The RAFT Club was set up by a group of parents in 2008. The club provides support for families of children with a diagnosis of Autism living in the borough of Reading.
We are self-funding, with the aid of some small grants, and supported by Berkshire Community Foundation and The Avenue School.
We are self-funding, with the aid of some small grants, and supported by Berkshire Community Foundation and The Avenue School.
The Club:
RAFT runs out of The Avenue School, Tilehurst for two hours on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month during term-time. We employ 5 Play Workers, who all have experience of working with children, or autism, and are DBS checked. The Play Workers encourage the children to participate in a variety of activities such as cooking, model-making, crafting, soft play and outdoor play.
The parents meet in a separate room and provide a support network for each other, listen to professional speakers or enjoy some pampering from a reflexologist.
We operate a pre-booking system so that we can closely monitor the staff/child ratio of 1:4 and this also allows staff to know in advance which children to expect at the Club each session and what difficulties they may have.
Our Aim:
- To provide a safe, stimulating environment for our children to play in
- To provide support and respite for parents
- To provide support and play opportunities for siblings
- To offer play opportunities which are difficult to access in a
- mainstream setting
- To encourage social interaction and motor skills development
- To make friends and have fun!
Our Criteria:
- You must be resident in the Borough of Reading or your child must attend a Reading school
- Your child must have a formal diagnosis of Autism or be on the 'pathway' for assessment/diagnosis
- Your child must be aged between 4 and 12 years old
- Your child must be toilet trained and not need 1:1 care
- Your child must be verbal and not violent or self-harming
The Committee reserves the right to review each admission on a case by case basis to ensure that the staff are able to cope with the individual child’s difficulties and to ensure that we can offer an appropriate level of care.
RAFT runs out of The Avenue School, Tilehurst for two hours on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month during term-time. We employ 5 Play Workers, who all have experience of working with children, or autism, and are DBS checked. The Play Workers encourage the children to participate in a variety of activities such as cooking, model-making, crafting, soft play and outdoor play.
The parents meet in a separate room and provide a support network for each other, listen to professional speakers or enjoy some pampering from a reflexologist.
We operate a pre-booking system so that we can closely monitor the staff/child ratio of 1:4 and this also allows staff to know in advance which children to expect at the Club each session and what difficulties they may have.
Our Aim:
- To provide a safe, stimulating environment for our children to play in
- To provide support and respite for parents
- To provide support and play opportunities for siblings
- To offer play opportunities which are difficult to access in a
- mainstream setting
- To encourage social interaction and motor skills development
- To make friends and have fun!
Our Criteria:
- You must be resident in the Borough of Reading or your child must attend a Reading school
- Your child must have a formal diagnosis of Autism or be on the 'pathway' for assessment/diagnosis
- Your child must be aged between 4 and 12 years old
- Your child must be toilet trained and not need 1:1 care
- Your child must be verbal and not violent or self-harming
The Committee reserves the right to review each admission on a case by case basis to ensure that the staff are able to cope with the individual child’s difficulties and to ensure that we can offer an appropriate level of care.
Eva (age 8) and Naomi (age 7) say “we love playing outside with the others” and Naomi adds “it is about autism at Raft but their siblings can come too if they want but they don’t have to be autistic”.
