Following requests from local residents, Horsham District Council’s Storrington & Sullington Neighbourhood Wardens have set up an Autism and Special Educational Needs (SEN) group in collaboration with the Ashington Neighbourhood Wardens.
The resulting “Journey” group meets once a month and parents and carers can get together to chat about everyday life and the issues they face. The new group provides support and understanding from others who are going through the same journey. As a result of the positive feedback from this group, Neighbourhood Wardens in Pulborough and Billingshurst are also now running their own groups locally.
The four warden teams recently arranged a really successful free Fun Day at Chanctonbury Leisure Centre for children with Autism and SEN.
One attendee commented: “It was so nice to come to an event where everyone is the same and nobody judges you.”
At one point, a usually non-communicative young person approached one of the male wardens and indicated that he wanted to play table tennis. His mother later shared that it was the first time her son had communicated with a male, apart from his dad.
Further free Autism and SEN events are planned for the future. The Neighbourhood Wardens would like to thank Chanctonbury Leisure Centre for their ongoing support.