Swindon Autism Support Service (SASS)
What is the Swindon Autism/SCID Support Service?
The Autism Support Service supports children aged 3 to 19 years old, is free for schools and settings and is commissioned by Swindon Borough Council.
It is part of the Brunel Access Support and Inclusion Service (BASIS) which is run by Brunel Academies Trust.
The service supports schools and other places where children learn. It helps them meet the needs of children with social communication and interaction difficulties, including autism.
The service follows recommendations from current legislation such as the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice and the Special Educational Needs Disability Act 2005.
Referral process
A referral for the service must come from an educational setting or a medical professional and it must meet the criteria below:
The Swindon Autism Support Service needs a completed referral form. The form must have written or emailed permission from the child or young person's parents or carers. A member of the service can't arrange a visit to the setting without the parents or carers permission.
For general advice or to discuss the need for a referral, you can contact the Advisory Team by email. In addition, you can access general advice and support through other termly events like 'Take Notes and Natter' sessions which are held for educational professionals to attend.
If you are an Early Years setting and want to make a referral, please ask for an Early Years Drop-In appointment first. Early Years Drop-In appointments provide initial advice and support. Early Years settings must get advice from the Early Years Consultants before the Swindon Autism Support Service can accept a referral.
You can get referral forms from the Swindon Hub for Education. Or you can contact our Administrator below to request a referral form.
Early Years settings should ask the Early Years consultants for a referral form.
Referral criteria
- The child or young person has been identified as having difficulties with social communication and interaction. This is also called SCID. Or the child has a diagnosis of autism spectrum condition (ASC).
- An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is not needed. This is a legal document that describes support needed for a child.
- The child or young person goes to, or is registered at, a mainstream primary or secondary school in Swindon Borough. Mainstream means a regular school
- The child or young person lives at a Swindon Borough address and they have an EHCP and a diagnosis of autism spectrum condition, but they go to a school outside of the Swindon Borough area
Identifying children and young people who meet the criteria for this service
- Schools can identify children and young people who may need help through this service through the graduated approach. The Swindon Core Standards documents explain how schools provide general and extra help for children with social communication and interaction difficulties (SCID). Documents like the quick checker, SCID checklist and SCID identification criteria can help schools identify children's needs in social communication and interaction.
- Medical professionals like paediatricians or occupational therapists may refer a child to the Advisory Service if they think the child's social communication and interaction difficulties will impact their access to education
- Other professionals like educational psychologists and speech therapists may also refer children to the Advisory Service
- Actions from Early Help meetings, Team Around the Child (TAC) meetings or Child in Need (CHIN) meetings may include referring a child to the Advisory Service
- The Special Educational Needs and Disability Service may refer children to the Advisory Service to request evidence for Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments
Outcomes and advice
The Swindon Autism Support Service team will look at the needs of the individual child. They will offer advice to school staff that helps children with social communication and interaction difficulties, including autism.
Sometimes they will suggest adjustments to the environment, for example, using ear defenders, sensory diets, or a quiet space.
When they help a young person prepare for adulthood, their advice will focus on:
- managing sensory tolerances
- building emotional resilience
- developing social skills
- developing independent life skills
Their advice in Annual Reviews and Moving On Plans will aim to help the person reach their academic and independence potential. Their advice may include suggesting other services for example, adult autism teams or national autism support groups.
The service may suggest extra-curricular activities for the child or young person. They can do this through Annual Reviews, Early Help Meetings, Team Around the Child meetings, Child in Need meetings. They suggest ways to help them access school and out-of-school activities.
They may suggest agencies like Aiming High or Short Breaks. These run activities for children with autism or social communication and interaction difficulties. They may suggest local support groups like Contact Swindon, National Autistic Society, Swindon SEND Families Voice , Autism Central.
Multi-agency working
The Swindon Autism Support Service will work closely with the following:
- Schools and pre-school/nursery settings
- Advisory Teachers for Physical Disability and Medical Needs, Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment, Assistive Technology and Cognition and Learning (CLASS)
- Early Years Advisors, Speech and Language Therapists, BeU, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Community Paediatricians, Occupational Therapists and others
- Education other than at school (EOTAS)/Tuition Service
- Social Workers in the Disabled Children’s Team (DCT)
- Aiming High - short breaks
Swindon Autism Support Service team
- Kelly Hill – Acting Head of Service BASIS. Email: khill@basisbrunel.org.uk
- Emma Corp - Senior Advisory Teacher. Email: ecorp@basisbrunel.org.uk
- Lynn Woods - Senior Outreach Worker. Email: lwoods@basisbrunel.org.uk
- Gaby Smith - Administrator for SASS. Email: sassadmin@basisbrunel.org.uk
Useful resources
