Latest News for Parents & Carers

Contact has introduced Charlie the Chatbot to their website! Charlie can guide you through their information and advice to help you find the support you need quickly and easily, whenever you need it – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Charlie can be found on the bottom right-hand side of Contact’s website or on Facebook Messenger.

Mary had her Blue Badge stolen from her car and her experience is becoming more common. There were 1,484 Blue Badge thefts in the year to March 2022, up 41% from 1,055 the previous year, according to BBC analysis of the latest available figures from the Department for Transport.

In an interview with Alan Carr on his podcast Life’s A Beach, Melanie Sykes opened up about how Tourette’s syndrome has impacted her life. The 52-year-old was diagnosed with autism in 2021, and now joins a list of other celebrities, including Lewis Capaldi and Billie Eilish, who have been vocal about their journey with Tourette’s.

Students across the country will soon receive their GCSE or A level results. They may continue their studies, apply for jobs or have a gap year. However, this will not be the case for many autistic children who are written off before they even leave school. It is well documented that they are at a higher risk of exclusion, less likely to reach their potential and often deeply unhappy in education.

If you’re a Cat Burns fan, you’ll know her lyrics are honest. It’s something she wants to extend to her personal life too – which is why she’s opened up about her recent ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. The singer tells BBC Newsbeat the diagnosis has left her with a better understanding of herself, saying life now “makes sense”.