Introduction
Since our last newsletter, we are all continuing to learn to live with Covid and understand some of its impacts on our services, offer of support and community. This has led to some key initiatives that offer support to our residents through the Bromley All-Age Autism Partnership and the Board. With increased focus we continue to listen, support, and respond to the needs of our Autism community
In this edition, we look back on some key priorities and look ahead to the new year and new exciting challenges.
Contents
- Bromley All Age Autism Action plan
- The National All-Age Autism Strategy
- Adults & Autism Strategic group
- Autism Family Support Service
- Autism Education Trust (AET)
- Bromley Autism Promise
- Autism Specific Resources
- Our Local Engagement Events
- CASPA
- Mental Health & Wellbeing - resources and information
- MythBusters
- Useful Resources
Bromley All Age Autism Action plan
Under the new ALL AGE Autism Board, the working groups have begun to re-write the action plan which include a focus on Adult services Board members noted the importance of ensuring children, young people and adults are equally represented throughout each priority. This aligns with the national All-Age Autism Strategy released in July 2021.
If you wish to find out more about the Bromley All Age Autism Action Plan email: SENDMatters@bromley.gov.uk
Our Local Action Plan Priorities
- Developing clear and consistent pathways for diagnosis and assessment of needs, including offers of support: the right support at the right time.
- Ensuring our education settings can sufficiently understand and provide for the needs of students with social communication difficulties.
- Helping people with autism in education, transition to adulthood, training, and work: developing skills and independence.
- Increasing awareness and understanding of autism across the local area.
- Improving access to community, mainstream and specialist services and support for health and social care: the right support at the right time.
- Improving the way services for adults and children with autism are planned, prioritised, commissioned and monitored.
If you would like to get involved locally, please email matthew.catchpole@bromley.gov.uk
The National All-Age Autism Strategy
The government published the National Autism Strategy for Children, Young people, and Adults in July 2021. It’s the first of its kind in focussing across our all-age autism population. Locally it will influence our communities’ priorities and the development of our local All-Age Autism Strategy. We already run local developments through our All-age partnership Board and its action plan.
The six priorities within the national strategy are:
- improving understanding and acceptance of autism within society
- improving autistic children and young people’s access to education, and supporting positive transitions into adulthood
- supporting more autistic people into employment
- tackling health and care inequalities for autistic people
- building the right support in the community and supporting people in inpatient care
- improving support within the criminal and youth justice systems
For more information, please look at the strategy links below.
Your Input Is Important To Us
The Bromley all-age Autism partnership board are developing our local all-age Autism Strategy. This survey is part of the engagement work to better understand the lived experiences of our families, young people, and adults who have Autism. We have used the National All Age Autism strategy’s six priorities. We welcome your feedback across all areas. Your feedback will then be used to inform our Autism strategy priorities in the borough.
Closing date for your feedback will be Friday 28th January 2022
If you would like to get involved locally, please email matthew.catchpole@bromley.gov.uk
Adults & Autism Strategic group
Over the last year, the Bromley All-Age Autism Partnership board recognised a need to focus on those neurodiverse people who are not eligible for statutory services, but who may require support to avoid crisis and more help at a future point in time. As well as aligning our action plan to reflect all-age, we have:
Been identifying a clear pathway for those who do not meet thresholds for care act assessments.
Acknowledged that any local strategy developments should be in line with the latest national guidelines of the ‘All-Age Autism strategy’ (released July 2021). Locally we must have reference to those that do meet statutory thresholds.
Autism Family Support Service
Autism Education Trust (AET)
Bromley are partnering with the Autism Education Trust (AET), this collaboration was brought about by localised need to improve understanding and awareness of Autism across our all-age education settings, front line professionals and our community settings. 2022 will see the AET programme implemented locally and our specialist trainers collaboratively designing training programme for our services. Building awareness across services, becoming a borough AET hub for Autism development and understanding.
If you are looking to find out more information get in contact with stephanie.withers@bromley.gov.uk & matthew.catchpole@bromley.gov.uk
Bromley Autism Promise
The Bromley Autism Promise has been created out of the All Age Autism partnership board, recognising a need to increase understanding and awareness across organisations that support our Autistic residents.
This work focuses on the national all Age Autism Strategy priorities of ‘Improving understanding and acceptance of Autism within society’ and ‘Supporting more autistic people into employment’.
Key to our localised strategy is ensuring the experience for all our organisations is making them assessable for all residents. This includes the local authority, education settings, NHS trusts, GP’s, businesses including retail and public services.
The Bromley Autism Promise was created to help support key local organisations to become more Autism aware, accepting, and inclusive. Making changes that better support and welcome our diverse community.
If you would like to get involved locally, please email matthew.catchpole@bromley.gov.uk
Stories From Our Promise Partners
‘Build’ @ Mottingham Library – a new venture for families with children on the autistic spectrum
2021 was a year with lots of challenges for everyone – but at Mottingham Library we set ourselves a slightly different challenge – that of improving the service we offered to our customers who are on the autistic spectrum.
We were lucky enough to be approached by Helen from CASPA – the charity for local parents who have children on the autistic spectrum, who came to the library between lockdowns to train us in understanding the challenges faced by these families and what we could do to help.
The result was firstly that we signed up to the Bromley Autism Promise – a simple sign that we are inclusive and supportive and will treat everyone with respect and understanding regardless of their individual situation. Then in the Autumn, once we could welcome customers to events again, we started our new ‘BUILD’ club.
Realising that many children on the autistic spectrum enjoy building with Lego, we have provided a special hour every Saturday when the library is less busy for families to come in and build with our Lego bricks with the added security of staff who are welcoming and tolerant, and the provision of our small garden and a sensory tent should the children need to take a little time out. Although at present every family has to be socially distanced, we hope that in time, families will be able to mix socially and enjoy friendships and being together in a relaxed atmosphere.
Spaces are limited at present because of the current Covid situation, but if you would like more details please contact us at the library email mottingham.library@gll.org or phone 020 8857 5406.
London Fire Brigade
Introducing Kevin McKenzie, our local borough commander for the London Fire Brigade, Bromley. High on the LFB’s priorities are supporting its workforce and community through their Inclusion strategy. A keen area of Kevin’s role is supporting his stations to push forward and lead on empowering a neuro diversity agenda.
Kevin and his Leadership team are working in partnership with the Bromley All-Age Autism Partnership and specifically the Bromley Autism Promise. This work started recently with Kevin inviting the Promise partners, including Helen Dyer- CEO of CASPA Charity, Stephanie Withers- Group leader of SEN Advisory teams & Matthew Catchpole- SEND Reforms & Autism Project officer to their borough training day. We took a look at neurodiversity and specifically started discussions around our understanding of Autism.
Kevin describes this work as an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of our staff while supporting our partners to Increase employment opportunities for people with Autism and other disabilities. It’s also a great opportunity to showcase LFB as an organisation championing inclusion.
Bromley MyTime Active MyClub Junior & MyClub
MYCLUB JUNIOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMME AT THE PAVILION LEISURE CENTRE
Mytime Active has secured a small pot of funding from London Sport to provide an exclusive programme of physical activities for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities including autism, aged 0 to 16 years from January to March 2022.
A pilot programme has been launched at the Pavilion leisure centre in Bromley, which includes free Soft Play, Teen Circuits and a Family Splash session. For more information and for registration details please visit: https://www.mytimeactive.co.uk/myclubjunior
The soft play session took place on Friday 10th December and was attended by 12 families. The children and their families enjoyed the exclusive use of the soft play frame.
HAVE YOUR SAY
More exclusive sessions are planned for 2022. Complete the feedback form to ensure we provide a programme that is relevant and appropriate to you and your family.
MYCLUB ACTIVITY PROGRAMME FOR ADULTS
In addition, Mytime Active is also aiming to engage adults with special educational needs and disabilities including Autism in a weekly programme of activities. Some of the activities will be provided free until March 2022 and are suitable for those aged 16+. The free programme includes dance, multi-sports, strength and conditioning classes and a designated golf session. In addition to this we have two bowling sessions which can be accessed at a discounted price for MyClub members.
We appreciate there is an overlap of ages and many young people with special educational needs and disabilities are in college until aged 25. Therefore young people aged 16 to 25 when registering will be allocated a MyClub membership, which will give access to the Family Splash and group exercise sessions which form part of the MyClub Junior programme. They will also have access to the full Myclub programme for adults, which includes swimming during general swim times across Mytime Active pools.
Please note for both MyClub Junior and MyClub sessions carers attend free and are responsible for any specific needs or personal care.
Any queries on either programme please call the contact centre on 0208 323 1765 or email contactcentre@mytimeactive.co.uk
Autism specific resources
Hannah Little and Amy Rajah, ISAT’s Senior Advisory Teachers co-ordinating the Language, Communication & Interaction workforce development services, have recently launched ‘Padlet’ across the Autism Champions and Communication Champions (SLCN) networks. There are several hundred professionals actively engaging with the networks, through all of Bromley’s schools, plus participating local partners.
Our Local Engagement events
With support from Your voice in health and social care (YVHSC) and Mencap we continue to engage with parents, young people, carers and adults to obtain their lived experiences of life and services across Bromley. These groups findings where shared at the All Age Autism Partnership board and have been integral to influence our local initiatives and drive key Strategic goals. There will be up and coming specific engagements across key partners throughout January.
If you have lived as an Autistic person or supporting someone in Bromley who is Autistic and you would like to share your experiences please contact matthew.catchpole@bromley.gov.uk.
Mental Health & Wellbeing - resources and information
Mental Health and Wellbeing Toolkit - for our schools
The Bromley Mental Health and Wellbeing Toolkit is the product of extensive partnership working with Bromley Y and Oxleas CAMHS and builds on the recent collaborative workshops led by the Anna Freud Centre. The Toolkit is designed to be a one-stop shop for wellbeing concerns arising from school colleagues or children and young people.
If you have feedback or suggestions related to the toolkit, please contact sara.groenli@bromley.gov.uk / 0208 461 7705
Our School Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead Network
The first Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead (MHWL) Network meeting was held virtually on Wednesday 3rd November, bringing together over 80 attendees from our local schools, colleges, Mental Health Services, South East London Clinical Commissioning Group and the Council. The meeting introduced the available support already in place for our education settings and went in to breakout rooms to discuss the role of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leads and how the network can support them. By facilitating mutual learning and best practice exchange in the future, the network will play a pivotal role in aiding our schools and colleges in tackling and responding to the mental health and wellbeing needs of staff and pupils. We will respond to the suggestions and needs identified from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leads and do our best to jointly provide valuable input, advice and support from council and mental health services.
The identified MHWLs are not expected to act as a mental health professional and will not attempt to diagnose or deliver interventions. We will support our Leads in becoming the school or college ‘go to’ person for queries related to mental health and wellbeing and have significant knowledge and access to resource for local referral pathways and support.
The '5 Steps To Mental Health And Wellbeing' framework was introduced at the networking event as our recommended action planning tool to implement a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing. The framework includes a wealth of resources and information for each section and actions. The framework and website is free to sign up to with a school email address.
If you haven't already identified your Mental Health and Wellbeing lead for your school or college, or if you have any questions about the Mental Health and Wellbeing work in Bromley, please email or call Sara at 0208 461 7705/sara.groenli@bromley.gov.uk.
Useful Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources
Molehill Mountain is a free app available through the Google Play and Apple store, designed specifically for individuals on the autistic spectrum to support them in understanding and self-managing their anxiety.
This introduction to understanding mental health in children and young people with learning disabilities, from the Mental Health Foundation, is supported by a range of different resources that may be useful for all those working with children and young people with learning disabilities.
The Bromley Local Offer provide information about local services, support and activities available to families, children and young people aged 0 - 25 years with special educational needs or disabilities.
THE SIGNPOST - TEXT SERVICE FOR 11-18 YEAR OLDS
When children are struggling with something, it can be difficult to know where to turn for support. The Signpost offers emotional health support and will help the child or young person to think about what options are available to them. TEXT: 07840 635 025 (monitored Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, excluding Bank Holidays).
SEMH Pathways in Bromley
MythBusters
Autism is caused by...
Any sentence which starts like this should immediately be questioned. We simply do not yet know the definitive cause of autism. We do know that the condition has a genetic component and there are many other theories and possible factors out there. However, there is no definitive answer to what causes autism and anyone who tries to point to any single factor or cause is not speaking from a scientific, research informed perspective.
Autistic people are unsociable...
Whilst social interaction and communication are a feature for some Autistic people, meaning they may often find social situations very difficult or stressful, this does not mean that a person doesn’t want to socialise. Nor does it mean that some autistic people are not very outgoing or enjoy socialising. Just because a person finds something challenging or does something in a different way, does not mean that they don’t interact with other people nor have friends.
All Autistic people are...
If you find yourself asking ‘do all autistic people do this?’ The answer is no! To Quote Dr Stephen Shore 'If you've met one individual with autism, you've met one individual with autism'. We all have our own challenges and strengths. It is important to avoid stereotyping or “box ticking” autism.
Useful resources
Our previous newsletters
Helpful resources
Credits:
Pexels, Pixabay, CASPA, Bromley Y, Anna Freud Centre, Oxleas CAMHS, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley Children Project, Adobe Stock Photos,