About Spectrum

Spectrum is a multi-award winning, parent-led charity providing events and support for families of children with Autism, additional needs, learning difficulties and disabilities. We are family-focused and passionate about inclusion and supporting Special Education Needs & Disabilities (SEND).

We support children to be themselves without judgement to improve their social development and wellbeing. Collaboration is important to us. We work hard with the local community and our partners to deliver our end-to-end support and new opportunities for the families we assist. As a registered Spectrum member, you can also access our Child & Family Support from the comfort of your home, even covering DLA & EHCP assistance.

Spectrum is based on the Cambridgeshire and Suffolk border, reaching out from our Cambridge, Ely, Newmarket base to their respective surrounding villages and beyond into East Anglia. We extend our support and event availability across Essex, Herts, Beds, Northants, Bucks, London, Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Notts, Leicestershire, West Midlands and Warwickshire, to name but a few. We continue to see more and more parts of the UK get in touch with us through organic growth.

All of our team has extensive lived experience of Autism, additional needs and disabilities. We understand the journey and hurdles that families face, having travelled it ourselves.

Spectrum Event Delivery

Our range of events, activities, days out, and sessions for the children and families that we support, are fun-focused, creative, and centred around social gains and interaction. We cover sensory needs, education, sport, technology, heritage, the Arts, entertainment and conservation, to name but a few, to provide well rounded and engaging experiences. We complement this with parent-led support and an online community to create an environment supportive of a families mental well-being and making the most from creative imagination and fun.

The events that we create and deliver, often unique environments, are targeted across three tiers. We have events explicitly aimed at children with adult support and guidance, events designed for all the family to participate and engage in, and adults-only events and fundraisers to provide a little respite.

A sample of just some of the events that we have delivered and are working on is as follows:
Disneyland Paris, Harry Potter Studio Tour, Legoland Windsor, Warwick Castle, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Pantomimes, Dining Experiences, and meet and greets with exotic and protected animals.

“This Spectrum team stands out as truly special.  Not only are they absolutely professional and resolute in achieving their goals but their passion is unwavering.”

CRUCIBLE FILMS

Luminus Community
Inspiration Award

Max Card
Distributor

Cambridge Live
Community Award

Spectrum Awards & Accreditation’s

Spectrum is exceptionally proud to have won both the Luminus Community Inspiration Awards and the Cambridge Live Awards for our work with families and children with additional needs. We are also delighted and proud to work with the National Lottery in developing Spectrum further to benefit those we support. The funding support of the National Lottery alongside the UK Government (DCMS), was central to Spectrum being able to deliver our incredibly successful Digital Reach project, making a difference to thousands of families across the UK.

In addition to this, we are a UK distribution partner for Max Card. The Max Card makes days out more financially accessible at thousands of venues in the UK for families of children with additional needs. Furthermore, we are also a certified Arts Award Centre, as authorised by Trinity College, London. The Arts Award programme allows children to gain recognised certification in the Arts across five levels of competency.

All of Spectrum’s team is Safeguarding trained, with over half a dozen of the team qualified at Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) status. Across the team, we also have qualifications in such areas as Understanding Autism, Lego Therapy, Social Care, Child Psychology, Mental Health and First Aid, to name but a few.

“We are very proud to work with Spectrum and support the amazing work they do with young people. The events and support they offer families is truly inspiring!”

KD THEATRE

Supporting SEND

The range of additional needs is vast. We support children and their families with an extensive range of conditions and disabilities, alongside working with many schools and their SENCOs and the NHS. We support several thousand children at present, with well over a quarter of them being on the Autistic Spectrum (ASD). The nature of the work that we do and the events that we provide means we support families from all different walks of life and ethnicities, facing a mixture of similar and very different challenges each day. More and more of the families we support are seeing one parent have to adopt a full-time carer role to support the demands of their situation and a child’s needs.

We continue to see over 150 new members join us each month on the current average, with over 4000 referrals a year. Our coverage is broad, and a small sample of the conditions we support in children is as follows:

Autism (ASD), Dyspraxia, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder (DCD), different forms of Cancer, Heart-related defects and issues, Global Development Delay (GDD), Anxiety, Depression, Epilepsy, Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), Impaired hearing and vision, Social & Communication Disorder (SCD), OCD and Cerebal Palsy, through to genetic and Chromosome disorders.

Spectrum supports children who are on the path to a diagnosis, perhaps following recommendation from a teacher or medical professional, as well as where a full medical diagnosis is already in place. We also cater for any child from pre-birth, where clinical diagnosis is confirmed antenatally.

Our membership is free.

#WEARESPECTRUM

#WEARESPECTRUM

“The change it makes to my son’s confidence when attending Spectrum activities is astonishing.”

SPECTRUM REGISTERED FAMILY

“Don’t know how you do it, but please keep on doing what you’re doing! It means so much to so many families!”

SPECTRUM REGISTERED FAMILY