Services & support

Autism Support Network

Click icon for community help and support for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder and their families in Lincolnshire.    See also Contact us for GAIN’s new phone number.         new

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Look under FAQ for Associated conditions and Information sub-menus.

Lincolnshire county council

Council website

The Lincolnshire County Council website has many pages of information for parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disability.       Click icon to browse.        It includes Short breaks and ESCO.        Social care or direct payments may be available.        To find out how to arrange an assessment contact the Customer Service Centre on 01522 782 111.

Click  phone icon for a guide to all the services offered by the Council Customer Services Centre.        See also definitive Council contact information.

Family services directory

The Lincolnshire County Council on-line Family Services Directory is the go-to place to find out about services.       It is likely to be the place with the most up-to-date information.      Service providers can update their own entries.       There are more menu options on their home page.       Click icon to see.

The GAIN website also has:  Take a break       Activities & support       ESCO support

NHS

The National Health Service website offers a guide to established medical opinion in the UK.        Click icon for their autism page.         In What is autism? they say that autism is not an illness or disease.         It means your brain works in a different way from other people.       The NHS carries out diagnosis of autism and treatment of related conditions.

Children’s therapy

Click icon to find out about NHS children’s therapy services in Lincolnshire.       See also:  information (scroll down)        FAQ

Community Paediatrics

A service for children in Lincolnshire who are referred when there are concerns about development, behaviour or educational needs.       Click icon to view.       new

Helplines

The National Autistic Society have an on-line form as well as a phone number.       But before you call or email check to see how they can help.        They are much in demand, so it might be worth a look.       See icons to the left for the next step.

Contact (for families with disabled children) was founded by parents.       Have a look at Who are we?        Click icon to find out about their helpline.       You can get in touch with Contact by phone or email.       See also their FAQ tool.

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation offers telephone and email support to family carers and professionals caring for children and adults with severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.

Childcare

Lincolnshire Family Services directory has lots of information for families to help them find childcare.       They also have a guide to getting help with costs.       Click icon to browse.

For specialist SEN helplines see SEN Support.

CAMHS

Your Child’s GP might make a referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).        They are behind the Cinema on St Catherine’s Road in Grantham.

For official information see:  introduction        webpage
See also what the forums say:  referral         shambles        The replies are worth a look.       Those with good experiences may be less motivated to speak out on these forums, but if you look carefully you should find some.        Here is an insider’s view         (new)

One of our autism mums said,  I’ve had multiple dealings with CAMHS.   They can diagnose and prescribe medication so they offer a variety of help as well as behaviour management.    I find them excellent to deal with and they’ve been a fabulous support to us.

See also SEN support about the Lincolnshire Educational psychology service.

Lincolnshire Carers Service

The Lincolnshire Carers Service is a partnership between Lincolnshire County Council and Carers FIRST.        This service includes parents of children.          The first point of contact is the County Council’s Customer Service Centre:   01522 782 224  or  carersservice@lincolnshire.gov.uk         Click icon for the range of support for carers.

Carers FIRST is the new name for Carers connect.        They provide emotional and practical support, advice, information, guidance and offer statutory carer assessments, social groups, short break respite, activities trips and more.        Click icon for their website.         To find what web pages might help you, try my navigator

For more information see:  introduction         out of hours        history