Derbyshire mums launch company to help autistic children

Experienced teachers Eloise Barnett and Nicola Warner established SENDS Support in Tibshelf to offer help to families after it became obvious how many children were falling through gaps in the system.

They now work with almost 70 families across the East Midlands, helping children aged between two and 17, as well as going into schools which need assistance with pupils.

Youngsters could be suffering from anxiety or low self-esteem which causes them to become disengaged from school.

Eloise said: “We have both worked in education for many years and believed parents were not getting the help and support they needed.

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“Parents can become isolated, often giving up their jobs to stay at home and look after children because there is no other option.

"We go into the home to help. We have observations and have conversations and actually become part of the family.

“In this more relaxed and natural environment we can properly engage with the child.”

Youngsters with autism, challenging behaviour, sleep pattern problems and rare genetic conditions have all been helped by SENDS Support.

“We are not 9-5,” Eloise said. “We worked Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve and are always at the end of the phone because parents need support and a child could have a meltdown at any time.

“We are there when needed but also want to empower parents to cope with situations themselves.”

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Eloise says the waiting list for help via the NHS-provided Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is currently 49 weeks in Derbyshire and even longer in some neighbouring counties, which means many months of struggle for families.

“We are also there to support mainstream schools and hold workshops,” Eloise said. “We are supported by various grants and are a community interest company.”

For more information, visit the SENDS Support website.