Services available to support me
West Yorkshire Neurodevelopmental Early Support Service
West Yorkshire Neurodevelopmental Early Support Service (WYNESS) provides early, non-clinical support to families of children and young people (up to age 18) awaiting neurodevelopmental assessment or recently diagnosed with Autism and/or ADHD. Operating across Bradford, Calderdale, Leeds, Kirklees and Wakefield, the service responds to prolonged diagnostic waiting times and post-diagnostic adjustment needs that increase the risk of family distress, escalation of need and pressure on specialist and statutory services. The service delivers a consistent single point of access across West Yorkshire, offering structured triage and a graduated model of support aligned with Early Help principles, the SEND Code of Practice and NHS Waiting Well priorities. The Service focuses on strengthening parental confidence, reducing stress and anxiety, and supporting children and young people to remain engaged in education, community life and universal services while awaiting assessment or adjusting to a new diagnosis.
Kirklees Families Together
Here in Kirklees, we recognise that family life can be rewarding but not always easy. The need for help and support can come at any time.
Families Together is designed to bring services together to work with families from conception, through childhood, into adolescence and up to 25 years if that young person has SEND.
Kirklees Families Together offers information, advice, help and support from a range of services. This can include access to:
- help being a parent or carer
- emotional well-being and mental health support
- services for children under 5
- support and activities for children and young people
- adult learning and support for employment
Please complete the form on the Families Together webpage (opens link in new window)
Kirklees CAMHS Autism Intensive Support Team (IST)
The specialist team provides intensive and multidisciplinary input to young people who have a diagnosis of Autism and who present with behaviours that increase the risk of them either having an admission to a specialist hospital, or those young people who are at risk of a placement breakdown; for example, home or school.
Home Start
Home-Start Kirklees relies on fully trained peer supporters. Volunteers work alongside families to support parents/carers in building their confidence to be the parents they want to be. The weekly support Home-Start volunteers give is non-judgemental, compassionate and confidential. They work with families to build on their strengths and provide the support they tell us they need. Volunteers support parents in their own homes, helping them cope with the stresses and strains of everyday family life.
Home-Start can provide information, advice and guidance as well as signposting to specialist services. Support is relational based on trust. We offer help with accessing appointments and engaging in community-based activities. A listening ear, compassionate bespoke support, emotional and practical help with parenting, routines, boundaries, etc.
Eligibility criteria are that the family live in Kirklees and has a child under 11 years (or expecting a baby and is post 20 weeks in pregnancy). The child must live with them in their own home.
What about siblings? - Kirklees Young Carers
The Kirklees Young Carer Service provides assessed 1:1 and group support to young carers aged 8-17 who are helping to care for someone (usually a family member) with an illness and/or disability. The caring responsibilities may be: practical (cleaning, cooking, shopping), emotional (calming someone down, encouraging someone to do things, supporting someone to feel happier), or personal (feeding, bathing, dressing). These tasks are above and beyond what a child their age would be expected to do. The service aims to reduce or remove the impacts faced due to the caring role and also looks at if there are other services available to help the young carer and the person they care for.
Kirklees Young Carers - Banardo's Service (opens in a new page)
Early Years Portage
Home Portage visitors work in partnership with parents and carers to identify what is important to them and their child, and to plan learning goals within the home. Teaching targets are delivered through a small-steps approach based on the Portage and Early Years Foundation Stage principles, usually through weekly visits to the home. Empowering parents to support their child’s learning is central to home Portage. Information sharing and early education support can be offered by our home Portage visitors to early learning and childcare settings, where children may also be attending.
Kirklees Assistive Technology
Kirklees Council Children's Services Assistive Technology provides equipment to support neurodivergent children and young people to communicate, learn, and take part in daily activities.
Assistive technology is supported across education, health and social care to make sure that technology is considered early in a child's development, as part of assessment and ongoing support.
en-GBLast updated: 15/06/2026