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The North Central London Neurodevelopmental Programme recently hosted a summit to look at how support for children with neurodevelopmental needs can work better for families across North London (NCL). 

Many families with children with neurodevelopmental needs often face long waiting times and complex referral pathways, which can leave children and carers feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Children with neurodevelopmental differences are also more likely to experience mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, or social isolation.

Partners from across NCL came together to hear from parents and providers about what can be done to make service provision better.

The North Central London Neurodevelopmental Programme is a two-year NHS initiative that aims to standardise care pathways for people with autism and ADHD. It is a collaborative effort between North London Foundation Trust and other NHS organisations across NCL, including Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Whittington Health NHS Trust and North Central London Integrated Care System.

A key part of this is starting earlier. The approach focuses on understanding the young person at the beginning of their journey and to allow the family and community to develop a clear understanding of the young person’s values, goals, strengths and needs.

For example, young people would be connected to opportunities to use their strengths to become more confident and self-efficient, such as extra-curricular activities, clubs and community projects. They would also be connected to opportunities to learn and grow, through in-school support, as well as signposting to local voluntary sector programmes, mentoring and social groups.

Their parents and carers would be connected to local parent and carer forums, to learn how to support their child while connecting with other parents with similar experiences.  

The aim is that by the time a young person attends an assessment, they already feel understood and supported, and have had opportunities to build confidence and develop their strengths.

By bringing together partners from the NHS, local authorities, schools, the voluntary sector, and parent and young people’s groups, this work is helping to build a more joined-up approach across North London and make a real difference to local children, young people and their families.

Find out more about the North Central London Neurodevelopmental Programme.