Transforming Autism has secured three years of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund to deliver a new family support programme for young autistic children from Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity communities in Essex.
The project will focus on families who often face the biggest barriers to getting early support. Research shows that children from ethnic minority and disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to experience delays in diagnosis and are less likely to access services that feel relevant to them. This programme is designed to address that gap.
Over the next three years, Transforming Autism will deliver in-home and parent-focused early intervention, working closely with two grassroots organisations in Colchester: Re-Breath and Dream the Change. These partners already have strong relationships within their communities and bring valuable insight and experience to the programme, helping to ensure support reaches the families who need it most.
Tracy Pepper, CEO of Transforming Autism, said: “We are delighted to be delivering this project alongside such experienced and dedicated partners. By working closely with families and communities, we hope to better understand their needs and co-create solutions that work for them. At the same time, this is an opportunity for us to learn what we, as a charity, need to do differently to ensure our services are as accessible and inclusive as possible. Ultimately, we want to help ensure that every child can access the support they need to thrive.”
Transforming Autism currently supports families across Essex, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and London, as well as offering online programmes nationwide. The focus is on early intervention, helping young autistic children develop communication and social skills, while giving parents practical tools to better understand and support their child.
This project will build on that work, while also helping to strengthen the evidence around what inclusive early support should look like. Learning from the programme will be shared with partners, local authorities and health services, with the aim of improving access and shaping better support over time.
Looking ahead, Transforming Autism plans to use what it learns to secure future funding, build stronger partnerships and explore how its programmes could be embedded more widely. The longterm goal is simple: making sure all families can access the right support, when they need it.
