This webpage has a collection of helpful resources for parents and carers of neurodiverse young people.
It is important to remember that no two neurodivergent people are the same – even if they have the same neurodivergence(s) and this toolkit is aimed to support all colleagues to support neurodivergent staff.
A working carer is someone in full or part-time employment, who also provides unpaid care or support to a family member or friend who has a disability, illness (physical or mental), or who may need support in later life due to frailty, and they could not manage without that care or support.
Supporting carers to remain in work by embedding flexible working approaches and effective support structures, brings significant benefits to both carers and their families, businesses and the wider economy.
The General Practice Patient Survey suggests as many as 1 in 5 patients are unpaid carers, the NHS Staff Survey shows 1 in 3 NHS staff are unpaid carers, juggling work with care, so it is more common than you might think. The aim of the Working Carers Passport is to help employees to balance work and unpaid care, to support their health and wellbeing and ensure they remain well and at work.
Employers are starting to realise the impact of caring on their own employees and their business. A growing number of employers in all sectors are running Working Carer Passport schemes as part of a wider package of health and wellbeing initiatives to identify and support carers and ultimately avoid losing valuable employees from their workforce.
The Working Carers Passport is a tool to aid organisations to be a supportive employer, helping to balance the employee’s unpaid caring responsibilities and need for flexibility with the needs of the organisation.
Find out more.
West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership’s neurodiversity programme understands that meaningful, effective involvement of people with lived experience is integral to the improvement and development of our services.
As part of this work we have invested in coproduction; ensuring that decisions, resources, changes and recommendations are produced in partnership with the communities we serve. Our aims and outcomes reflect the knowledge, experience and skills of experts by experience, as well as experts by profession. United we are stronger.
Please see these co-produced helpful guides and resources:
Organisations across the West Yorkshire Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism Collaborative are committed to retaining their experienced staff. We know that flexible working is valuable to people, enabling them to have a work/life balance that means they can stay in their jobs and progress in their careers.
People have a legal right to ask for flexible working, but don't always know how to find out what flexible working options are available at their place of work or how to apply for them.
Managers too aren't always aware of the options, or how flexible working can bring advantages to their service - it is cheaper to retain than the recruit and train new people, and retaining experienced staff protects and enhances diversity in teams, which leads to better patient care.
Find out more on our website. Read about the Flexible Working Act 2023 for more information.
The West Yorkshire Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub is available to staff and volunteers across West Yorkshire who work in a caring role supporting the health, wellbeing and social needs of people in our local communities.
The Hub offers a range of free, confidential advice and support for work-related distress or where difficulties in a person’s life are impacting on their work. The team have experience of, and expertise in racial trauma, cultural humility, long-term health conditions and neurodiversity, helping to provide meaningful and relevant support for your mental health and wellbeing.
See their service summary for more information. If you want to talk to someone about support for yourself, your team or organisation, please complete the Hub’s enquiry form.
