The Peer support project is part of Northamptonshire’s Keyworking Service. The Keyworking service is part of a wider national project delivered in collaboration with the NHS Integrated Care Board. The main focus of the Keyworking Service is to support children with a confirmed diagnosis of Autism and/or a Learning Disability, who may be at risk of admission to hospital or have already been admitted to hospital due to their mental health or other risk factors. The aim is to offer support in the community and avoid or reduce hospital admission where possible.
• Children and young people aged 0-25 years
• Diagnosis of autism and/or a Learning disability
• In Northamptonshire
• At risk of hospital admission due to mental health/other risk factors
• On the Dynamic Support Register (DSR)
The DSR is a register of people with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism who may need higher input from services and who may be at risk of being admitted to a specialist or mental health hospital. It is sometimes referred to locally as the CTR/CETR register.
A professional, parent/carer or the young person themselves (if over 18) can request for someone to be added to the DSR. Consent must be obtained from either a parent/carer of a child under 18 or the young person themselves if over 18. In the case of young person that lacks capacity a best interest decision can be made.
Consent can be given for details be passed to the Keyworking Service (Barnardo’s and En-Fold) on the DSR consent form.
Following a referral to the keyworker service a young person may be allocated a Keyworker, a Peer Support worker on both. This will be dependent on individual circumstances.
Barnardo’s Keyworkers
Barnardo’s have 4 Keyworkers that work across Northamptonshire. Keyworkers are system navigators. They will find out about the young person, what support they have in place, what support they might need, what they would like to work towards/achieve. They can advocate for the young person and their family, ensuring the young person’s voice is heard and listened to. They can make sure that all professionals are working together and delivering on what they promise. They help to make sure each young person and their family can access the right support in a timely manner.
En-Fold Peer Support Workers
En-Fold has 3 Peer Support workers, Rachel Pickering , Bee Manners and Kit Nicholas. The Peer Support Project is overseen by Diane Johnson, founder and CEO of En-Fold. Peer support workers come alongside the child/young person and their family and offer practical support in the community. Peer support workers will get to know each child/young person and work with them to identify their own personalised goals. They will support them to make progress towards these goals by developing skills, strategies, confidence and self esteem in order to promote well-being and empower young people to take control over their lives and access activities and support available in the community.
The support offered will be personalised and tailored to each young person, but some examples are:
• Building/maintaining relationships
• Finding out about and accompanying the young person to local community groups/activities
• Support to make and attend appointments
• Independent travel training – Planning and carrying out journeys together
• Visiting a coffee shop, shopping centre, or local place of interest
• Support around the home with a focus on developing life skills and promoting independence
• Developing communication/hospital passports,
• Help to develop coping strategies, recognising emotions or understanding sensory needs.
• Build social skills
• Finding appropriate voluntary/employment/education opportunities
• Signposting to other support services
For further information contact:
Peer Support: peersupportservice@enfold.org.uk
Keyworkers: northamptonshire.keyworker.service@barnardos.org.uk
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Disclaimer: En-Fold does not endorse treatments, interventions and therapies but lists them so people can make informed choice. This site is for information purposes only and is a starting point for readers to look into options that may fit or resonate. Remember, therapies for autism, like any condition, should be discussed with a trusted medical practitioner or certified therapist before use. All information, data and material contained, presented or provided here is for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the knowledge or opinions of En-Fold, or as providing legal or medical advice. All treatment decisions should be made by the individual in consultation with a health care provider. Case studies provided are done so in good faith, and based on the personal experience of the individual submitting them. En-Fold are in no way endorsing the establishments that are mentioned but offering peer reviews to inform readers.