that have a child or children with autism. For further information please visit or contact the following:

Website Email: info@ne-as.org.uk

Tel: 0191 410 9974

National Autistic Society

The National Autistic Society website has an area dedicated to supporting families. You'll find information about how we can help you to support an autistic family member. You can read stories from other families and access support from our community and branches.

Visit the national autistic society website.

County Durham NHS Talking Therapies Service

Talking Therapies is a FREE self-help, counselling and talking therapies service designed to help anyone living in the County Durham and Darlington area to deal with common mental health problems such as stress, anxiety or depression, as well as panic phobias obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder.

For more information visit durham and darlington talking therapies

Or telephone 0191 333 3300 between 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday

Kooth

Kooth is an online mental health service for all children and young people from 11 year to 18 years. Kooth offers a counselling and emotional well-being platform, accessible through mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers and are free at the point of use. It gives children and young people easy access to an online community of peers and a team of experienced counsellors. Access is free of the typical barriers to support: no waiting lists, no thresholds, no costs, and complete anonymity.

The service offers easily accessible mental health support to young people, irrespective of where they are on the spectrum of mild, moderate, or complex need.

Kooth is anonymous and free to use, making it a powerful early intervention and treatment resource which young people are keen to use. Young people can register on Kooth without having to provide personal details such as their name or address. It provides a safe and non-judgmental place for them to talk, connect and chat with others and know they are not alone.

More information can be found on the website.

Contact: For families with disabled children

Contact help families with disabled children. They provide information and advice relating to early years support, education, and learning, training, and parent carer participation.

For further information on how Contact can support you please visit the website.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences.

The website contains a lot of resources and guides for parents, schools and professionals which can be accessed for free via the website.

Across Hartlepool and Stockton-On-Tees, we have a ‘needs led’ neurodevelopmental pathway as we want to make sure you and your child are supported as much as possible, if you or a professional thinks that your child has a neurodevelopmental need. These are needs which are associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

We have created a ‘bubble of support’ across your local area with many services which can offer advice, guidance or support. There are also very active Parent Carer Forums which can offer peer support. Details of all the support available is listed below. There is also a comprehensive ‘virtual’ offer which can offer alternative websites and support tips for you to try at home.

For a full downloadable description of the pathway, a guide has been written for parents by parents:

Hartlepool - Neurodevelopmental Pathway Guide for parents and carers

Stockton-on-Tees - Neurodevelopmental Pathway Guide for parents and carers

If you live in the Tees Valley, the Family Support Service, delivered by Daisy Chain, is here for you. The team supports children and young people aged 0-18 years and their families, no matter where they are on their Autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing or Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) journey. This means that your child or young person does not need to have a diagnosis or be on the neurodevelopmental pathway to access support from the service. The Family Support team is here to listen to your concerns and offer support.

Click here to find out more about the Family Support Service.

Details of the Hartlepool and Stockton drop-in sessions for local families can be found here.

Video challenging behaviour
Challenging Behaviour Foundation.

The Challenging Behaviour website also offers lots of helpful advice and guidance for parents, carers, and professionals.

Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) is an evidence-based approach which is recognised as best practice in supporting people with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge. The overall goal is to improve a person’s quality of life and the lives of people around them and minimise the chances of behaviour that challenges happening in the first place.

The North East and Cumbria PBS Steering Group has worked with partners from across the health and care sector, including Northumbria University to develop a website which provides information and resources to support families around PBS on upcoming events, courses and latest news. For more information please visit here.

Below is the link to a short film created to showcase the co-production of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) training for parents of children with a learning disability, autism, or both. The project has been created by parents who work at Skills for People working alongside North East and Cumbria PBS Community of Practice. The film was made by Beacon Films and funded by an NHS England / NHS Improvement, sharing, and celebrating patient and public involvement in the Healthcare Community Grant.

The video (with subtitles) can be accessed here.

Returning to School: The following webinar, delivered by colleagues from NHS Cumbria, Northumberland & Wear (CNTW) and NHS Tees Esk & Wear Valley (TEWV) Foundation Trusts, provides families with support and strategies for managing behaviour and worry when returning to school.

Understanding Autism
The following website can give everyone a better understanding of what autism is, for more information please visit here.

This programme aims to join up and enhance services delivered through transformed family hubs in local authority areas, ensuring all families can access the support they need. The programme will:

provide support to parents and carers so they are able to nurture their babies, children and young people, improving health and education outcomes for all
contribute to a reduction in inequalities in health and education outcomes for babies, children, young people and families across by ensuring that support provided is communicated to all parents and carers, including those who are hardest to reach and/or most in need of it
build the evidence base for what works when it comes to improving health and education outcomes for babies, children, young people and families in different delivery contexts

To access family hubs in Stockton, please visit here.
To access family hubs in Hartlepool, please visit here.

The Hartlepool Parent Carer Forum
The Stockton Parent Carer Forum

To access regional parent carer forum information please visit here.

A child or young person has special educational needs if they have a learning problem or disability that make it more difficult for them to learn than most children their age. They may have problems with schoolwork, communication, or behaviour. Parents can get Special Educational Needs (SEN) help and advice by visiting:

Hartlepool SEN Support (hartlepoolnow.co.uk)
Stockton SENCO Support | Stockton Information Directory

Further information for parents can be accessed by visiting here.

Young people can access this support through education and by contacting either Alliance or school’s mental health and wellbeing lead direct. Young people can self-refer via an online e-referral process and parent and carers can also refer on their behalf. A response is aimed for within 24 hours of referral being made. For further information and how to access use the following contact information:

E-Referral or Instagram @alliancemhst

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Crisis Team – offer 24/7 support for children and young people in mental health crisis. Call 08000 516171 or visit the website at CAMHS crisis and liaison service.

MIND is a Mental Health charity in Teesside with the aim that everyone in the local area has good mental health. The charity works with all individuals across all communities to ensure they can access support to improve their emotional wellbeing. Click here for more information if you live in Stockton and click here for more information is you live in Hartlepool.

The North East & North Cumbria Child Health & Wellbeing Network works to bring organisations together to design and deliver joined up services to provide improved outcomes for children and young people. For more information please visit here.

Below are a list of national resources and information for families to access:

This May Help – Children’s Mental Health Advice for Parents and Carers
This May Help, is a new national initiative providing mental health advice to parents and carers. This May Help is aimed at parents and carers who may have concerns about their child’s mental health and is part funded by the Quality Improvement Taskforce for Children and Young People’s Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Inpatient Services.

The website gives easy-to-follow advice to help families manage their child’s mental health. This advice was developed by NHS professionals and parents who’ve been through their own child’s mental health journey. Parents and carers have shared advice that helped them and that may also help other families. Professionals who work with children and young people are also being encouraged to use the website.

The advice covered on This May Help includes, self-harm, gaming and online activity, teenagers’ safety, eating disorders, school avoidance, understanding mental health, understanding teenagers, online threats, building rapport, building resilience, building a support network, self-care tips, managing an emergency, managing in a crisis, and preparing for a children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) appointment.

These subjects were chosen by families and young people who have gone through their own mental health challenges. Gary Lineker, Myleene Klass, and Tanni Grey-Thompson are amongst 16 presenters featured in the films. Please click here to access more information.

Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families – provides research, developing clinical practice and policy and workforce development nationally, working to support families of children and young people with mental disorders and associated challenges by developing resilience and supporting to manage these challenges. Visit AnnaFreud website for further information.

Kooth is a free, online forum and counselling/mental health support for young people aged 11+. Visit Kooth to find out more. QWELL is a free, online and counselling/mental health support for adults. Visit Qwell to find out more.

Recovery College Online provides free resources to help support people struggling with mental health difficulties. Visit the recovery college online to find out more.

Childline – free, private, and confidential service where children can talk about anything. Visit Childline here.

Shout 85258 – free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. Visit here.

WeheartCBT – free CBT resources to help schools, parents and professionals support children with mental health difficulties. Visit here or on Twitter @WeHeartCBT

The Learning Disability Matters website for families has a range of resources to support family resilience and health and wellbeing of children and young people with a learning disability.

Carer support services provide a range of different services to help support adults, children and young people who are in a caring role. More information can be found by visiting the following links:

Stockton: Eastern Ravens Trust and/or Support for Carers
Hartlepool: Hartlepool Carers

The Speech and Language Therapy service work with children and young people who have a speech, language and communication needs or difficulties with eating, drinking, and swallowing.

As well as working with children and young people the service also provide support to families and carers, teachers, and other adults around them. The service aims to develop their best possible communication skills, considering their individual abilities and needs.

Speech and Language Therapy in Hartlepool and Stockton is provided by North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust Speech and language therapy for children.

Other speech, language and communication resources you might find useful:
South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Paediatric Speech & Language Therapy
South Tees NHS Speech Therapy YouTube channel
BBC website ‘Tiny Happy people’

Sunflower Sensory Programme for parents and carers with children aged 4 to 11 years old

The Sunflower Sensory Programme is delivered by experienced members of the Paediatric Occupational Therapy team. They provide a series of three friendly and interactive workshops called Sunflower Parent Training.

It is an education training course designed to provide parents/carers with information and strategies to empower them in lifelong support for their child’s experiences/sensory integration difficulties. In North Tees this service is provided by NHS North Tees & Hartlepool Foundation Trust.

More information can be found here

Sensory Ideas for the Home

A recorded webinar has been developed by an Occupational Therapist to outline tips and guidance for supporting children and young people with sensory needs within the home.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

As part of the Needs Led Neurodevelopment assessment process, children, young people and their parents or carers will be invited to attend a number of assessments. These assessments may include an Aide Memoire, an ADOS, a Speech Language and Communication assessment, a Differential Diagnosis assessment and a School / Education setting assessment. Not every child will need all of these assessments. All these interventions play a very important role in the diagnostic process and it is essential that children, young people and their parents or carers attend all of the assessments they have been invited to. Below gives some information about what will happen at these assessments and why it is important to attend.

The Neurodevelopmental Pathway Team

A team has been developed specifically to co-ordinate the assessments and support which a child and their family might need whilst undergoing an assessment for ASD. The remit of this team will expand to include ADHD over time. The service is provided by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation NHS Trust (TEWV) and is for children aged between 5 and 18 who are registered with a GP in Hartlepool or Stockton-on-Tees.

For children aged under 5 – this pathway is provided by North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, referral into the service is through a paediatrician or speech and language therapist. In the first instance please speak to your Health Visitor, GP or other health professional. Please note most services within the bubble of support are available to access without a diagnosis.

Downloadable Pathway Flowchart

We have also changed the way in which your child can be referred for an assessment. Details can be found below.

How to refer your child for a specialist assessment

Referrals will be accepted from all professionals who work with children and young people, including paediatricians, speech and language therapists, schools and Daisy Chain.

If you think your child or young person has not had their needs met by accessing the services highlighted in the bubble of support or who you feel would benefit from a multi-agency pathway assessment, please make an appointment with one of the agencies referred to above.

Alternatively, you can contact the team directly and they can discuss your child’s needs with you.

Once a referral is received, it will be discussed at the weekly multi-agency triage panel, following which the panel coordinator will be in touch as soon as possible to share conclusions and next steps with you. This panel is made up of representatives from health, education and local authority as all organisations have a role to play in meeting the needs of your child.

As we follow a ‘needs led’ approach across Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees, you could be asked to access additional services (those in the bubble of support) to meet the needs of your child before a more formal diagnostic route is taken. You will be talked through this process and this will be coordinated by the Pathway Team.

Making a referral to the team

Referrals should be made using the referral form which can be downloaded below and which must be completed jointly by the professional and the parent / carer before being submitted via email to the team. We also ask that as much information as possible relating to the child’s needs is included with the referral, a list of what can be submitted is included on the form.

North Tees Referral Form

This form must be submitted to the Neurodevelopment Service in addition to (and at the same time as) the main Neurodevelopment Pathway Referral Form, it is supporting information to the main referral and is to be completed by the child or young person with help from an adult (if needed).

Supporting Information Form

What will happen if my referral is accepted onto the diagnostic pathway?

The team will communicate with you throughout the process to explain which assessments your child will require. These can range from speech and language therapy, community paediatrics, consultant psychiatry and educational psychology, to autism diagnostic observation schedule (ADOS), school or home assessments.

The journey for each child and young person is different and will depend on their individual needs, not every child will require all of the assessments outlined above. All of these referrals and assessments will be completed and coordinated by the Pathway team. You will then receive appointments directly from the services that are required to assess your child.

You can download the following Pathway timeline to help you follow the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessment process.

ASD Assessment Tracker

Across South Tees, we have a ‘needs led’ neurodevelopmental pathway as we want to make sure you and your child are supported as much as possible, if you or a professional thinks that your child has a neurodevelopmental need. These are needs which are associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

For a full downloadable description of the pathway, a guide has been written for parents by parents:

South Tees - Neurodevelopmental Pathway Guide for parents and carers

Click here to find out more about the Family Support Service.

Details of the South Tees drop-in sessions for local families can be found here.

Video challenging behaviour
Challenging Behaviour Foundation.

The Challenging Behaviour website also offers lots of helpful advice and guidance for parents, carers, and professionals.

Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) is an evidence-based approach which is recognised as best practice in supporting people with learning disability and behaviours that challenge. The overall goal is to improve a person’s quality of life and the lives of people around them and minimise the chances of behaviour that challenges happening in the first place.

The North East and Cumbria PBS Steering Group has worked with partners from across the health and care sector, including Northumbria University to develop a website which provides information and resources to support families around PBS on upcoming events, courses and latest news. For more information please visit here.

Below is the link to a short film created to showcase the co-production of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) training for parents of children with a learning disability, autism, or both. The project has been created by parents who work at Skills for People working alongside North East and Cumbria PBS Community of Practice.

The film was made by Beacon Films and funded by an NHS England / NHS Improvement, sharing, and celebrating patient and public involvement in the Healthcare Community Grant.

The video (with subtitles) can be accessed here

Returning to School: The following webinar, delivered by colleagues from NHS Cumbria, Northumberland & Wear (CNTW) and NHS Tees Esk & Wear Valley (TEWV) Foundation Trusts, provides families with support and strategies for managing behaviour and worry when returning to school.

National Autistic Society have visual supports tools that can be used to support behaviour. Develop your new routine as soon as you are able. Have fixed points within the day that you can focus on, even if there is ‘free time’ at other parts of the day. Use diaries, timetables, lists and other familiar supports to aid this. Consider using social stories or social narratives to explain the changes you are making and why they are happening. Click here for more information on social stories or social narratives.

Autism Central
This is a new programme, co-designed to provide high-quality and accessible autism information, education and coaching for families, and carers, and co-delivered by autistic people, families and carers. Autism Central has been commissioned by NHS England’s Workforce, Training and Education Team and is delivered nationally by nine not-for-profit organisations.

Find out more about the project and apply here.

Understanding Autism
The following website can give everyone a better understanding of what autism is, for more information please visit here.

This programme aims to join up and enhance services delivered through transformed family hubs in local authority areas, ensuring all families can access the support they need. The programme will:

provide support to parents and carers so they are able to nurture their babies, children and young people, improving health and education outcomes for all
contribute to a reduction in inequalities in health and education outcomes for babies, children, young people and families across by ensuring that support provided is communicated to all parents and carers, including those who are hardest to reach and/or most in need of it
build the evidence base for what works when it comes to improving health and education outcomes for babies, children, young people and families in different delivery contexts

To access family hubs in Middlesbrough, please visit here.
To access family hubs in Redcar & Cleveland, please visit here.

The 0-19 Service is a team of specialist public health nurses that include health visitors and school nurses. The roles of this team are to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of children and young people aged from birth to 19 years old.

For more Redcar information visit: Redcar Public health nurses.
For Middlesbrough visit: Healthier Together Middlesbrough.

The parent carer forums work in partnership with Health and Social Care to ensure that the voices of parents and carers of children and young people are heard. The parent carer forums will also offer support, advice, and guidance to families with Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). To access your local parent carer forum please visit:

SEND Family Voice Redcar & Cleveland
Middlesbrough Parents 4 Change

To access regional parent carer forum information please visit here.

A child or young person has special educational needs if they have a learning problem or disability that make it more difficult for them to learn than most children their age. They may have problems with schoolwork, communication, or behaviour. Parents can get Special Educational Needs (SEN) help and advice by visiting:

Middlesbrough Special Educational Needs
Redcar & Cleveland Special Educational Needs

The Specialist Teaching Service is a team of specialist qualified staff who work towards a varied approach to ensure the environment for children and young people is ASC friendly, enabling children and young people to enjoy and achieve their desired outcomes.

Click on Redcar & Cleveland Specialist Teaching Service or Middlesbrough Specialist Teaching Service for more information.

Education settings, health, and social care services, together with parents, carers and peers play a key role in supporting Children and Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing and can have a significant impact on the overall experiences and life outcomes for our children. Very few children will need specialist intervention by a clinical service/mental health professional.

Locally across North Tees, Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health support services are provided by the following, please take your time to visit the following links to ensure you access the right support for your child, young person, and family.

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) across Teesside has a single point of access for referrals and self-referrals.

Single Point of Contact (SPOC) is a service available to anyone with concerns including parents, carers, school staff, health professionals and GPs, and children and young people worried about their own mental health. You will be able to chat with a mental health nurse about your worries and concerns and the nurse can then consider the most appropriate next steps to best support the child or young person. Help and support can come in many forms, including self-help guidance, signposting to appropriate support services in the voluntary and third party sectors, or referral into the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). For further information please visit Community mental health teams for children and younger people in Teesside.

Tel: 0300 2000 000
Email: tewv.stspoc-camhs@nhs.net

Mental Health Support in schools – can provide early support for children and young people (5-18 years) through education. Supporting schools, young people, and families, the mental health support in schools will target education settings across Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland.

Please check the following link to see if your child’s school is involved Mental health support teams in schools

Young people can access this support through education and by contacting either The Link or school’s mental health and wellbeing lead direct. Young people can self-refer via an online e-referral process and parent and carers can also refer on their behalf. A response is aimed for within 24 hours of referral being made. For further information and how to access use the following:

Facebook - @InsideOutMHST
Instagram - @insideoutmhst
Twitter - @InsideoutMhst

HeadStart
HeadStart promotes children and young people’s emotional wellbeing in schools, at home, in the community, and online. Working with partners, the aim is to improve resilience and provide support at an early stage to enable children and young people to better cope in difficult circumstances. Visit the website here.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Crisis Team – offer 24/7 support for children and young people in mental health crisis. Call 08000 516171.

MIND
MIND is a Mental Health charity in Teesside with the aim that that everyone in the local area has good mental health. The charity works across all communities and individuals to ensure they can access support to improve their emotional wellbeing. Click here for more information.

Click here for more information if you live in Middlesbrough and click here for more information is you live in Redcar and Cleveland.

The North East & North Cumbria Child Health & Wellbeing Network works to bring organisations together to design and deliver joined up services to provide improved outcomes for children and young people. For more information please visit here.

Below are a list of national resources and information for families to access:

The Learning Disability Matters website for families has a range of resources to support family resilience and health and wellbeing of children and young people with a learning disability.

This May Help – Children’s Mental Health Advice for Parents and Carers
This May Help, is a new national initiative providing mental health advice to parents and carers.

This May Help is aimed at parents and carers who may have concerns about their child’s mental health and is part funded by the Quality Improvement Taskforce for Children and Young People’s Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Inpatient Services./The website gives easy-to-follow advice to help families manage their child’s mental health.

This advice was developed by NHS professionals and parents who’ve been through their own child’s mental health journey. Parents and carers have shared advice that helped them and that may also help other families. Professionals who work with children and young people are also being encouraged to use the website.

The advice covered on This May Help includes, self-harm, gaming and online activity, teenagers’ safety, eating disorders, school avoidance, understanding mental health, understanding teenagers, online threats, building rapport, building resilience, building a support network, self-care tips, managing an emergency, managing in a crisis, and preparing for a children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) appointment.

These subjects were chosen by families and young people who have gone through their own mental health challenges. Gary Lineker, Myleene Klass, and Tanni Grey-Thompson are amongst 16 presenters featured in the films. Please click here for more information.

Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
Providing research, developing clinical practice and policy and workforce development nationally, working to support families of children and young people with mental disorders and associated challenges by developing resilience and supporting to manage these challenges. Visit AnnaFreud website for further information.

Kooth
Free, online forum and counselling/mental health support for young people aged 11+. Visit Kooth to find out more.

Recovery College online
Free resources to help support people struggling with mental health difficulties. Visit the recovery college online to find out more.

Childline
Free, private, and confidential service where children can talk about anything. Visit Update from Childline

Shout 85258 – free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. Visit here to find out more.

WeheartCBT
Free CBT resources to help schools, parents and professionals support children with mental health difficulties. Visit here or on Twitter @WeHeartCBT

The Early Help team provides support to a family when a problem emerges, at any stage in a child or young person’s life, from the foundation years through to teenage years. Click on Redcar & Cleveland or Middlesbrough for more information.

The Portage service is a team of skilled and experienced specialist staff that provide specialist home support for very young children with complex needs.

Visit Redcar & Cleveland or Middlesbrough for more information.

The Nort East Autism Society (NEAS) is a registered charity that work together to inspire, support, celebrate and equip autistic and neurodivergent people to fulfil their potential in life. The organisation offers a wealth of knowledge to support families living with autism.

For more information please visit here.

Carer support services provide a range of different services to help support adults, children and young people who are in a caring role.

Click on the below links for more information:
Redcar & Cleveland
Middlesbrough
The Junction Foundation Young Carers

The Tees Valley Sleep service supports families who have a child with any additional needs by using a tiered approach offering support, resources, workshops and assessments. For more information please visit Tees Valley Sleep Service.

Independent Travel Training provide support and assistance to school or college for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Click on Redcar and Cleveland or Middlesbrough for more information.

The Speech and Language Therapy service provides treatment, support and care for children and young people who have difficulties with communication or with eating, drinking and swallowing. Speech and Language Therapists are professionals that work with parents, carers, and other professionals such as teachers, GP’s, occupational therapists, and nurses.

Speech and language therapy in Redcar and Cleveland and Middlesbrough is provided by NHS South Tees. Further information can be found by visiting Children’s speech and language therapy – South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Other speech, language and communication resources you might find useful:
South Tees NHS Speech Therapy YouTube channel

The Overfields Speech and Language Therapy Unit at Overfields Primary School provides a specialist education for children with significant speech and language difficulties. More information can be found here.

Occupational Therapy offer a team of specialist therapists and assistant therapists to provide assessment, treatment and advice to children, young people, and their families in a range of locations including home, school or hospital clinics. The service will assess and treat children and young people who have long term health needs or problems with movement and co-ordination.

The service will make sure your child reaches their potential and works alongside professionals involved with the child or young person to ensure a holistic approach to treatment and assessment. In South Tees this service is provided by South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, further information can be found by visiting here.

The Sunflower Sensory Programme is delivered by experienced members of the Paediatric Occupational Therapy team. They provide a series of three friendly and interactive workshops called Sunflower Parent Training. It is an education training course designed to provide parents/carers with information and strategies to empower them in lifelong support for their child’s experiences sensory integration difficulties.

In South Tees this service is provided by South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. More information can be found by calling 01642 044506 or emailing ste-tr.westacklamcentre@nhs.net

Sensory Ideas for the Home

A recorded webinar has been developed by an Occupational Therapist to outline tips and guidance for supporting children and young people with sensory needs within the home.

The STARS team offers support to children and young people aged 0-25 with a sensory impairment. Click here for more information.

Sensory Ideas at Home – A recorded webinar has been developed by an Occupational Therapist outlining tips and guidance for supporting children and young people with sensory needs within the home.

North Tees Autism information and guidance
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

The Neurodevelopmental Pathway Team

A team has been developed specifically to co-ordinate the assessments and support which a child and their family might need whilst undergoing an assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The remit of this team will expand to include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) over time. The service is provided by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation NHS Trust (TEWV) and is for children aged between 5 and 18 who are registered with a GP in South Tees.

For children aged under 5 – this pathway is provided by North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust to provided by South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, referral into the service is through a paediatrician or speech and language therapist. In the first instance please speak to your Health Visitor, GP or other health professional. Please note most services within the bubble of support are available to access without a diagnosis.

How to refer your child for a specialist assessment

Referrals will be accepted from all professionals who work with children and young people, including paediatricians, speech and language therapists and schools.

Alternatively, you can contact the team directly and they can discuss your child’s needs with you.

As we follow a ‘needs led’ approach across South Tees, you could be asked to access additional services (those in the bubble of support) to meet the needs of your child before a more formal diagnostic route is taken. You will be talked through this process and this will be coordinated by the Pathway Team.

Making a referral to the team

Referrals should be made using the referral form which can be downloaded below and which must be completed jointly by the professional and the parent / carer before being submitted via email to the team by the professional. We also ask that as much information as possible relating to the child’s needs is included with the referral, a list of what can be submitted is included on the form.

South Tees Referral Form

This form must be submitted to the Neurodevelopment Service in addition to (and at the same time as) the main Neurodevelopment Pathway Referral Form, it is supporting information to the main referral and is to be completed by the child or young person with help from an adult (if needed).

Supporting Information Form

What will happen if my referral is accepted onto the diagnostic pathway?

You can download the following Pathway timeline to help you follow the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessment process.

ASD Assessment Tracker

Breathing Space is an innovative whole family project that provides valuable space, time and support for young people with additional needs and their parents and carers.

The project has a preventative focus on reducing the risk of education placement breakdowns and escalation, offering positive opportunities for children and joined-up support for families.

The service includes:

Fun after school, weekend and holiday activities.
Activity days for the whole family, from trampoline sessions, visits to Derwent Hill and family passes for Beamish Museum.
We work with young people to develop Positive Behaviour Support Plans

The service is available for children and young people who:

Are in Year 3 to Year 11,
Have a special educational need of Autism or Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) and have either an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), SEND Support or are awaiting a diagnosis e.g. referral to the neuro-developmental pathway, and
Are at risk of, or have been suspended/excluded from school

Parent carers can contact the service using the following link Breathing Space - Together for Children and a member of staff will be in touch.

Sunderland Carers’ Centre

Sunderland Carers’ Centre provides support for people who look after others, offering confidential, impartial information, advice and guidance to carers in Sunderland. Sunderland Carers’ Centre also has a Young Carers service.

The Carers’ Centre is a ‘centrepoint’ for carers in the city, assisting directly when and where we can and linking people with other organisations when more appropriate, to ensure that every user gets the support they require.

Address:
Thompson Park
Thompson Road
Sunderland
SR5 1SF

Tel: 0191 549 3768

Email: contactus@sunderlandcarers.co.uk

Opening Hours:

Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm.

(Out of office hours by appointment)

Sunderland Parent Carer Forum

Sunderland Parent Carers Forum is a parent-led voluntary group of parents, carers and grandparents of children and young people aged 0-25 with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities).

Our aim is to give parent carers a voice in how services for CYP with SEND are shaped and delivered in the City of Sunderland, as well as an opportunity to come together and talk in a relaxed atmosphere.
We do this by organising events, coffee mornings, information sessions and training events. Our parent reps attend meetings with various organisations in health, education and social care, as well as local charity groups.

Sunderland Parent Carer Forum are part of the NE & Cumbria Regional Parent Carer Forum (13 forums), and we are all part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forum, which consists of over 150 forums all over England. We meet regularly with other forums in the region, for support, advice, training opportunities and news about what is happening in the area. Each region has a national rep, who attends meetings in London, feeding back what is happening in their region, and bringing back the latest news and developments to the region. Every year there are regional and national conferences that forum members are invited to attend, giving us all another chance to catch up with parent carers from around the region and country.

St Marys & St Peters Community Project
Springwell Road
Sunderland
Tyne & Wear
SR3 4DY

Email: spcfoffice@sunderlandpcf.co.uk

Phone: 07393 129 858

More Than Grandparents

More than Grandparents supports kinship families. This is usually but not limited to grandparents who are raising their grandchildren because they cannot live with their birth parents.

We offer 1-1 support, advice and guidance on a range of issues such as care proceedings, financial entitlements, housing, contact arrangements, children’s behaviour, etc. We work in partnership with numerous community organisations, and we can signpost or refer on to them as appropriate. We also offer opportunities for peer support bringing carers together for mutual support. We offer training on a range of issues such as trauma, children’s behaviour, first aid, volunteering, etc. In addition, we arrange social events and recreational activities including short term respite through relaxation sessions and pamper sessions. We also offer opportunities for group residential breaks for kinship families, bringing them together to encourage comradery, thus building a support network and giving them respite from their daily complex lives. We also support carers with complaints to the local authority when they feel things have not been done correctly or they have been denied financial support that they were entitled to.

In addition to supporting Kinship carers, we also support the children by providing activities aimed at fostering and improving attachments between the carers and the child which helps to diminish some of the challenging behaviours we see in kinship children. We provide outings, recreational activities and social events which allows the children to come together with other kinship children.

Above all else we go above and beyond for our families to help keep children with their birth family, keep them out of the care system and to give them hope for the future.

Email: morethangranparents@gmail.com

Landline: 0191 5140554

Mobile: 07501191338

Facebook

Choice Wellbeing Service

Choice Wellbeing Service was established in February 2023 by parent carers, for parent carers. We were aware of the need for mental health care and support in the Sunderland area specifically post diagnosis. With this in mind, we wanted to ensure that all parent-carers had access to an individually unique support service.

Rainbow Family Hub
Elliott Terrace
Concord
Washington
NE37 3AE

Phone: 07703754945

Email: Contact@choicewellbeingservice.org

The Family Support Service provided by Daisy Chain is for neurodiverse children and young people aged 0-18 years and their families. The service provides support to children and young people who display traits associated with neurodiversity, autism, sensory processing, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and their families.

Parents/carers of those aged 0-18 years can access the service provided within Sunderland if they:

Have concerns their child may have autism/sensory processing/ADHD/FASD
Are undergoing diagnosis for autism/ADHD/FASD
Have a diagnosis of autism/ADHD/FASD

This service is for families pre, during and post diagnosis.

Family Support Service - Sunderland - Daisy Chain (daisychainproject.co.uk)

Early Help

Together for Children’s Early Help service offers advice, support and direct interventions at the earliest point of identified need. The aim of Early Help is to support families to support themselves, to prevent problems escalating and to reduce the numbers needing statutory interventions.

For more information contact the Early Help Advice and Allocations Team on 0191 561 4084 or by emailing EHAAT@togetherforchildren.org.uk

Family Hubs

Family Hubs aim to ensure that local families can access the right support, at the right time, in the right place, with the right people. There are 5 family hubs across Sunderland.

Rainbow Family Hub Washington, NE37 3AE,

0191 561 3995

Thorney Close Family Hub, SR3 4JQ,

0191 561 4127

Bunnyhill Family Hub, SR5 4BW,

0191 561 8126

Coalfield Family Hub Hetton, DH5 9NE,

0191 561 6625

Winnibell Family Hub Hendon, SR1 2HS,

0191 561 2850

The Family Hub network offers support to families of children aged up to 19, or to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged up to 25.

The support and services offered by the Family Hubs range from classes and support groups to advice on topics like relationships and health. Parenting support, social prescribing, welfare rights advice, benefits support, adult mentoring. Infant Feeding, Early Childhood Development, support with peri natal mental health and parent infant relationships. Stay and Play, sensory, SEND Groups, Outdoor stay and play, stop smoking support, targeted support for vulnerable families and families from global majority groups.

My Best Life is the digital platform for the Family hubs and has been created to provide a digital front door for our five Family Hubs. The site’s main features include advertising and booking of Family Hub events and a library of resources and immediate support and book sessions online. The site is available in 140 different languages.

At Family Hubs we know parenting isn't always easy and family life has lots of challenges along the way. If you're finding things at home tough, we are here to help through our Achieving Better Connections (ABC) sessions for parents / carers.

These are weekly sessions for 2 hours for 6 weeks and will cover the following topics, Good Enough Parenting, Healthy Child Development, Emotional Resilience, Family Values and Healthy Boundaries and Safer Communities. Following completion of the ABC sessions we have additional sessions, called Bolt Ons, that can be accessed following a discussion with the facilitator.

One plus one: is an online self-guided relationship support course, available for free.

Parenting when separated course and mediation sessions are also available.

For more information or to book onto sessions/courses contact Parenting and Relationships Team 0191 5617005 Or email: citywideparentingreferrals@togetherforchildren.org.uk

Sunderland Local Offer

Information, advice and support about education, health and social care for children and young people with SEND and their families, all in one place.

Local Offer | Sunderland Information Point

SEND Specialist Support Services

Autism Outreach Team (AOT)

The Autism Outreach Team (AOT) is a well-established team of Teachers, Higher Level Teaching Assistants, Teaching Assistants, an Occupational Therapist and Specialist Mental Health Nurse, who are part of the wider SEND Specialist Support Services Team at Together for Children based at Bunny Hill.

AOT offers support to education settings on referral, where children and young people have a confirmed diagnosis of Autism.

The team offer a variety of services, including observation of children/young people and targeted support including 1:1 sessions and group work. Settings are supported to implement personalised strategies and where appropriate AOT will support with the EHCP process.

In addition, AOT offer training sessions to colleagues in school to support them in meeting the needs of Autistic children and young people in their settings.

Language and Learning Partnership (LLP)

The Language and Learning Partnership (LLP) is a team of Teachers, Higher Level Teaching Assistants and a Speech and Language Therapist, who all have extensive knowledge and experience of working in Mainstream and Specialist Provision. We are part of the Together for Children SEND Specialist Support Services wider team. Our role is to support schools with strategies to enable children with SEND to achieve within their setting. We assess children’s cognition and learning, and communication and interaction and set targets to support their progress. We also model best practice as well as signpost to other relevant services where appropriate.

Sunderland Special Education Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS)

SENDIASS provides free, impartial, and confidential information, advice and support to children and young people from 0 to 25 with SEND, and their parents and carers.

More information for families of children with Special Educational Needs can be found here Children with SEN - Together for Children

Health visitors and Family Health Nurses, sometimes known as School Nurses, support children and young people from birth up until they are 25 if they have SEND. You can ask your Health Visitor or School Nurse for help and advice on anything to do with your child’s health – whether you’re worrying about their health and development, beginning school or just need someone to talk to.

Growing Healthy 0-19 Sunderland | HDFT Childrens Health Service

Independent Travel training is available for young people who have SEND. It provides them with vital skills and confidence to travel safely between home and school/college, as well as in the wider community.

Independent Travel Training - Together for Children

The service works with young people aged 11 to 25 who require support around their gender identity and/or sexual orientation.

Support could include:

One-to-one sessions with one of our experienced team.
sexual health guidance.
support to access clinical gender identity services.
the opportunity to meet other LGBT+ young people in your area.
family support.
hate crime reporting.
fun activities and sessions such as sailing, meals, climbing, etc. in a safe space.

LGBT+ North East – Humankind (humankindcharity.org.uk)

NHS Mental Health Services for Children and Young People

Healthy Heads

Healthy Heads is a Mental Health Support Team based in participating Sunderland Schools, offering early intervention to children, young people and their families who are struggling with mild to moderate anxiety and/or low mood. The team comprises Education Mental Health Practitioners, Senior Education Mental Health Practitioners and Primary Mental Health Specialists who provide a range of emotional, behavioural and psychological support services to children, young people, parents and professionals within schools. Mental Health Support Teams are being rolled out in phases controlled by NHS England which means they are not yet available in every school.

Speak to your child’s school to find out if they are part of the programme in Sunderland.

Sunderland Community Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service

Sunderland Community Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service is a team of professionals who offer support, advice, assessment and treatment for common mental health difficulties. We work to promote good mental health and positive well-being.

Our service is offered to children and young people aged 0-18 who may be showing signs of emotional distress and/or behavioural difficulties. We aim to deal with such difficulties at the earliest possible stage and offer early intervention in the hope that children and young people will develop skills and resilience to promote positive well-being.

Contact your child’s school if you think they require support from Sunderland Community Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service.

Children and Young Person’s Service (CYPS)

The Children and Young Person’s Service provides mental health support for young people with a complex mental health presentation that is not better explained by a neurodevelopmental condition.

Contact your child’s school if you think they require mental health support from Children and Young Person’s Service.

Voluntary and Community Sector Mental Health Services

Sunderland Mind

Sunderland Mind is a registered local independent charity that provides confidential, high-quality services for individuals, carers and families experiencing emotional or mental health problems.

We aim to provide advice, information and counselling in a safe, caring and non-judgemental environment. This is all done with the people of Sunderland and our wider community in mind, allowing us to develop services and training opportunities that truly reflect their needs.

Sunderland Mind works with anyone over the age of 7 years.

Washington Mind

Washington Mind can deliver targeted groupwork and training face-to-face or online to young people aged 11-18. Washington Mind offer counselling for young people living in the City of Sunderland. Appointments can be accessed at Washington Mind or at their base at PopRecs in Sunderland. They also offer a range of psychosocial and creative groups that support mental wellness.

Grace House

Grace House offers a range of specialist services to support not just children and young people who have complex disabilities, but the whole family.

Online MH Support

Kooth

Kooth is a FREE online advice, support and counselling service available to all young people in Sunderland aged 10-25 years.

Kooth.com provides a free, safe, anonymous and non-stigmatised way for young people to receive advice and support online. Kooth is staffed by fully trained and qualified team members, including BACP accredited counsellors and is available until 10pm each night, 365 days per year. As well as 1:1 support, peer to peer support can also be accessed through moderated message forums and online information. Kooth’s experienced practitioners are available to provide emotional support to young people with a wide range of issues.

Lumi Nova

Children and families across Sunderland are able to access Lumi Nova: Tales of Courage - an exciting online therapeutic game for children aged 7 - 12 years experiencing difficulties with anxiety that is recommended by the National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE). A child-led solution, Lumi Nova provides a fun, self-guided, interactive game experience, to effectively overcome childhood anxiety with the support of a parent or guardian. It empowers young minds with life-long skills to deal with worries and stresses through in-game and real-world challenges with the assistance of a supportive adult.

North East Autism Society (NEAS)

NEAS offers virtual support for Sunderland families via its family resources website Family Resources | North East Autism Society (ne-as.org.uk) and a private Facebook support group for parents and carers North East Autism Society - Family Networking | Facebook

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation have made all their videos about managing behaviour that challenges available online. Please visit the following links to view these videos:

Video challenging behaviour
Challenging Behaviour Foundation.

The Challenging Behaviour website also offers lots of helpful advice and guidance for parents, carers, and professionals.

Autism Understood

The Autism Understood website can give everyone a better understanding of what autism is.

Using a tiered approach, the service provides telephone support and resources, Parent Sleep Support Sessions and 1:1 sleep assessments which, if all tiers have been accessed, can include the creation of a bespoke sleep plan. The service can be accessed by families of children with additional health or development needs who are between 3 ½ to 18 years old.

Contact Daisy Chain for more information on 01642 531248 or at info@daisychainproject.co.uk

The Sunderland Children and Young Person’s Neurodevelopmental Assessment team is part of the specialist child and young person’s mental health, learning disability and neurodevelopmental service within CNTW. The specialist service is for those with a moderate to severe clinical need.

The team will explore issues potentially relating to Autism and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) following other alternative explanations being explored. CYPS will then provide a multidisciplinary team assessment to children and young people aged between 5-18 years old to determine if they meet criteria for a neurodevelopmental diagnosis. We adhere to NICE guidelines to ensure best practice and take a holistic approach to meeting clinical needs of the child or young person.

Referrals are accepted from education settings. Please contact your child’s school or college if you think your child may need a neurodevelopmental assessment.

Children’s Occupational Therapy (OT)

We are a specialist service who support children and young people to complete the daily occupations that they want, and need, to be able to do. Children and young people’s occupations can be playing, completing schoolwork, looking after themselves and participating in self-care tasks, attending clubs and hobbies, and other age-appropriate activities they may find harder than others to do.

Our service can carry out an assessment of your child's needs and offer advice, strategies and interventions to support them to develop their skills in everyday occupations.

We offer support in various environments dependent on the child's and family's needs (e.g. home, school, nursery, clinic and child development centres).

Our service is available to children and young people, aged 0-18, registered with a South Tyneside or Sunderland GP.

For children and young people living in South Tyneside we can help with minor adaptations and equipment - to assist function (e.g. bath board/steps, grab rails).

For all adaptation and equipment needs in Sunderland, or for major adaptations and specialist equipment in South Tyneside, referrals can be made to the relevant team below:

Sunderland City Council – Online referral form available (under Adult Social Care and Support)
South Tyneside Council – Social Care Occupational Therapy team, based at Clarendon – 0191 424 4797.

We accept referrals from health care professionals and SENCO’s.

Speech and Language Therapy

We are a specialist service for children and young people with communication difficulties. We also help children with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

Our service is available to under 18s living in South Tyneside or Sunderland. They could also be registered with a GP from South Tyneside or Sunderland.

We work alongside parents/carers and the people around your child. We provide advice and intervention to help develop your child's communication. We assess and respond to each child’s individual needs.

For preschool children, your health visitor is an important first contact. They will discuss your concerns. They can provide practical advice and support. They can also help you decide whether a referral to speech and language therapy is right for your child.

For school-age children, it’s a good idea to discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher.

We accept referrals from parents, carers and health and education professionals.