Recently, Karen and Conor have been visiting a charity known as the Sycamore Trust. We had a parent coffee morning where Nikki, a Project coordinator of the charity, came in to speak to our parents regarding what they can offer, what support they provide and how to get in touch. Karen and Conor wanted to visit and find out more. Next week is Autism Acceptance Week and, as an ARP, we have decided to raise money for the Sycamore trust next week to help them buy new facilities and resources for the children and families they work with. We will send all the information out next week, including a JustGiving page link where you can donate whatever you can to them.
There are two sites where the Sycamore charity is based;
Sycamore Trust UK – Dagenham.
Sycamore Autism Hub – Romford Brewery.
We spoke with ambassadors, who were autistic themselves, and with the staff that work there. The charity itself is a very well understood charity, with many of the staff that work there are either autistic or have close family member with autism. They have personal and first hand experience working with children, adults and families with autism, which makes the support even more personal and loving.
Speaking to the staff at the Sycamore Trust UK (Woodward Road, Dagenham) they are there to support autistic children and teenagers starting from the age of 11+. This is predominately Year 6 and above. Their main aim to is to provide a safe space for autistic children and young adults to come to socialise. They hold ‘Youth’ groups where children can come in and play pool, large connect 4 and other fun filled multiplayer games where the children are learning to socialise with other. They also have a range of game consoles that they can use for the children to play on. When speaking to the team, they also mentioned that they do special events and days out where anyone can come and join. They have all sorts of different events going on for Autism Acceptance Week, which is on the 27th March – 2nd April. We advise that their Facebook page is given a look at as this is where they will advertise different days out that you can encourage your children to participate in. They also provide training for parents on occasion where they will be able to support you in a number of different ways. This, too, can be found on their Facebook page so please do take a look.
Then, Karen and Conor went to visit the Sycamore Trust U.K. Autism Hub at Romford. It is found in the brewery, near ‘Superdry’. Again, when speaking to the staff there, they are all personally linked to autism through family members or their own children, so it is an understanding team of people. Here, they help in a variety of different ways! Sometimes they can be a professional that can support you through paperwork and conversations that you may need, or may have been given from school. Sometimes you may be unsure of what school may be asking or wanting, they will sit down with you and explain in more detail to help you with understanding this. If you are wanting to go in and talk with them you must book an appointment beforehand. This is as simple as phoning them or going to the hub and speaking to a member of staff and thy will be more than happy to speak with you, whether it is advice on something, or just for a chat and a cup of tea. A girl’s group is also held here. This is for ages 10+ and the staff have asked if they are not 1-1 supported, as they are very small group of staff.
The Sycamore Autism Hub, Romford, also have a sensory room on site. This is really helpful to know as it means that if, as a parent, you are close by and your child is dysregulated, you have a place to take them for a brief 15/ 20 minutes to help calm the child down before moving on. It is also helpful to think that if your child does not like shopping, and as a parent, you feel worried, there is a a place you can take them in between shops to help regulate them more.
Both sites provide a variety of training. This is fantastic as it gives parents different ways to support their children, their families, and also to support other families and friends that may need it. The best place to find out more on this training is on their bulletin list or on their Facebook page.
Below are some pictures of the sensory room at the Romford hub, and some links to their Facebook pages, bulletin boards and upcoming events. Please do take a look and get in touch, they are always there to chat and support you, especially when outside of school hours! No-one is alone!
https://www.facebook.com/ST.AutismAmbassadors
