If you're autistic or you care for someone on the autism spectrum, there are a range of support services, organisations and groups that you can access, all of which form part of our Local Offer for children and young people who have special educational needs or a disability (SEND).
Support for parent/carers
Parent/carers support
| Support for... | What you will find |
|---|
| Early years |
Information on free childcare, help with childcare costs, speech and language support, home teaching, and funding. |
| School ages 5-16 |
Find out about the autism pathway and how a referral is made, targeted education, students allowance, educational psychology, schools outreach, hearing and vision support and more. |
| Post 16 |
Post 16 opportunities, including employment, health, education, relationships, directory of services and money. |
| Finances |
Support for carers, students and employment, personal independence payments, activity funding, discounts for days out and information on personalised education, personal budgets and direct payments. |
| Health and wellbeing |
Health services and support, including physiotherapy, speech and language, occupational therapy, learning disability nursing and more |
| Getting around and accessing facilities |
Help with getting around on buses, trains and trams, home to school travel, applying for a blue badge and video tours of leisure facilities and shopping centres in the borough. |
| Short breaks and respite |
An essential opportunity for parent/carers to have a break, and allow disabled children and young people to experience new places, people and activities. |
| Activities and workshops |
Organisations offering young people with SEND activities and workshops to have fun, make friends and develop skills. |
Support if you have autism
If you have autism
| Support for... | What you will find |
|---|
| Post 16 - What do I do next? |
Post 16 opportunities, including education, supported employment, training and apprenticeships, work experience, volunteering and day opportunities offering activities and workshops in the borough. |
| Finances |
Support if you're a student or seeking employment, personal independence payments, managing your own money and information on personal budgets. |
| Mental health and wellbeing (external link) |
Think Wellbeing offers free NHS therapy for people registered with a Wigan GP with have anxiety or depression, to help you change the way you feel by changing the way you think. |
| Getting around and accessing facilities |
Help with getting around on buses, trains and trams, home to school travel, applying for a blue badge and video tours of leisure facilities and shopping centres in the borough. |
| Things to do |
Activities and events available for young people in the borough. |
| Keeping safe |
How to stay safe, including online safety, bullying, domestic abuse, sex and going out. |
| Friends and relationships |
Advice and support on friendships, sex and relationships. |
Wigan Wellbeing and Resilience Plus Service
The Plus service offers advice and guidance, with a focus on accessible support for autistic adults. This includes:
- Referring you for a diagnosis and challenging any other misdiagnosis related to mental health
- Help to apply for appropriate benefits, promoting financial sustainability
- Skill-building support with social situations and daily living
- Connecting individuals with community networks and peer support opportunities, including online and through Peer2Peer, to promote self-sustainability
- Help to find work or maintain work, education or training by looking for appropriate opportunities, applying for reasonable adjustments, including access to the Health to Work Programme.
The service is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, with access to out of hours support 8pm to 8am weekdays and 6pm to 9am at weekends. They are located at the Platt Bridge Community Base, Olympic House, Platt Bridge, Wigan, WN2 5DA.
To find out more you can call 01942 862755.
Professionals
If you're a professional working with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, you can: