Autism Arena

Visit Autism Arena on Facebook (a new website and logo are in development).
Autism Arena is a non-profit community interest company that helps families of autistic children navigate health and social care, education and leisure. We are a team consisting of a former GP, social worker and a teacher (SENCo) who are all parent carers of autistic and neurodivergent children. We understand the time and emotional challenges faced with trying to get the right information to support an individual child and we want to share our skills to help make the journey easier for others, be confident advocates for their child and get things right as soon as possible to help their child reach their potential.
In addition to helping support each child, we wish to reduce the isolation and loneliness that parent carers of autistic and neurodivergent can experience. We understand how challenging it can be when children are unable to play or socialise in the same way as their peers, and from a carer perspective, this makes it more difficult to build connections and an understanding support network. By holding peer support events we wish to reduce the barriers for parent carers to feel part of a supportive community. Our online peer support events are aimed to be more accessible to a wider range of parent carers.
We offer webinars, workshops, individual consultations and online peer support sessions.

Peer Support Plus

Visit the Peer Support Plus website: www.peersupportplus.org

Peer Support Plus is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered with the Charity Commission in England on 12 August 2020, Registered Number 1190818. Peer Support Plus CIO has Voting Members other than its Trustees.

The roots of Peer Support Plus lie with a group of pioneers who met at Leeds Mind about twenty years before the seeds of Peer Support Plus CIO were first sown. Over time and thanks to passionate individuals and various pieces of funding, it has grown and developed into what it is today.

We provide FREE, two-hour, weekly Peer Support groups where adults in Leeds can learn to better manage their mental health by listening and sharing their own lived experiences in a safe kind and supportive space. We offer both in-person and Zoom groups. Participation is open-ended so individuals can attend for as long as they feel the benefit. It’s okay to leave and its okay to come back.

Our trained Peer-facilitators are all volunteers with lived experience of managing their own mental health. All participants sign up to an agreed set of aspirations we call Guidelines for Behaviour – treating everyone kindly and non-judgementally, respecting confidences, keeping us all safe.

Additionally, some of our Peer Support Plus volunteers have been trained by 100% Digital Leeds to became certified Digital Champions.

 

Related posts:

  1. Compassionate Leeds Strategy
  2. Team Leeds Introductory Video
  3. Welcome to our new members: Diabetes UK and Smart Works
  4. Cost of Living Crisis – Forum Central Update