Registered
- Charity no. 110779
- Date registered. 11/09/2025
Public benefits
What are the direct benefits flowing from your organisation's purposes? 1.The benefits of this purpose are the provision of a safe, inclusive space for autistic children and young people. Autistic children will have services and activities planned and designed around their autistic needs as opposed to many youth services in the council area that
are not autism friendly. 2.The benefit of this purpose is increased access to autism friendly activities and services within the Mid and East Antrim electoral area. 3.The benefit of this purpose is the sense of community children will gain, wellbeing benefits of friendships and social connection and potential skills development. 4.The benefits of this purpose are the positive contribution to the mental wellbeing of local autistic children and young people and their families. 5.Creative activities can have therapeutic effects for the child and build confidence. Longer term, we would like to exhibit our young peoples work and work on community art projects, again with the aim of boosting self-confidence and awareness of our young peoples talent. 6.The benefits of this purpose are that we will increase our visibility in the local community, amplifying our advocacy for autistic children, young people and their families locally. How can the benefits identified above be demonstrated? 1.The benefits can be demonstrated by utilising an annual feedback survey and/or service evaluation forms with questioning to assess how services and activities are meeting autistic needs of users and how they can be improved. 2.Our Annual report will record the number of autistic children and their families we have supported in the local area and the programme of services we have provided over the year. 3.We will use our Annual report to review the programme of events and activities provided, including feedback from our service users/families on the programme contents. 4.The benefits of this purpose can be demonstrated through the Annual Report and feedback on services/activities. 5.The benefits of this purpose will be explored via the Annual Report and activity feedback forms. 6.Our Annual Report will reflect on engagement and participation in terms of numbers of service users and the local forums and advocacy we as trustees have engaged in over the year. Is there any harm arising from any of the purposes? There are no harms identified within the stated purposes. Any outsourced activities will undergo safeguarding checks to ensure providers have the required DBS checks and insurance. Activities will be risk assessed to ensure safety at all times. Materials used in arts, crafts or play will be carefully sourced to ensure they meet UK safety standards. Trustees and volunteers cannot provide counselling services but can provide signposting to local counselling services. Trustees and volunteers will take part in required training including mental health awareness training and undergo required DBS checks. Who are the charity's beneficiaries? The charities beneficiaries are the autistic (diagnosed or awaiting diagnosis) children, young people and their families living in the Mid and East Antrim council area of Northern Ireland. Is there any private benefit flowing from any of the purposes? A private benefit to trustees and volunteers may arise from the necessary programme of training that they will be required to complete. It is possible that trustees will gain transferable skills and experience through their roll and the training provided for the role which could be of benefit outside the charity. However this benefit is incidental and unavoidable/necessary.
What your organisation does
Spectrum Connections NI is dedicated to supporting autistic children and young people, as well as their families, in the MEA area. Our charity will provide an inclusive community that embraces neurodiversity and offers a safe environment for social interaction, personal growth, and support. We will do this by providing the following : • Youth
Clubs: Weekly sessions for children and young people diagnosed or awaiting diagnosis of Autism. Programmes include arts and crafts, cooking, gaming and physical activities. • Family Group: Monthly gatherings for families, providing autism-aware spaces for recreation and peer connection. Activities include sensory play, themed tuff trays, quiet spaces, food, toys and regular events featuring bouncy castles, ponies, petting zoos, face painting etc. • Parent Support Group: An online WhatsApp group offering parents a platform for sharing experiences, resources, and advice, fostering a sense of community. • Sensory Play Sessions: Monthly themed activities for children under 5 and their parents, designed to improve sensory development and parent networking. We aspire to develop the following future services/support: • Mental Health Support: Develop direct access to mental health support, with a focus on autistic children and young people experiencing anxiety, depression, or self-harm. • Dedicated Autism Support Centre: Secure premises to provide a permanent base for activities and a welcoming hub for local autistic youth and families. • Social Enterprise & Skills Development: Explore enterprise initiatives to provide employment and work experience opportunities. • Study Hub: Establish a facility supporting autistic children unable to attend mainstream school, offering support for online/independent study, socialisation in small groups, and delivery of courses. We have a team of 5 trustees with experience delivering support services to autistic children and their families.
The charity’s classifications
- The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage
Who the charity helps
- Children (5-13 year olds)
- General public
- Physical disabilities
How the charity works
- Advice/advocacy/information
- Community development