About the Service
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 Service 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
- 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 Service 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.
How to Access the Service
If you would like more information on this project, please:
Email us at [email protected] or
Call our office on 0113 244 0606 and ask for Owen or Georgia.
Mental Health Peer Support Groups
The project runs regular mental health-focused peer support groups that are co-facilitated by autistic adults. They run groups for autistic adults in Leeds, and in Bradford and Craven.
To find out more about how to join the groups in those areas, please click on the buttons below.
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