Leeds Autism AIM - The Advonet Group

A free advocacy, information, mentoring and peer support service co-led by and run for autistic adults in Leeds.

About the Service

Leeds Autism AIM is a free service co-led by and run for autistic adults (aged 18 and over) in the Leeds City Council area. It has been going since late 2014 and provides low-level support including advocacy, information and signposting. The majority of staff working with our AIM service are autistic adults themselves.

See more about what Leeds Autism AIM do in this video:

Contact

0113 244 0606

[email protected]

Unit A4, Unity Business Centre,

26 Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS7 1AB

@leedsautismAIM

Key Contact

Owen Walker, Autism AIM Senior Manager
[email protected]

Chris Hattrell, Leeds Autism AIM Deputy Manager
[email protected]

What Does the Service Do

Our free AIM service offers the following:

Autism Hubs – regular twice-weekly sessions where we can meet you in person to offer advocacy, information and signposting. They run drop-in sessions on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month and appointment-only sessions every Thursday and on the first, third and (if applicable) fifth Tuesday of each month
Information and signposting – by email, phone, text chat or in person
Post-diagnostic support – a service for newly-diagnosed autistic adults who need help to understand their diagnosis. We can offer up to four meetings with an autistic member of staff if you need it
One-to-One Peer Support – support from an autistic member of staff to help understand your autism and create life strategies
Mentoring – pairing an autistic adult with a volunteer mentor, to meet regularly and help them set and achieve life goals
Autistic-Led Groups – regular autistic-led groups held in-person and on Zoom and/or Discord, including Peer Support, Women-Aligned and Gaming

For more information on all of the AIM team’s services, please visit their website.

Who is the Service For?

Leeds Autism AIM supports:

Autistic adults (aged 18 and over) living in the Leeds area
Parents, carers and partners of autistic adults (aged 18 and over) in Leeds
Professionals working with autistic adults in Leeds

How to Access the Service

If you are an autistic adult, a parent/carer/partner of one or a professional working with someone who is autistic, you can make a referral.
To do so, please click on this link to Leeds Autism AIM’s online referral form.

For any general enquiries about how AIM can help you, please contact them:

By emailing [email protected]
By calling the Advonet Group office on 0113 244 0606 and asking for someone from the AIM team

You can follow Leeds Autism AIM on Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Further Information

Leeds Autism AIM is funded by grants from The National Lottery Community Fund, the West Yorkshire NHS Integrated Care Board and Live Well Leeds.

The service also has a monthly newsletter – if you would like to subscribe, please go to this link.
There is a mailing list for professionals too; to subscribe, please go to this link.