Autism and social communication: Targeted support

_What might this look like? _ 

Children and young people with social communication needs that are impacting on their ability to manage the social and academic environment of school. This might be a child or young person who is finding it hard to engage with learning or who seems isolated from their peers. It may be a child or young person who is becoming overwhelmed by the environment of school and needs time to decompress when they return home. 

**Education services ** 

Sutton SEND Advisory Partnership (SSAP) 

• Consideration of a referral into the SSAP for advice and resources for pupils at SEND Support. See more information here[External Link] 

Paving the Way  

• Referral into the service for individual or group work with pupils designed to develop resilience and reduce anxiety, or advice and consultation for school staff. For primary aged children attending a school in the London Borough of Sutton, aged between 5-11 years, and those transitioning into year 7 

• The service often run family session and workshops during the holidays for families awaiting support or those known to the team. See the website for updated information  

• See more about referral criteria and paperwork here[External Link] 

Cognus Inclusion Team  

• Inclusion Surgeries run every week Tuesday afternoon and Friday morning for any member of school staff to provide information, advice, and guidance to schools to support inclusive practice and the prevention of exclusion. To book onto the Inclusion Surgery, please complete the booking form. 

Cognus Autism Service  

• Half-termly surgeries for all schools, with a specific focus on practical solution focused escalation prevention. These are scheduled video calls (on Teams), where school staff can book a 30-minute slot for advice on developing the setting to become more autism-friendly or for support for individual children. School staff can request a slot by emailing the theautismservice@cognus.org.uk. 

• Monthly surgeries for parents and families to seek advice and support from our Cognus Autism Champions. These are scheduled video calls (on Teams), where parents and families can book a 30-minute slot to discuss their child’s needs and receive signposting and support focused on practical solution-focused escalation prevention. Parents and families can request a slot by emailing the theautismservice@cognus.org.uk. 

• Termly workshops either face-to-face or delivered virtually. These are promoted on the website: Events – Cognus[External Link] and via Facebook, by following ‘Cognus Autism Service’ and on X (Twitter), by following ‘Cognus Autism Support’. Parents and families can request a place by emailing theautismservice@cognus.org.uk. 

**Social care services ** 

Family Hubs  

• Parent/carer Coffee Information Sessions. If you would like to find out more about the sessions, please contact Clare Kennedy Parenting Administrator via her email: clare.kennedy@sutton.gov.uk 

• A range of parent/carer training programmes, support sessions and information which can be found here. This includes Time Out for Parents – Autism, as well as Adapt to Learn’s Small Change, Big Difference and other bespoke sessions which can be organised.  

Early Help  

• Advice and signposting from an Early Help Coordinator  

• Referral into the Helping Early Panel which is a multi-agency partnership that aims to support children, young people, and families in Sutton by providing early intervention and prevention services. It focuses on identifying and addressing needs early on to prevent issues from escalating and to improve outcomes for children and families. Referral can only be completed by professionals (not schools)  

• For professional support or guidance on referrals, you can contact the Early Help Coordinators at 020 8770 6001 and for more information see here 

Sutton Therapeutic Hub  

_This service is only available to children/young people and families open to Sutton’s Children’s Services _ 

• Hub practitioners work with children and young people to assess and understand their needs, and those of the parents/ carers. Where appropriate, they may then offer therapeutic interventions. 

• Parent/carer coffee morning sessions jointly run by the Virtual School and Therapeutic Hub 

**Health services ** 

Education Wellbeing Service SWLSTG/Cognus 

• Guided self-help for anxiety or low mood  

• Therapeutic groups including those focused on understanding neurodiversity  

• Reflective consultation slots for school staff  

• For more information about this service or to request training and support contact your schools Mental Health Lead. To find out who is your linked worker please email EWSinfo@swlstg.nhs.uk or see here. For schools who are part of the team linked to Cognus see more information here[External Link]  

Sutton Alliance services – Tier 2  

• CAMHS cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety, phobias and low mood for children and young people up to the age of 18 registered with a Sutton GP. Referrals can be made by GP's, other healthcare professionals, schools, and others via the single point of reference. Referrals information can be found here [External Link]  

• Off the Record for counselling for young people aged 11-25. See here for referral[External Link] information and criteria