Autism (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

Referrals for diagnosis

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW)'s Autism Diagnostic Service has offered a pathway for the diagnosis of autism since 2014 / 15. All data gathered is from the Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS).  

The profiles offer an overview of Children and Young People's referral data. This captures new referrals received through CNTW's Neurodevelopmental Pathway (this includes requests for autism diagnosis, alongside other requests such as ADHD, Tourette's etc). 

There has been a significant increase in requests for diagnosis in the last four years, particularly post-pandemic. 

It should be noted that for the year 2023 / 2024, the data is only available up to December 2023, however, projections indicate that the children's referral requests will exceed previous years. 

• Data indicates a general trend of above average referral rates for diagnosis in children. However, referral rates for adults are below average in general.
• The highest number of referrals are within school age, particularly 6-8-year-old age range.
• Adults' referral data  is more closely aligned to neighbouring authorities in terms of number of referrals when compared to children's.
• The largest number of referrals comes from young adults, particularly the 15 to 19 age group. 

Children and families

There are 3 specialist schools who admit autistic children within their designation and there is also additional resource bases for autism, based at Fellgate Primary School (primary aged pupils) and Jarrow School (secondary aged pupils).

Inclusion Service

To support mainstream settings to effectively meet the needs of autistic children and young people, South Tyneside Council have created an Inclusion Service, which is delivered by highly skilled teachers and Higher-Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs). 

These staff have a range of expertise and experience working with children and young people who have special educational needs. 

The Inclusion Service focuses on two areas of need which have been identified as a priority:

• Communication and interaction - autism and social
• Emotional and mental health

Support from the service is available to all early years, primary and secondary settings and aims to ensure that staff within mainstream settings have the skills, training, and knowledge they need to meet the needs of our children. 

This is achieved through a robust system of observations, recommendations, implementation, and review.

The service will:

• Provide advice and support to settings regarding individual children and young people.
• Provide advice and guidance regarding whole school approaches to inclusive practice.
• Deliver training to schools / settings and partners.

Emotional Based School Avoidance & Transition Project 

The Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA) & Transitions Project is being led by our Emotional Resilience Team Manager.

Theywill engage with settings, children and young people, parents, and carers as well as other Education, Health & Care Services to understand the challenges that children and young people can face during times of transition and when experiencing emotional based school avoidance.

The project aims to:  

• Obtain a baseline of current occurrences of EBSA across the local area.
• Develop a training offer for stakeholders in transitions & EBSA. 
• Develop an intense programme of support for children and young people with emotionally based school avoidance, to understand better how to support them as we work to enhance our alternative provision offer. 
• Establish an EBSA panel / focus group to enable better multi-agency approaches to supporting young people experiencing EBSA. 
• Develop a new model for how to best support children and young people experiencing EBSA that promotes reintegration into settings, with new a EBSA policy and guidance for schools / settings. 
• Develop a Transition Protocol that parents / carers and settings are confident produces positive outcomes, preventing applications for EHCP's at perceived 'critical' points. 

In addition, help and support is offered by a range of different local services, these include:

• The Children with Disabilities (CWD) Social Work team, who provide access to specialist social work support to families of disabled children aged 0 to 18. The team works with children and young people who have a permanent and substantial impairment, typically needing input from agencies on a lifelong basis. Needs assessments identify what services are best placed to support the child and their family.
• Healthy Minds Team (Mental Health Support team) is a "getting advice and getting help" service (based on the i-Thrive model) and currently work with schools in developing a "whole school approach" to good mental wellbeing, and to build resilience in children. The team have recently taken part in the Autism in Schools Project (led by NHS England) and will be working with schools in the borough in helping to raise awareness of challenges in several areas, such as sensory needs and how to support reasonable adjustments.
• Lifecycle is a 'Getting Help' service (based on the Thrive model) and supports young people who have difficulties with attachment, behaviour, eating disorders, development, emerging OCD, anxiety, and depression. It provides whole-person therapeutic and non-therapeutic services to young people of any age and their families.
• The Toby Henderson Trust (THT) provides pre-diagnostic and post-diagnostic support and early intervention with autistic children and young people. They also offer a wide range of services including webinars on topics such as sensory, masking etc, professionals (including school staff). They also offer similar training to parents / carers of autistic children.
• South Tyneside Council (STC), on license from the National Autistic Society, offers the Early Bird (under 5), Early Bird Plus (4 to 9) and Teen Life (10 to 16 year olds) support programmes for parents and carers. The programmes, which are delivered by staff from Educational Psychology and Portage and Pre-school Service, offer advice and guidance on strategies to help support young autistic children, such as developing social skills. Staff offer termly coffee mornings for parents who have attended the programmes which offer further advice and support.
• South Tyneside Council is an Autism Education Trust (AET) partner. As licenced trainers, members of the Inclusion Service provide a range of courses to education settings in Early Years, Primary/Secondary and Post 16 settings. These courses include Making Sense of Autism (available free of charge for educators in all phases of education), Good Autism Practice and Autism and Anxiety. These courses offer staff working within education settings a range of training, practical strategies, and free resources to enable them to support autistic children and young people in both mainstream and specialist settings.
• The National Autistic Society has an offer which can support children in mainstream schools nationally into further and higher education. It has a diagnostic service and offers specialist support via its helpline. Help is available at home or in residential settings.
• The Northeast Autism Society offers services across the North East; including Education, Childcare, Adult Care, Short Breaks, assistance to families and employment services,
• The National Trust offers land and water-based activities for children, young people, and adults with a Learning Disability. The activities are delivered by trained instructors who can provide a range of reasonable adjustments. At the time of writing, there is a specific South Tyneside offer for families and adults with additional needs.
• South Tyneside Council provides accessible leisure opportunities for autistic children and families, such as Haven Point and Hebburn Central Leisure Centres and The Customs House.
• The South Tyneside Kid's Young Adults Klub or "THE KAYAKS" is a registered charity. It provides weekend based fun and recreational activities for children, teenagers and young adults who have special educational needs, including autism. The charity provides practical help, support, and advice from personal experience on "special needs" related subjects for parents and carers.
• A parent carer forum is available which provides information, support and advice to those families of children with special education needs and / or disabilities (SEND), which includes autism only. 

Young adults (16 to 18 years old)

Young people are required to continue with education or training up to the age of 18, to give them the best opportunity to achieve their potential. 

There are a range of options available, and more information can be found on the SEND Local Offer.

There is a Transitions Forum which was set up in 2019 to provide a multiagency response in planning for young people from age 16 transitioning from Children's Services.

This ensures that a core group from Children's, Adults, Health Education and Commissioning are looking ahead to anticipate needs for this vulnerable group of young people. 

The Forum aims to ensure that young people and their families anticipate and are prepared for the transition to adulthood, and expectations regarding future support can be discussed early with changes in transition managed effectively.

The impact of children and families has been to reduce barriers to access and has had significant benefits in ensuring that adult services across the local area are working with young people and their families in a timely way.

There is a process in place to ensure that we have a clearer oversight the EET destinations and progressions of all our young people with SEND and that young people can offer independent and impartial information advice and guidance from the Connexions Service, which include:

• Connexions Advisers linked to NEET / KN / Lapsed young people 16-25: Personalised support, interventions and signposting offered to support access to education, employment or training.
• Oversight and contact with young people identified as 'NEET Not Available'.
• Not Known protocol
• Connexions Advisers linked to HNF Post 16 SEND provision within South Tyneside and OOB as and when requested. This incorporates individualised support and input at EHCP transition reviews.
• SEND NEET Clinic: A partnership between the Connexions Service and SEND Service where NEET/NK cases are discussed, and decisions made regarding action needed.

Adults

• Autism in Mind (AIM) supports individuals and families living with autism in South Tyneside. Support is provided to anyone with a diagnosis of autism age 16+. The organisation collaborates with both individuals and families to empower autistic adults to live as independently as possible.
• Discharge coordinator role, which is provided by Autism in Mind. The role is to provide adults with autism advice and support to prevent admission to, or for those who may be in hospital. The worker will also provide support with discharge planning.
• Your Voice Counts (YVC) provides statutory advocacy services. This includes including the IMHA, IMCA, Care Act Advocacy and RPR roles.
• Your Voice Counts (YVC) also offers autistic adults a drop-in service to help people make connections, access support, and build resilience. Members with lived experience can also access opportunities (on a voluntary or paid basis) to influence health and social care services (i.e. Quality checking primary care, coaching professionals, peer research and participating in Care, Education and Treatment Reviews).
• Yearly Health Checks are provided through the Physical Health Hub. The purpose is to support autistic people, who may not be able to attend their GP surgery, to have their physical health checked and spot any arising health issues before they get worse.
• The Community Treatment team provides an assessment and treatment service for people who are experiencing difficulty with their mental health. The team is made up of a number of health care professionals. Appointments with the team are arranged at a number of different sites. The service is available for those aged over the age of 18.
• Carers Strategy. This strategy pledges commitment to improve and develop support and services to better support unpaid carers (both adult and young carers).
• Currently, autistic adults who have a diagnosis of autism only, but require, and are eligible for social care, are supported through the Adult Mental Health team. In the Mental Health Strategy, there are several community assets listed which autistic adults can also access.

Adults with learning disabilities and autism

South Tyneside Council's Adult Learning Disabilities team provides access to a range of services to help people who are 18 and over who have learning disabilities and autism.

The objective is always to help someone maintain and develop a safe and independent lifestyle and intervene only if someone is in danger or is being harmed.

The team works closely with the Children with Disabilities team to make sure the "transition", to adult services when they turn 18 years old is as smooth as possible.