Takiwatanga Support Services is a South Essex based, registered charity (CIO no. 1184723). The trustees are either parents of autistic children, or professionals who work with SEND children.

Takiwatanga was set up to relieve the needs of autistic children (and/or children with social anxiety) and their families by:

1) providing information, signposting to relevant professional agencies and running emotional support groups to enable parents to help their children achieve their academic potential and minimise their child's social anxiety;

2) providing social activities and opportunities for autistic children, tailored to their particular needs, to boost their self-esteem and improve their social skills, whilst enabling them to make friends with other neuro-diverse children and mix socially with neurotypical peers and siblings;

3) providing educational activities, in small groups, for children who are home-schooled and/or school refusers, as a result of their autism and/or social anxiety issues;

4) providing training to education and health professionals, parents and the wider public regarding the autistic spectrum, the benefits, the challenges and the best methods to support and communicate with autistic children;

5) raising public awareness of autism.

We provide support to parents of children on the autistic spectrum through our Facebook discussion group and monthly support meetings. We also run weekly Woodland Warriors sessions for the children and a monthly Family Board Game Club. Also coming soon Lego Therapy and SEN Yoga. We are also arranging specialist talks from an OT, Clinical Psychologist and Educational Psychologist.