This is a national charity which supports children and adults who have learning disabilities and their families to live, work, and take part in their communities. Sometimes finding the right services or talking to the right people in your area can be difficult. This is where ENABLE Scotland can help. As well as the services they provide, they also have links with other organisations throughout Scotland. They can put parents in touch with the right people to make sure they get the support that works for their child. They provide a growing range of person centred services designed to be flexible and adapt to the needs of the people using these services.
This is one of the national autism charities in Scotland and they currently run the Autism One Stop Shop in Fife. Information on the Fife’s Autism One Stop Shop can be found on Scottish Autism’s website www.scottishautism.org.ukScottish Autism also delivers a range of community based services within Fife or services which may be accessed from Fife, depending on availability of funding from the local authority (Fife Council). You can explore the range of services available on their website, contact them for advice on availability of services and costs, then arrange through social work.
New Volunteer House, 16 East Fergus Place, Kirkcaldy, KY1 1XT. phone no. 01592 645350
Sleep Scotland
This charity provides a wide variety of support to families of children and young people with additional support needs and severe sleep problems.
Penumbra works across Scotland to raise awareness of and support young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Penumbra offers one to one support, drop-ins, issue based sessions and mental health awareness raising sessions in the community. Their project workers can visit schools and other organisations to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues, including exam stress, looking after your mental health, identifying helpful coping strategies, and making positive choices. Penumbra can also offer mental health and/or self harm awareness raising training for teachers. Penumbra’s Fife Youth Project aims to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in Fife, aged from 12 to 21 years, and is based in Kirkcaldy. This is not an autism specific service and may not be a suitable service for those with autism and significant learning disability, but could be a useful service for those with Higher Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome. You can self refer to this service, or be referred by a professional, or the One Stop Shop.
Real Life Options is a national voluntary organisation providing specialist care and support. They have over 20 years experience in the design and delivery of flexible, innovative, support services to people with learning disabilities, complex support needs and autism. They provide a range of services within Fife, including day services and care at home. For more information go to
This organisation can deliver a variety of community based support, provided by appropriately trained support workers, for those with ASD of all age ranges and all parts of the spectrum. They are a charity which supports people with mental health problems, learning disability and ASD, including Asperger Syndrome. You can contact them for advice on availability of services and then arrange funding through social work.
The LINK East Fife Mental Health Adolescent Befriending Project provides a volunteer befriending service to young people (12 – 18) living in North East Fife and Levenmouth who have become socially and emotionally isolated due to a mental health issue. The volunteers provide practical and emotional support and aim to help young people access social and community activities and resources which they may find difficult or impossible to achieve on their own. You can self refer or referral can be arranged through the One Stop Shop.
This charity has services throughout Fife. It is not autism specific but supports adults (16 and over) experiencing mental health problems and/or social isolation and exclusion (including carers). Their service is based in Kirkcaldy and is primarily for people who live in and around the Kirkcaldy area. If you do not live in the Kirkcaldy area, but would like to try to access this service, it is worthwhile contact them to discuss. Depending on how busy they are, they may still be able to assist you. Although not an autism specific service, they may provide helpful support for some people with ASD, particularly those who have High Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome.
This organisation provides support services in Buckhaven and Kirkcaldy for adults (16 and over). They accept self referrals, or professional referrals, from all parts of Fife. They are not an autism specific service but aim to promote good mental health and encourage empowerment and self determination amongst people who struggle to maintain their mental health. They offer a range of services and support which you can explore on their website. This service may suit some people with ASD and it may be worthwhile to arrange a visit and chat with the staff to determine if this service is suitable for you.
This is another service for adults (16 and over) which is not autism specific but supports mental health and social inclusion. They have a drop in centre in St. Monans and provide a variety of support services in the North East of Fife.
Thisis a project to help people in West and Central Fife into volunteering by offering personally tailored supports where required. For further information, make an appointment with the Volunteer Centre. Their contact details and address are available from the Fife Voluntary Action website or phone 01383 732136, email:
This is the information site for the Fife Health and Wellbeing Alliance. Healthyfife provides useful information on what is happening to improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities in Fife and beyond. News, latest reports, bulletins and upcoming events are all available on this website and a host of links to other useful sites. Fife Health and Wellbeing Alliance provides free training in a variety of subjects which are relevant to ASD e.g. Scottish Mental Health First Aid training, raising self esteem in young people, sexual health, and drug and alcohol awareness workshops. A full list of training opportunities is available on their website. Parents and carers can apply for a training place if they think this might be useful.
This is the partnership organisation for Fife's advice and rights groups. If you click on ‘FRF Directory’, there is a full list of a variety of community based organisations who can deliver support for individuals and families within Fife. If you sign up for their newsletter, you will be sent regular email updates.
This is a UK wide charity committed to supporting the emotional well being and mental health of children and young people. They offer advice and support for children, young people, parents/carers and any other adults who may have worries about the emotional problems, behaviour or mental health of a child or young person up to aged 25. They provide a free and confidential on line or telephone support service.
This is an on-line resource for children and young people across the UK to stop bullying. Their aim is to empower young people so deeply affected by bullying that they can barely face going to school every day. They help young people to support each other and help young people that bully to change their attitudes and behaviour. This is done through their ground-breaking online mentoring via the CyberMentors website which has peer mentoring and peer activism at its heart.
This is an on-line resource to help young people overcome the barriers that are stopping them from getting into education, employment or training, or making it difficult to stay in them. Their aim is to provide young people with all the skills and support they need to get into education, employment or training. FutureYou aims to provide support whenever it is needed through live chat and private messaging and from a range of people - from trained mentors (aged 14-25) and LifeMentors (26+), through to accredited advisers and professional counsellors.
This is an on-line resource for 11-17 year olds. It provides support, information and advice about mental health and emotional wellbeing to help young people overcome life's ups and downs and feel more confident and happy about who they are. MindFull is online so help from trained mentors and counsellors are available whenever needed as well as self help resources.
Things to try is a collection of resources to help support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, put together by Fife CAMHS. Some are aimed at children and young people, some are more for parents and carers, and some are designed for professionals who work with children and young people. Have a look, try some out, and see if there’s something that helps you.
Wrong Planet
This is a web community designed for individuals (and parents / professionals) with Autism, Asperger Syndrome, ADHD, PDDs, and other neurological differences. They provide a discussion forum where members communicate with each other, an article section, with exclusive articles and how-to guides, a blogging feature, and a chat room for real-time communication with other Aspies.
Access to training and other self help resources, on-line and telephone support services, and support from the non public services, have been developed. This type of support continues to be developed, to try to ensure that individuals and their families can access timely information, advice and support when it is most needed. Support from our public services may also be required to ensure a timely diagnosis, provide evidence of disability to ensure better access and funding for other non public and public services. Professional support would also be required for such things as diagnosing conditions related to autism and prescribing specific treatments such as medication if required. Professional support is also required to ensure that the individual’s needs are met when the parents or carers are unable to do so. For example, the child or young person needs support from professionals within the education system as the parents or carers are not usually supporting the child themselves while under the care of the school. The autism spectrum is diverse and some people with autism will require more professional support than others.
Community Paediatricians
Community Pediatricians, provide a secondary and tertiary specialised service to children with a range of special needs, developmental disorders and disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorders. The service has a responsibility for children (up to 19 years) and provides assessment, diagnosis and follow-up of children with additional needs. Community Pediatricians can helpfully support parents to access the ASD diagnostic service. Pediatricians can also help to ensure a ‘joined up’ approach to service delivery by referring to, and liaising with, any other agencies involved. Each Community Pediatrician has responsibility for a defined geographical area and each school has a named school nurse. Referrals, or requests for advice, are accepted from any professional or parent with a concern. Parents can seek support from the Community Pediatrician through the head teacher of the school, school nurse, or GP. Following assessment, the pediatrician can refer the child on to other specialist practitioners, e.g. speech and language therapists and occupational therapists, if required. The first point of contact for the community pediatricians is -
This is an NHS Fife service which provides a wide range of clinical psychology services for children and young people aged up to 18 years. They offer assessment and therapeutic interventions tailored to the needs of children or young people and their family. A referral can be made by the GP, health visitor, pediatrician, or other NHS staff. They also accept referrals from other agencies, including Social Work, Education, and the One Stop Shop. www.dwfchp.scot.nhs.uk/clinicalpsychology
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is an NHS Fife service which provides specialist outpatient and community care and treatment for children and adolescents with mental health problems up to the age of 18. A referral can be arranged by the GP, or other health care professional involved in your child’s care, such as a pediatrician or clinical psychologist.
Fife Social Work Services prefer contact by phone or on-line. However, it is recommended that you follow up any telephone communication by writing to Social Services or you can print your on-line enquiry form for your records. There is helpful information on the National Autistic Society’s website to advise parents on how to make a request for a social work assessment of need. For more information on Social Work Services go to
