Angels Support Group, a local charity supporting families with children and young people with ADHD and Autism, is working in partnership with Nessie (North Herts Emotional Support in Schools) will be launching a program for Letchworth families, supported by a grant from the Heritage Foundation.
Children with autism and ADHD often experience very high levels of anxiety in the school environment as a result of their conditions, which can have an enormous impact on their ability to access school, on their wellbeing and the rest of their life. The project aims to support children to find ways to understand and manage their anxiety, alongside working with their teachers and parents to understand what makes them anxious, and how this can be addressed.
Through a series of ten workshops, the aim of the project is to help the students address their anxieties and improve their wellbeing as they move through the education system. The workshops will give the children a therapeutic space to work creatively through music, play, drama and games as a way to explore different themes and feelings. These sessions will be complimented by workshops with parents and carers, as well as working with the schools to advise on the strategies being implemented through the workshops to help the school support the student as well.
The first programme is for children in schools years 4,5 & 6, and will be hosted at Garden City Academy, but is open to pupils from all Letchworth Schools. The programme will then run in the Summer Term for children in school years 7 & 8.
Leise Cooper, Parent Support Manager at Angels said “We are really excited to be working in partnership with Nessie to offer this high quality therapeutic service to Letchworth families; through our partnership we are able to work with the children and their parents at the same time, which we think will be much more helpful for families.”
Alastair Stewart, Head of Grants, Partnerships and Community Services for the Heritage Foundation, added: “We’re delighted to be able to support Angels and think that their work with prove invaluable to students and parents of the participating schools.”
To find out more about Angels, visit their website at angelssupportgroup.org.uk
