New help service launched for parents of children with autism in Milton Keynes

A new online service is now available for parents of children with autism in Milton Keynes and surrounding areas.

Bucks-based charity Autism Early Support (AES) has launched The Parent’s Portal to give guidance, knowledge, a peer network, support groups and workshops,

The charity specialises in supporting autistic children through educatoon and therapies and it also works closely with families to offer practical strategies,

support and advice.

The Parent’s Portal will benefit parents who are recognising differences in their child and are exploring neurodivergence, or for those parents who already know their child is autistic.

AES head Sarah Sweet-Rowley said: “Every day we would receive calls from parents who had nowhere else to turn. With limited resources, at best we could listen, signpost and add them to a waiting list.

"Meanwhile, the parents we were working with every day were sharing their frustrations about the information they had access to, it was too often out of date, poor quality, conflicting and inconsistent – and overall just too difficult and time consuming to navigate.

“The portal was created out of our drive to be able to offer a more immediate and robust solution for parents.”

AES applied for funding from the CAF Resilience Fund to set up The Parents Portal project.

It is open to parents with children aged two to 16 years and can be accessed 24/7. It contains reliable knowledge from AES practitioners who have worked with autistic children and their families for over 20 years and a full resource library.

There is also a programme of live interactive workshops delivered by AES practitioners and autistic advocates from across the UK.

The portal helps people through the EHCP and SEN process and, because it’s interactive, parents can talk to practitioners, meet other parents and join discussion forums.

It’s a non-judgmental space where ideas are exchanged freely and parents can feel affirmed, listened to and supported, says AES.

For unlimited 24/7 access to all features there is a charge of £10 per month per household. There is no joining fee and parents can cancel at any time.