Please Support Our Team in Woking Half Marathon

NAS Surrey Branch committee members Jo Dilworth and Rachel Pearson, plus supporters

Crista and James Rayner are running as a team in The Surrey Half Marathon on 10th

March 2019. Please support them by donating or cheering them along on the day!

The team is raising money for two autism-related causes:

• NAS Surrey Branch, to help fund the support, training and advice we offer those affected by autism in Surrey https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nassurreybranch
• Autism Forward, which supports funding for adults with autism to access mentoring https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/joannadilworth1 

Suicide First Aid Talk in Guildford

On Saturday 2nd March, from 2.00 – 4.30 p.m., we are holding a workshop for parents/family carers on the very disturbing issue of suicidal thoughts and behaviour in autistic people of any age.

Suicide has tragically touched families in our autism community recently and we have identified a speaker who brings a specialist understanding of autism to raise awareness of the issue and its prevalence, what we can do to help the people we support and what we can do to get help ourselves.

The speaker will be Fiona Aldred, Director of Operations at The National Centre for Suicide Prevention Training. Fiona has been working with Suicide Prevention and autistic spectrum conditions for the past 15 years, and has significant experience working to support many positive outcomes for people on the Autistic Spectrum. She is also a parent of autistic children. The talk is being held in Guildford. There is no charge, but donations would be gratefully received, either in cash on the day or via our justgiving page: www.justgiving.com/nassurreybranch

Places are limited, and MUST be booked in advance. To book go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/suicide-first-aid-for-autism-tickets-55313589435
If you have any queries, please email nas@mugsy.org with ‘Suicide First Aid’ in the subject line. 

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Course for Parents of Young People with ASC Thinking of Going to Uni

We are subsidising a one-day course for parents/carers of autistic young people age 16+ who are thinking of going to Uni. The seminar will be at the Guildford institute from 9.45 for 10.00am start to 2.30pm on Tuesday 30th April 2019

It aims to give parents an insight into some of the difficulties people with an Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) experience in the transition to University, what support is available, how to get it and how to navigate the process. Topics covered will include:

• Things to consider when deciding whether (and which) University is a good choice
• Difficulties experienced by ASC students
• Sources of support at University
• Disabled Students Allowance and the Assessment Process
• Strategies for Managing at University

Places are limited and MUST be booked in advance. Suggested minimum donation £15 (normal price is £48). To book, please email events@nassurreybranch.org with ‘Going to Uni’ in the subject line. 

The course is being delivered by AS Mentoring www.asmentoring.co.uk, a specialist organisation working with individuals with ASC, helping them to find and retain work, and supporting those in higher education.

Have Your Say on Transition to Adult Services

Lisa Woodruff Truscott is the Carer lead for Surrey County Council’s Adult Social Care Transition Team. She is working with the NAS Surrey Branch to set up a Parent Forum meeting (date TBC) to hear your views and discuss how the Transition Team can improve communication between Adult Social Care and families. She would like to hear from parents and carers of young people aged 14 to 25 years, to find out what support they are looking for, as well as their views on any past and current experiences with services and support networks.

She would also like to hear from those who are now more settled, or those still looking for the right support. It would be helpful to hear both positive and negative experiences and from anyone who can share their success stories. 

Her job involves working closely with families to provide information, advice and guidance around the transition to adulthood, and the change of support from children’s services to Adult services and social care support. The transition team currently works with over 1000, and a large majority of the young people coming for help and support to the service are on the autistic spectrum. It is the team’s aim to share information about current services available, and to provide information to families coming through adult social care to help ease the journey.

Date, time and venue are still to be confirmed, but if you would interested in attending the meeting, please email Sara Truman at nas@mugsy.org for more details, by 13th April and we will let you know as soon as details are confirmed.

If you would prefer not to participate in the forum, you can still send your feedback to Sara Truman at the above email address. Please include a phone number if you would be happy to talk to Lisa about your experiences.  If you prefer to give your feedback to Surrey County Council anonymously, make this clear in your email and we will remove your email address and any identifying details before passing on the feedback.

NAS Surrey Branch Ice Skating Event

Booking is now open for our annual ice-skating family event on Sunday 10^th June from 4.45 – 5.45pm. We suggest arriving at 4.30 to collect boots and helmets. The suggested donation remains at £4.50 per person.

This is one of our most popular family events: we take over the whole rink, and flashing lights and loud music are turned off to make it more accessible for those with sensory issues. 

If you wish, you can bring your family in via a back door directly into the rink so that families can avoid the hubbub of the main reception, or for anyone who requires level access. This event is as much about siblings, grandparents and other family members getting to spend time together in a non-judgmental atmosphere. For younger ones who are less confident, The Spectrum has pushalong penguins and snowmen, which help children, gain confidence on the ice.

Please note: Parents remain responsible for the children throughout and children should be accompanied on the ice by a responsible adult.

BOOKING ESSENTIAL via Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nas-surrey-branch-family-ice-skating-10june2018-tickets-44528043577 . If you prefer not to pay online, please book your space on Eventbrite and arrange payment separately by emailing events@nassurreybranch.org  

New Women’s Group in Godalming

The NAS professional service team has started a free group for autistic women of all ages.  It meets in Godalming on Saturday afternoons once a month, from 3.30 to 5.00 p.m.  The group has a different topic for discussion each month, such as anxiety or employment or other issues.  To find out more, please email assist.surrey@nas.org.uk or call 01483 521743 (select option 1).

In addition, there are other free NAS Social Groups open to men and women:

·       Young Adults Groups (age 18 to 25) in Guildford and Redhill, fortnightly on Wednesday evenings, 7.00 – 9.00 p.m.

·       ASpire Group (age 25+) in Guildford, first Thursday of each month, 6.30 – 9.00 p.m.

The NAS ASSIST service also offers one-to-one appointments for adults with autism in Godalming, Reigate, Aldershot and Farnborough. For more information on any of the above, email assist.surrey@nas.org.uk or call 01483 521743  (select option 1).

NAS Surrey Service Clubs and Services for under 18s

NAS Children’s Clubs and Youth Clubs in Surrey are run by NAS professionals from the NAS Resource Centre in Godalming (not by volunteers at NAS Surrey Branch). Please contact them directly by email: SEResourceCentres@nas.org.uk or Tel: 01483 521 743 extn 3 for more information about clubs.

​Clubs are open to all children and young people with autism and Asperger syndrome who live in Surrey and run during in term-time only. The clubs offer a wide variety of fun activities in a safe, structured and autism-friendly environment and are all about having a good time. Everyone gets time to meet new friends, learn and play. The clubs aim to help children and young people to grow and develop their communication and social skills, become more independent, develop their confidence and boost self-esteem. 
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To apply for a place for their child, parents must complete a self-referral form available from SEResourceCentres@nas.org.uk or Tel: 01483 521 743.
All activities cost £5 per session (£2.50 for families on income support or for second siblings). 

CHILDRENS CLUBS (age 5 - 11)Godalming – Thurs 6.00 – 8.00 p.m. (age 5 – 11) 
Reigate - Thurs 6.00 - 8.00 p.m. (age 7-14) 
Staines - Tues 5.00 – 7.00 p.m. (age 5 – 11)

YOUTH CLUBS (Age 11 - 18 year olds) Woking - Thursday 7.00 - 9.00 p.m.
 Godalming – Tuesday 7.00 – 9.00 p.m.

ALL AGES (5 – 18 years old)Horsham – Thursdays 5.30 – 7.30 p.m.
Clubs run in term-time and are open to all children and young people with autism and Asperger syndrome who live in Surrey, or Sussex for the Horsham club. The clubs offer a variety of fun activities in a safe, structured, autism-friendly environment and are all about having a good time. Everyone gets time to meet new friends, learn and play. The clubs aim to help youngsters to develop their communication and social skills, become more independent, develop confidence and boost self-esteem.

Cost: £5 per session (£2.50 for families on income support or for second siblings).

Find out more on Facebook. To apply for a place for your child, contact the NAS Resource Centre by email: SEResourceCentres@nas.org.uk
or tel: 01483 521 743 (option 3).
ASSIST SERVICE (Age 16+)
Asperger Support, Signposting & Information Services Team
(For those who do not qualify for support from Adult Social Care.)

Co-ordinator: Mike Leat
Email: mike.leat@nas.org.uk
Tel: 07436 261194 (answerphone).

ASSIST runs on Thursdays and Saturdays in Godalming, on Tuesdays in Reigate, and on Saturdays in Aldershot. It offers one-to-one discussion sessions, usually once a month. 

Sparklers Spring Holidays Playgroups 😃

These are free stay and play plus sessions for children with additional needs  (0 to 13) and their families. The Surrey and Hampshire  Early Help professionals will be present.

Wednesdays, 4th & 11th April 2018
Time: 10.30am to 12.30pm
Venue: Deepcut Garison Community Centre,
GU16 6SY.

Friday, 13th April 2018
Time: 10.30pm to 12.30pm
Venue: Frimley Baptist Church,
Balmoral Drive, GU16 9AR.

For more information and to express interest, contact Sparklers via
Email: contact@sparklers.org.uk
Tel: 07854571041

NAS Surrey Branch Mini Survey

We are planning our (limited) resources and budgets for 2018 and would like the views of members so that we know what the most important things are for the branch to do to help support families. Just a reminder, the NAS Surrey Branch is run by parent volunteers and is focused on providing support for parents and carers – we are not involved with the children’s’ and youth clubs or ASSIST services which are run by the NAS Resource Centre - a separate part of the NAS run by professionals

Please spend just a few minutes completing the short survey here to help us prioritise how we use volunteers’ time and spend our money, which all comes from donations: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PS3CF23

Cygnet Courses Hosted by NAS Surrey Branch in 2018

We are once again hosting two 2-day Cygnet programmes for parents of children aged 5 – 18 with autism. They are being run by trainer Liz Waters:

Dorking – Weds 7^th & Thurs 8^th  March

Guildford – Tues 8^th & Weds 9^th May

The two-day programmes are designed to:

• • Increase understanding of autistic spectrum conditions 

• • Help parents / carers develop their knowledge of how a child on the autistic spectrum experiences the world and what drives their behaviour 

• • Learn about practical strategies to use with children 

• • Find out about relevant ASD resources 

• • Let parents / carers meet with others to gain support and learn from each other.

Topics covered include autism & diagnosis; communication; sensory issues; understanding behaviour and managing behavior.

This two-day course is FREE for families in Surrey to attend. BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL. To reserve your place, we require a £10 deposit per person but your deposit will be returned on completion of both days. We reserve the right to retain the deposits of people who have booked but do not attend. To book your place, please email Sarah Mead at events@nassurreybranch.org with ‘Cygnet’ and your preferred location in the subject line.