The page description is very short so please expand on what your service offers, the locations you serve and any helpful information that will benefit your followers. About this service
At NeurodiverCity Sheffield we advocate the social model of disability: ‘that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference.’
Through this inclusive ethos we offer information, training, and support to families of children & young people living with neurodivergence by:
• raising knowledge, understanding and awareness
• providing strategies for managing issues related to neurodivergence.
• promoting the strengths, individuality and potential of every child/young person. More Information
NeurodiverCity Sheffield (formerly Sheffield ADHD Project) is commissioned by Sheffield City Council and has been providing support to families of children and young people affected by neurodivergence in Sheffield for over 15 years. We offer early support via our information sessions and parent/carer drop-in cafes. We also provide training, consultancy and support for schools and professionals in Sheffield. Our service provides support to parents and carers of children/young people affected by neurodivergence via two pathways. Early Support Pathway
Due to increasing demand on services for diagnosis, our service has invested in early help support for families whose children/young people show behaviours indicative of neurodivergent conditions prior to a formal diagnosis. Holistic in our approach, we recognise that there are often coexisting conditions which families also need help with managing. Our early help provides:
• Peer support with opportunities to meet other parents/carers experiencing similar concerns.
• Information on local and national sources of support, including educational, practical, and emotional support. We provide information designed for children of different ages. With no referral needed, parents/carers can access our early support as follows:
• via drop-in ADHD information sessions at venues across Sheffield. These sessions are run by a Project Worker who provides an introduction to ADHD, as well as advice and strategies to manage common challenges and behaviours.
• via drop-in café sessions, which are fully supported by a range of professionals, at venues across Sheffield. These sessions are parent/carer led and provide a space to discuss personal experiences and seek information, help, advice and support on a range of concerns from our project workers, professionals, and other families. NB These sessions are also open to parents/carers whose children already have a formal diagnosis. Post Diagnosis Pathway
Accessed via referral only, this pathway includes an initial information session and then a seven-week training course that we call Managing ADHD Group (MAG). Courses are provided to parents and carers where a child or young person has been diagnosed with ADHD. All sessions take place either in person in our training room at Scotia Works, or on Zoom. Information session
We discuss the diagnosis to ensure families understand the information they were given at the point of diagnosis. We provide an introduction to ADHD and offer advice and strategies for managing ADHD. MAG (Managing ADHD Group) Training
This seven-week course gives step-by-step strategies and ideas to enable families to manage a child with ADHD and provides an opportunity for parents/carers to learn from each other and offer peer support. The course was developed by the Family Action ADHD Project alongside colleagues from The Ryegate Children’s Centre and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). Topics covered in this course include:
• Gaining a better understanding of ADHD and how it affects your child/young person
• Managing behaviours related to ADHD
• Information and advice from Sheffield Special Educational Needs and disability Advice and Support service (SSENDIAS)
• Medication (delivered by ADHD nurses)
• Sleep (delivered by a qualified sleep practitioner)
We currently run nine groups a year either by Zoom or face to face, both in the daytime and the evening. Sessions are planned using coproduction from families to ensure needs are met and all families have access to support. Professionals
We provide training, consultancy and support packages for schools and other professionals who provide services to families in Sheffield. We support all agencies who work with children and young people to understand neurodiversity and neurodivergent conditions. This aims to enable school staff and other professionals to make reasonable adjustments and implement support which meets the needs of children, young people and their and families. Sleep support
Our qualified sleep practitioner can also offer sleep advice and support to those families who are in need of this service.
