Frequently asked questions
As we receive questions about CASS we include them on this page here. Whether this is your first time looking for answers or whether you’re a regular visitor, our aim is to gather questions from autistic individuals, parents, carers, families and professionals and to publish these on this page for the benefit of everybody.
If you have a question that isn’t answered below, please email your question to the navigation team on navigation@casspartnership.org.uk
Questions and answers
About accessing support
Q. What is the minimum age for support?
A. We support children from the age of 7. Parents of children under 7 can also attend the Parent Support options, where they may find valuable support, however they are not designed for this age group.
Q. Is this service only available to Coventry and Warwickshire residents?
A: Yes, you must be living in either Coventry or Warwickshire to access this support. We cannot support those living elsewhere.
Q. Do you need a confirmed diagnosis to access support?
A. No. Under 18s can be diagnosed or waiting for a diagnosis. Over 18s can be diagnosed, waiting for a diagnosis or self-identify as autistic. It does not matter whether the diagnosis you are waiting on is NHS or private.
Q. Is there a requirement for children to be on a school roll to access this service?
A. No, we can support children regardless of their educational circumstances.
Q. Can an autistic person with a learning disability access this service?
A. Maybe but your child/you will need to be able to access a group and understand information being given to them/you, and be able to use this information to develop and use strategies.
About making a referral
Q. Is there a waiting list?
A. Yes. Different elements of the service have different waiting times, which can vary on intervention and location. As CASS is a person-centred service and tailors support based on need, we are not always able to provide timescales about when support will begin.
Q. How long do you keep initial referrals open?
A. The navigation team will keep referrals on file for 14 days once we have attempted to contact you for a discussion. If we do not receive a response from you, we will close your file and assume support is no longer required.
Q. Do you accept self-referrals and referrals from family members?
A. You can self-refer for social groups, toolboxes, adult education sessions, chat and cuppa, CASP, TASP and professional sessions can be booked directly via Eventbrite. All other support options require a professional referral.
Q. I am a professional, how do I refer patients or clients into CASS?
For more information on which professional teams, including education teams, are able to refer into CASS, please click here.
About aspects of the service
Q. Can I drop into your service?
A. No. We do not have a CASS drop-in service.
Q. Will there be individualised therapies offered to patients who need psychological support?
A. No. We are an autism education service and do not offer counselling or therapeutic support.
Q. Is there support available for autistic parents?
A. Yes. We offer support for parents of autistic individuals, and for autistic adults.
Q. Do you provide transport?
A. No. We are unable to provide transport to and from any of our support.
Q. Do you provide support at home or in school/college?
A. No, all our support takes place in a CWWMind venue in Rugby, Nuneaton and Coventry, or a community venue in Warwick or Leamington.
Q. Do you offer appointments in evenings or weekends?
A. No, we offer our targeted support and peer mentoring groups from 9.30am – 3pm on week days . We have social groups that run during evenings and on Saturdays.
Q. Do you offer 1-1 support?
A. Our primary approach involves offering group-based interventions. These are highly successful as they help participants realise that they are not alone in experiencing certain challenges and help normalise these. One-to-one support can, on occasions, be offered for a few add-on sessions after a Targeted Intervention or a Peer Mentoring Group. However, it is not possible to be referred in for 1-1 sessions only, as this does not align with the approach of CASS which is informed by evidence-based research.
Training and education
Q. Can you visit schools and speak to parents?
A. No, but parents are able to attend our Toolboxes, Chat and Cuppa sessions, CASP and TASP sessions and professionals are guided to access our recorded on-demand workshops.
Signposting to other organisations and services
Q. Can you signpost me to other organisations and services?
A. We recommend using the Dimensions Tool to find the services best suited to you.
About advocacy, rights, support, legal advice and more
Q. Can you provide me with an advocate?
A. No, but please contact Citizens Advice and Voiceability.
Q. Can you provide me with information around educational rights?
A. No, but your local offer will have information on SEND and education. You can visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/localoffer https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/send
You can also contact your local SENDIASS team through your local authority.
In Warwickshire: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/directory-record/6955/independent-information-advice-and-support-sendias
In Coventry: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/send-information-advice-support-service-iass
IPSEAS have useful information around education rights. Visit https://www.ipsea.org.uk/
Q. Do you offer employment support?
A. Please speak to your DEA (disability employment advisor) at your local job centre who can advise you on joining specialist employment support programs.
Q. Can you provide me with housing? Do you have supported living/ residential homes?
A. No. We are unable to offer housing and don’t currently provide supported living or residential homes. Please contact your local housing team or social worker for support around housing.
Q. Can you offer me legal advice?
A. No, our staff are not legally trained professionals please seek advice from citizens advice. you can find information on their website and a search tool to find your local citizens advice office https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Finding immediate support if I'm in crisis or need mental health support
Q. Where can I go to access support immediately if I’m in crisis or need mental health support?
A. If you are in mental health crisis you can NHS 111, option 2.
If you need to talk, any time of day or night, you can approach a number of free listening services – offering confidential support from trained volunteers. You can talk about anything that’s troubling you, no matter how difficult:
Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours
Text “SHOUT” to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text “YM” if you’re under 19
If you’re under 19, you can also call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline. The number will not appear on your phone bill.
If your life is at risk and you need emergency assistance
Call 999 or go to A&E
A mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a physical one. You will not be wasting anyone’s time. Call: 999