This project aims to improve how mental health services across West Yorkshire work with autistic adults accessing support from them.
The project’s main focus is on improving access to services for autistic adults. However, it also provides peer support, leads on consultations on mental health services and provides training to mental health professionals.
It is funded for four years from autumn 2021 by a grant from the Comic Relief Change Makers fund. The Change Makers programme is launching twenty new initiatives involving 45 organisations, spanning all four nations of the UK, over the next five years.
They will tackle serious issues that have seen increased demand for help throughout the pandemic including homelessness, domestic abuse and mental health. The programme aims to find innovative solutions to problems affecting vulnerable people that have been overlooked or under-resourced at a local, regional and national level.
What does the project do?
The project offers the following services:
- Enabling autistic adults to have a stronger voice in how local mental health services work
- Consultations on how mental health services can improve their work with autistic adults
- Autistic peer support – training services across West Yorkshire to provide peer support to autistic adults and regular peer support groups
- Providing training to advocacy and social prescribing services to help autistic adults access the services they need
- Personalised self-advocacy resources to help put forward your needs
Who is the project for?
The project is for autistic adults in West Yorkshire. This covers the following local authorities:
- Leeds
- Bradford
- Wakefield
- Kirklees
- Calderdale
Initially, the project will be focused on the Leeds area, spreading its work out to the other areas listed above later on.
The project is also for mental health professionals and people working for social prescribing and advocacy services in West Yorkshire.
Get involved
If you would like more information on this project, please:
- Email [email protected] or
- Call the Advonet Group’s office on 0113 244 0606 and ask for Owen or Georgia
Yorkshire Autism AIM’s mailing list
Every three months, the Yorkshire Autism AIM produces a quarterly e-newsletter on Mailchimp. It has information on what services they are offering, resources around autism and mental health and what they will be doing in the future. If you would like to receive their e-newsletters, please sign up to their mailing list by clicking on the button below.
Mental Health Peer Support groups
Yorkshire Autism AIM run regular peer support groups for autistic adults who are experiencing mental health difficulties. There are two groups run every month. One is on the first Thursday of the month at the Lovell Park Hub from 6pm to 7pm. The other is on Zoom on the third Thursday of the month; also from 6pm-7pm.
From October 2023 onwards, the groups will be co-facilitated by us and Leeds Mind. They are free to attend and for autistic adults in the Leeds area. You can find out more about the groups, how they work and how to join by clicking on the button below
