Parents hope to open 'lifeline' special needs hub

Josh and Mattea Barnes said they had been offered no support for their two-year-old son Noa

The parents of a young boy with sensory needs are hoping to set up a community hub to provide a "lifeline" for other families.

Josh and Mattea Barnes, from Ripponden, said from a very young age they realised their two-year-old son Noa had "complex" needs and they believed he had autism.

Because the threshold for diagnosis starts at the age of two, Mr Barnes said the family had "really struggled to cope" and wanted to start a service to help others going through the same.

The 27-year-old dad said: "Because the support wasn't in place for Noa and we couldn't get that, we want to be that support for other people."

Because of his needs, Noa cannot eat solid foods and often his behaviour "deregulates" which leads to him hurting himself, Mr Barnes said.

When the issues first became apparent, his parents reached out to professionals but they were told there was no support that could be put in place.

He said: "It was a really difficult time and very isolating.

"We'd hit crisis and there were lots of moments where we felt we couldn't go on any more."

Mr Barnes said since introducing the idea of a special needs hub, which would be called Noa's Place, more than 1,000 people had given their backing and a board of trustees had been established.

Noa is on a waiting list for an official autism diagnosis

"The response has been absolutely mind blowing," he said.

"For that to happen shows what support is needed in the community and that people are really struggling."

Mr Barnes said the facility, which they are exploring funding for, would give children with additional needs "a place to belong" and would include a play centre, sensory room and cafe.

"It would enable them to engage in activity that's going to develop their brains and help them understand the world around them," he said.

"But also, supporting the unseen heroes, which is our parents and carers so they can come to a place where people really understand what they're going through."

The family's plan has been supported by school leaders, including Lisa Simpson, head teacher at Atlas Community Primary School in Bradford, where a third of pupils have special education needs.

She said: "What parents really need is somewhere to go to talk to other parents who are facing the same challenges.

"While we can help with that in schools, there's quite a lot of weeks where children aren't at school and a period of time of four years before schools even meet these children, so I think it would be something that we need everywhere."

'Listening to parents'

Mr Barnes said Noa was now on a waiting list for an official diagnosis but having somewhere like Noa's Place would help other families.

"Every service is absolutely swamped with waiting lists and families who are in crisis need support," he said.

"Having something like this is the solution that we wished existed when we were going through our journey."

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said the government had "inherited a SEND system left on its knees" and it was "listening to parents and looking at changes to enable more children to thrive and stop parents having to fight for help".

They added that some measures had already been implemented such as placing professionals in Best Start Family Hubs so they can support parents of children with additional needs.

The spokesperson added: "We will set out our plans to ensure all children receive the support they need to achieve and thrive in the Schools White Paper in the autumn."

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