Aspect.Someone.To.Turn.To

The Parent Support Network - Someone To Turn To, provides emotional and practical support for parents who, for example, have a child with a recent diagnosis of autism, and would like supportive contact with a volunteer parent, who have had similar experiences. There are no fees involved.

The co-ordinator of the Parent Support Network program closely links parents seeking support with volunteer parents, using factors such as diagnosis and age of the child. This ensures that the support can be as relevant as possible.

Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) provides initial and follow-up training for volunteers as well as ongoing support for both parents and volunteers. Contact between parent and volunteer usually occurs every 1-2 weeks; in some instances it is possible for the volunteer and parent to meet in person. We recognise that everyone leads busy lives, therefore volunteers are usually linked with one family at a time.

Urgently needed: volunteer parents and carers

Our service is currently seeking more volunteer mentors. This is to meet the requests of many parents/carers who are asking for the kind of empathic help that the Parent Support Network provides. They may be going through a new diagnosis or some other time of particular concern, and are possibly undergoing similar experiences to your own as a parent/carer.

The role of a volunteer mentor is not a time-consuming one - probably a phone call every 2 weeks. Volunteers are trained and in turn supported by Aspect. Weekend workshops for new parents and carers are held throughout the year and are announced on the home page of this website, as well as on the training page.

Can you help?

For more information, please call Pauline, the Parent Support Network Coordinator on 02 8977 8335

Multilingual support

The Parent Support Network now provides multilingual support. We have volunteers who can offer support in Japanese, Tagalog, Arabic, Greek, Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin, as well as English. This multilingual service is readily available from Aspect if you are in need of assistance.

Fathers, Grandfathers & Uncles

Autism Spectrum Australia provides specialised support for fathers, grandfathers and uncles of children with autism spectrum disorders. The Parent Support Network can link you with a father or grandfather who is in a similar situation to you and can give you advice on how best to manage. The Parent Support Network also offers ‘Fathers' Nights’ giving dad’s, uncles and grandfathers a chance to get together in an informal setting. These 'Fathers' Nights' are held quarterly.

Please click on the link below for further information.