Go Back

Making It Work: transforming support for neurodiverse children and young people

A new support network for neurodiverse children and young people, their parents and carers is being developed.

It follows feedback that parents and carers of autistic children and children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) consistently report feeling unsupported when looking for help with the health and care they need.

If you care for a neurodiverse child or young person, we would like to hear from you about the best way to transform health and care support services for families like yours.

Sharing your views

If you have any ideas, thoughts or experiences you’d like to share, or if you just want to know more about this work, please get in touch at: makingit.work@nhs.net.

This email is monitored by NHS Kent and Medway Children’s Team. Any information you share will be used anonymously.

A new support network for neurodiverse children and young people, their parents and carers is being developed.

It follows feedback that parents and carers of autistic children and children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) consistently report feeling unsupported when looking for help with the health and care they need.

If you care for a neurodiverse child or young person, we would like to hear from you about the best way to transform health and care support services for families like yours.

Sharing your views

If you have any ideas, thoughts or experiences you’d like to share, or if you just want to know more about this work, please get in touch at: makingit.work@nhs.net.

This email is monitored by NHS Kent and Medway Children’s Team. Any information you share will be used anonymously.

  • Trialing services with children in west Kent

    Three approaches are being tested with a small group of children in west Kent with the aim of improving support for children up to the age of 11:

    Do-IT

    We are working with GP practice children’s navigators to trial an evidence-based profiling tool for seven to 11 year olds.

    This is not a diagnostic process, but will help provide a profile of a child’s strengths and needs. This will be used to help signpost to support which is accessible without a diagnosis. This is being tested in Maidstone.

    This Is Me

    We are working with school-based school nursing teams to trial a different profiling tool for primary age children. This is not a diagnostic process, but will help provide a profile of a child’s strengths and needs.

    This will be used to help signpost to support accessible without diagnosis, as well as low-level interventions. This is being tested in Tunbridge Wells.

    Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT)

    We are testing a new multi-disciplinary diagnostic model focusing on 0-five year olds. Families will not have to go to multiple appointments with a range of different people, instead it will all happen during one or two assessments.

    This will save time and gives a more detailed assessment that may lead to a diagnosis. This is being tested across west Kent.

    By rolling out our ideas in a small geographical area, we will find out how well they work for children and their families or carers.

    The aim is to learn from what we are doing to produce the most appropriate complete package for everyone across Kent and Medway.

    Dr Faye Hinsley, GP and NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Lead for Learning Disabilities, ADHD and Autism said:

    “It is so important to get the right support for neurodiverse children, and this has been a huge challenge recently in Kent and Medway.

    The NHS is now working with families, schools, Kent County Council and the wider community to find the best way of helping neurodiverse children develop their strengths and meet their needs.

    By investing in these three pilots, we will be able to demonstrate the benefits our improvements can make on a wider scale.

    We are committed to improving how the system works so that parents and carers don’t feel they have to fight for what is needed for their child.

    Instead we want the system to work with them to get the support they need for their child to thrive.”

    Other test approaches

    We are also testing a number of additional offers of support that have been developed by families and professionals working in health, education and the community. Two areas of current focus are:

    • Peer-to-peer support – helping to grow networks of parents, carers, children, young people and practitioners so they can share knowledge and experience and help improve the support on offer
    • Workforce development - training for people working in health, education and social care to help them better understand how they can best support neurodiverse children and young people.