Inside this issue... Signposting... CWAC NAS Branch is a volunteer-led organisation. The branch relies on the support of individuals to continue our work, as we receive no funding from local or central government. 1 Website Our new website is now live and is full of information, advice and support for any families or individuals living in Cheshire West and Chester who are affected by autism, whether diagnosed or not. It is easy to navigate, so you can quickly access the information you require, from straightforward fact-finding to advice on diagnosis and details of how to contact us. Our current favourite part is the News and Events section: http://wwwnas-cheshire.org.uk/news/. This is constantly updated with our coffee evening dates, courses and conferences, but it’s not just NAS events that feature. Several of our partner organisations keep us abreast of what events they can offer too, and every time we hear of something that will interest our members, we add it to the calendar. Best of all, you can sign up to our weekly email alert service, which lets you know which events are happening each week so you need never miss out on anything. If you are hosting an autism-related event locally or know someone who is, please email [email protected] to have it added to the calendar. NAS CWAC Branch contacts: NAS branch helpline on Tel: 01244 315651 E-mail [email protected] 2 Cheshire West and Cheshire Branch AGM 31st June 2015 The AGM was chaired by John Webb and he welcomed Gill Broomhall, the new autism lead for Cheshire West and Chester, as well as Paul Dolan (Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care). Jane Harris and Colette Hampson from NAS were also present. John took this opportunity, on behalf of our Branch, to thank Lesley Singleton, who has been seconded to NHS Wales, for all the work she has done with us to improve services for adults with autism living in our area. We wish her every success in her new role. He also paid tribute to Brenda Dowding, who until recently was the Portfolio holder for adult social care. Brenda was a great support to us and spent a lot of time and energy listening to our concerns and working with officers to implement the changes that the Autism Act required. Brenda was never about politics but about the services that were needed to support the most vulnerable members of our community. Last year Brenda attended the autism awareness training commissioned by CWaC and regularly encouraged her colleagues to attend events that we were holding. She will be missed. The Branch report was distributed along with the finance report (copies can be obtained via the Branch). Alex Lowery, a young man with autism, gave us a valuable insight into living with autism and answered questions from the audience. John thanked all those who had supported our event and wished them a safe journey home. Guest Speaker—Alex Lowery We were very fortunate to have Alex Lowery to speak to us at both the AGM and the morning event on 1st July about his experiences as a person with autism. He spoke eloquently about the challenges of childhood and the mixed blessing of learning about his diagnosis. It was very interesting to hear how he had moved from being a child who found the world frightening and overwhelming to being an adult who is able to stand up in front of people and talk about himself in a frank and honest way. Alex also spoke about the importance of employment and the feeling of making a positive contribution to society as well as a level of financial independence that this gives him. It was very clear that this journey has been shaped by Alex’s desire to understand his own diagnosis combined with a real desire to educate others about autism. This has resulted in a series of Youtube videos, training packs, a book and public speaking. Thank you to Alex for delivering a message of real hope and optimism in a highly enjoyable style. To earn more about Alex and his work, visit his website at www.alexlowery.co.uk 3 Strengthening the Branch Do you know what the CWAC branch of the NAS actually does? We thought it would be useful to give our readers a taste of what happens behind the scenes. This work is done by a small group of volunteers, most of whom have dependent relatives with autism, and we really need more members to become actively involved in order to keep the branch moving forwards. As well as providing family seminars (open to parents and professionals), we provide a library, a termly newsletter, website, and a telephone information line. We are often the first point of contact for newly diagnosed families. We remain involved with a number of CWaC strategy groups and always welcome other parents/ carers who would like to join these groups. They provide a valuable interface with the decision- makers in the authority and are a great way to ensure that the voice of people with autism and their families is heard. Change has happened because our volunteers have worked with the council to make it happen. If you would like more details, please contact us via our phone line or email (details can be found on the back page). Deputy Treasurer Duties: write thank you letters to donors, seek funding sources, assist with financial matters. Skills needed: organisa- tional Vacancies Hours: 1-2 a week 4 Donations In Memoriam: Claudia's mother in law .......................................................£1,000 Michael McFetridge..............................................................£130 Michael Cameron.................................................................£295.80 Parents attending seminars.................................................£205 Rosebank School (Autism Awareness Week)......................£74.07 Hinderton School (Autism Awareness Week).......................£5 NAS Branch Library Thanks to some excellent work from Scott, a qualified librarian, our new library at Rosebank Cottage is now ready to open its doors. To do this, we need some volunteers. Perhaps you could give a few hours each week/fortnight/ month. This would involve being at the library at Rosebank Cottage at pre agreed hours, helping parents and professionals find the books they are looking for, making them a drink whilst they are visiting and checking out any books they want to borrow. Having been given a permanent base for our books, we are keen to open our doors to both parents and professionals. This is a great chance to be involved in the Branch as well as make new friends. If you think you can help or would like more details, please contact us: [email protected] or 01244 315651 Without volunteers we are going to struggle to run this valuable resource. Parent/Carer support group—drop in for a coffee First Wednesday of each month, 7-9pm at Caldy Valley Church, Caldy Valley Road, Chester CH3 5PR This group is run by Cheshire and Warrington Carers’ Trust and our Branch Please note the new time: 7-9pm on the first Wednesday of the month. The venue will remain the same: Caldy Valley Church, Caldy Valley Road, Chester. Please check our website diary for any changes. 5 Managing Anger Thursday 24th September 2015 St John’s Church, Hartford 9.30 am — 2.30pm Managing Anger is a one-day seminar from Autism Seminars for Families which provides information and advice to parents and carers of children and young people with autism. The seminar helps families to: discuss why children with autism often have challenges with anger identify a low arousal approach for support through stressful situations explore the cycle of anger and possible support strategies examine strategies for managing feelings The seminar is for parents of children with autism of all ages and professionals. Refreshments are provided, but please bring your own lunch. This event is free, but we would appreciate £5 per family/professional voluntary donation as we receive no funding from either NAS or CWaC for our work. Places may be booked by e-mailing [email protected] or phoning 01244 315651 6 Education Matters Planned Changes to Secondary Education —have your say! The Government has plans to make the English Baccalaureate, or EBacc, compulsory for all pupils. This would mean that all students have to take a modern foreign language. Here is an excerpt from the DfE website: ‘The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a school performance measure. It allows people to see how many pupils get a grade C or above in the core academic subjects at Key Stage 4 in any Government-funded school. ‘We introduced the EBacc measure in 2010. In June 2015, we announced our intention that all pupils who start year 7 in September 2015 take the EBacc subjects when they reach their GCSEs in 2020. We plan to consult on detailed proposals to achieve this aim in autumn 2015.’ If your son/daughter has been disapplied from MFL because of difficulties related to their ASD, you may wish to write to the Minister for Education, Nicky Morgan MP, or to your local MP and share your story. It is essential that the voices of people with autism are heard when these decisions are being made. For further details go to: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english- baccalaureate-ebacc/english-baccalaureate-ebacc Useful education resources from mencap The mencap website contains a wealth of useful information for families of children with special educational needs. In its education section you will find links to guides to the new SEND processes, easy-read guides to SEN to share with children and young people, and a link to a new service directory, SENDdirect.