Recovery College and South London Listens partnership to develop a new course for parents from the Latin community supporting young people in their life who have ADHD

Many of our Be Well sites who work with the Latin community support parents who have young people in their family who are neurodiverse.  After listening to the needs and concerns of the community, we have been working with the SLAM Recovery college team to deliver the existing course for parents of young people with ADHD.  

Be Well is a key element of the South London Listens programme – and was developed with a vision to take action on, and strengthen mental health and wellbeing at a community level across South London. Enabling individuals and communities to take an active role in shaping the support they need.

Partnership between South London Listens, the Latin community and the SLAM recovery college

We now have our 80 Be Well sites, many based in grassroots organisations across South London. This includes several organisations who support the Latin community.  They include Familia Y Neurodiverse (previously Familia Y Autismo), Familias y Autismo, Agape, the Family Emotional Wellbeing Project - (cross borough): Emporando Familias and Parent Action (part of Citizens UK).

We know from research carried out in Healthwatch in 2024 that the Latin community have low levels of engagement with health and social care services, facing barriers around language, service communication challenges and discrimination.  1 Year Update of our Latin American Access Report! | Healthwatch Southwark

Many of our Be Well sites support parents in the community who have young people in their life who are neurodiverse. We carried out a survey in 2024 with 64 parents from the community across Southwark and Lambeth to better understand their needs. 

Of which:

34.4% reported that they had children or family members diagnosed with ADHD and 51% with ASD

43.8% were on the waiting list for assessments and have been waiting between 8 months and 4 years.

Many identified that they would like to have more support to:

-                Get a better understanding of ADHD

-                To learn from others to support my young child at school and home.

-                Understand how mental health services work, and what is available to me.

-                Knowing how long it takes to diagnose a child and what the pathways are.

-                Wanted a similar course to be developed for ASD

-                Gain a better understanding of how to access services / therapies more quickly

Other comments from the survey included:

“How can we access mental health services.  Its very difficult to even get on the waiting list and schools through the EHCPs do not have access either. Which leaves families like ourselves not knowing where we should seek support.”

“The waiting list is very long, having a child with autism is already exhausting, we caregivers are abandoned with our children.”

Building shared plans

The SLaM Recovery College already offer a course on ‘Understanding ADHD in children and young people: supporting, coping, thriving’ in English, co-developed and co-delivered by the local CAMHS teams and parents. This can be accessed by those who use or support someone using SLaM services. To find out more out more about SLaM Recovery College go to slamrecoverycollege.co.uk.

93.8% of those surveyed  from the latin community served by our Be Well sites said they would like to access the course in Spanish.

We are now working with the SLAM recovery college to translate and deliver the course in Spanish. We have recruited a clinician and 2 parents from the community who are now starting to translate the course into Spanish which will be delivered in the Autumn 2025.  Giving parents a chance to come together to be heard and learn together.

We hope this also provides opportunities to strengthen relationships with the community , and provide more accessible information about resources available and how we can work together.

“It is exciting to bring a course to a new group of people who otherwise may not have had the chance.  Coproduction is always an exciting and very rewarding process, and everytime we deliver a course the students bring new ideas and knowledge,”  Bryher Bowness, Recovery College trainer.

"This course is such an important step forward for Spanish-speaking families who tend to face big barriers when navigating an ADHD diagnosis — especially around language and understanding the system. Many parents struggle to access the right support for their children, and even less for themselves. This course offers them a safe space to feel seen, supported, and empowered, while connecting with others who truly understand their experience”. Carolay Cespedes Iriate, Parent Trainer

‘‘This collaboration represents a crucial step towards equitable mental health support in South London. For too long, Latinx families, particularly those raising neurodiverse young people, have encountered significant barriers including language, isolation, and a lack of culturally sensitive services. This initiative is more than just a course; it's a bridge to provide understanding, hope, and a sense of belonging for parents who have often felt unseen. This project stands as a clear example of our commitment to supporting our community through tangible actions." Gina Rodriguez, Parent Trainer

‘‘This Recovery College course will be an invaluable opportunity for Spanish Speaking families to express and share their experiences and challenges.  The focus is children and young people who are waiting for or have recently received an ADHD diagnosis. This process can feel lengthy and complex but can often be a time of family growth and learning. 

Through this interactive course, we hope that families will strengthen further their skills, so they are better equipped to understand and manage complex “systems” such as mental health, social and education services. We will draw on families’ lived experience, unique expertise and acquired new knowledge to build insight and confidence.’’  Lourdes Berdasco, Highly Specialist Systemic Family Psychotherapist

‘‘Co-created by our skilled mental health nurses and the voice of people with lived experience, this course offers accessible and culturally attuned support and knowledge, as well as a sense of community and empowerment for those who care for someone with ADHD. It fills an important gap in the support available for the ADHD community in South London.’’ Nicoletta Adamo, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, South London and Maudsley