Herefordshire Autism Partnership

Herefordshire Autism Partnership brings together people from public services, support organisations, those on the autistic spectrum and their family carers. It aims to promote better understanding of the spectrum in order to improve services for people, families and carers living with autism. It offers opportunities for you to get involved in developing those services and future strategy.

Image of children running holding balloons, with text Let's talk about autism!

We recently consulted on a new All-Age Autism Strategy - please read about it below.

All-Age Autism Strategy

Herefordshire and Worcestershire's Autism Partnership Boards are working with autistic people, carers, professionals from social care, health, public health, police, support providers and advocacy services to co-produce a new All-Age Autism Strategy for the two counties.

The priorities in our strategy will reflect the six priorities within the National Autism Strategy 2021-2026 with an additional local priority around keeping safe:

  1. Improving understanding and acceptance of autism within society.
  2. Improving autistic children and young people's access into education and support positive transitions into adulthood.
  3. Supporting more autistic people into employment.
  4. Tackling health and care inequalities for autistic people
  5. Building the right support in the community.
  6. Improving support in criminal and youth justice systems
  7. Keeping safe

We were keen to get everyone's input into the new strategy and we carried out a survey to get views of autistic people, their families, and wider Herefordshire and Worcestershire residents. The results of the survey will help inform the new strategy and annual action plans.

The survey closed on 14 May 2023.

If you have any queries about the survey please email autismgroups@worcestershire.gov.uk

Herefordshire Autism Strategy 2019-2022

Our Autism Strategy 2019-2022 sets out the long term plans of Herefordshire Council, Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and partners both with and on behalf of people with autism and their family carers. The Herefordshire Autism Strategy is an all-age strategy and is relevant to children and young people as well as adults with autism and their families. The Autism Partnership Board played a key role in developing and co-producing this strategy.

Herefordshire's Autism Strategy 2019-2022

Herefordshire Autism Partnership Board

If you are interested in attending any of our meetings, or would like to find out more about our work, please email Paul Choppen, Partnership Board Assistant, Herefordshire Council at pchoppen@herefordshire.gov.uk

Dates of Herefordshire Autism Partnership meetings 2024

  • Tuesday 23 April from 10.30am to 12.30pm in the Plough Lane Offices and via Microsoft Teams

Autistic Adult Diagnostic Pathway

Herefordshire now has its own Autistic Adult Diagnostic Pathway for people seeking an autism diagnosis. The pathway is run by the Family Psychologists and commissioned by the Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

You can get a referral to the service through your local GP or through the Mental Health Team if you are already being seen by them. View the Autistic Adult Diagnostic Pathway press release for more details.

Post-diagnosis support services for people with an autism diagnosis in Herefordshire

Brightfire CIC

Brightfire CIC is a non-profit, Autistic led community interest company, providing mental health and wellbeing support for Autistic adults. 

They offer private and group sessions such as the Being Autistic programme. This is an art therapy and psycho-education project for Autistic adults developed by Brightfire CIC in collaboration with The Cartshed Charity at their woodland site in Herefordshire. Over 12 sessions participants have an opportunity to explore their autistic identity, connect with peers, develop strategies for improving mental health and wellbeing whilst connecting with the natural environment.

Autism West Midlands

In Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Autism West Midlands offer:

  • Information, advice and support to autistic adults and/or parent carers of adults by phone, email or online meetings
  • Structured support sessions for autistic adults who have been diagnosed in recent years. These are offered online or face to face in community venues (there may be a wait for face to face appointments)
  • Autism confident programmes for autistic teenagers and adults
  • A 1-1 support service for individuals with an autism diagnosis.

In 2023, Autism West Midlands will be developing support groups for autistic adults online or face to face in community venues.

Free autism and anxiety training for parent carers of children who have been accepted for assessment on the ASD diagnosis pathway or who have received a diagnosis of autism. The training programme is delivered by webinar. Check out their events pages for details.

During 2022-23, Autism West Midlands are delivering a pilot programme of post diagnosis support to 14-18 year olds who have recently been diagnosed. Contact Autism West Midlands for more details.

Autism Central Midlands

NHS England commissioned nine charities to provide high-quality and accessible autism information, education and coaching for families and carers, co-delivered by autistic people, families and carers.

In the Midlands, charities Contact and Ambitious about Autism run Autism Central's programmes.

You can find out more in the Autism Central Midlands flyer.

National Autistic Society (NAS)

The National Autistic Society help the 700,000 autistic people in the UK and their families. This includes running specialist schools, campaigning for improved rights or training companies on being more autism-friendly, we are dedicated to transforming lives and changing attitudes.

Local NAS branches 

The National Autistic Society has volunteer-led branches across the UK. Volunteers at local branches run support, information and social activities for autistic adults, children and their families in their local area. They also organise and join in with fundraising and campaigning.

Update on NAS Herefordshire Branch - 27 November 2023

In response to your questions about the current status of the Herefordshire NAS local office, we reached out to NAS HQ to ask for an update on the local Herefordshire Branch. Here's what they told us:

“Herefordshire branch emails may take longer to be answered due to the limited capacity of the branch volunteers at present.  Any member of the public who needs information can go to our website for assistance; we have a great autism services directory which holds lots of information.   The branch is no longer operating out of the Fred Bulmer centre office and can only be contacted by email at: herefordshire.branch@nas.org.uk  We are recruiting more volunteers for the branch so hopefully we can offer more signposting.  We will look into branch matters and how they are being corresponded to externally. Thank you for highlighting your concerns to us at NAS.” 27 November 2023

For more information on the Herefordshire Branch please see: