Autism Support in Manchester please help

[Whatwillido2]

Hi all, bit of a strange one but I would be so so appreciative if anyone could help me out.
i have a friend who has a child in reception who is currently going through assessment for autism . Non verbal, not toilet trained, very restrictive food intake etc.
My friend has lived in Manchester for a few years but knows very very few people, is not native to the UK ( nor her partner) so knows very little about the systems in place. My friend really needs support , someone who could steer her in the direction of what she could be doing, accessing resources or explaining assessment process etc. the school is not being very helpful and my friend is very much confused about stages of assessment etc. I do not live in England nor am I familiar with supports who could advocate for her and her child? She is a lovely person, has some vulnerability herself so is not assertive etc and would be shy but she desperately wants and needs support. Any suggestions from those in living in Manchester . Child has no SW. nothing but school and the assessment is I believe underway but not complete. Any help appreciate. I would be happy to make some calls or emails on her behalf to try and arrange support. This friend has no family support at all in any capacity and very few social contacts. Thanks in advance !

Your friend can request an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA). This is the initial step towards getting an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). An EHCP is a legal document that sets out a child’s needs and the support they require. It is the way to ensure DC’s needs met at school. She can use this model letter. IPSEA and SOSSEN are charities who support parents. They have lots of helpful information on their websites and helplines.

If she needs help to request an EHCNA and the school won't help (they may even say it isn’t necessary) she could contact SENDIASS. How helpful SENDIASS is varies area to area but can be helpful with specific tasks as long as you are careful about believing everything they say (sometimes they repeat “the LA’s policies rather than the law). This is Manchester LA’s SENDIASS website. However, if your friend doesn’t live in the Manchester LA but is in one of the other LAs that make up the Manchester area, you/she should be able to find the contact details for the local SENDIASS online.

Your friend can apply for DLA for her child. She can call DWP for a form then use the Cerebra guide to complete it. If she needs help to fill the form in Citizen’s Advice may be able to help.

Your friend can request social care assessments. A carer’s assessment for your friend and an assessment via the disabled children’s team for DS. The charity Contact has model letters here and here, respectively.

They could also look at what is called the short breaks offer. What is offered will depend on what LA they live in.

Diagnostic assessment processes vary depending on what service DS has been referred to. It could be worth looking at the local Parent Carer Service for local support. This is Manchester’s Parent Carer Forum, but it will depend on if they live in Manchester LA or one of the surrounding LAs that make up the Manchester area.

Your friend can go to the GP to ask for a referral in relation to the eating difficulties. She could look at avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).

Scope (another charity) offers mentoring to parents undergoing assessment.