Aspens’ mission is to provide high-quality care and support to individuals on the autism spectrum and with learning disabilities; meeting their needs and aspirations and empowering them to learn and grow through an integrated network of services across the South-East.

We provide support and care to children, families and adults across Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Surrey and the London Borough of Bexley. Our services include registered care homes; supported living; community outreach; day opportunities; children and young people’s groups and support and specialist support. 

How we help

Children and young people’s services

Aspens provides care and support to children and young people with a range of disabilities, those on the autism spectrum, and those with complex needs from the age of 8 through to 25, in Brighton, Sussex and Bexley. We support children and young people to develop the skills required to become independent and confident young people.

We do this through Ofsted registered children’s residential care providing overnight stays, after-school and Saturday clubs, community groups for children and teens, holiday activity programmes, a buddy scheme, sibling support groups and family fun days.

Read more here.

Adult services

Aspens offers a wide range of services for adults with learning disabilities, on the autism spectrum and those with complex needs using a holistic, person-centred approach. We encourage all the adults we care for to participate and fully engage in the broad variety of activities that we run, challenging perceptions that might prevent them from realising their full potential.

Depending on the needs of the individual being supported, Aspens offers everything from day services, to supported living and outreach services to residential care. 

Our adult services are based in Kent, Bexley, Surrey and Sussex and over the next few years we hope to offer our services in more areas across the South East. 

Read more here.

Family and Specialist Support services

At Aspens, we walk alongside families supporting neurodivergent individuals, those with a learning disability, or other complex needs. Our aim is to empower families to feel confident, connected and supported in the ways that work best for them.

We welcome all family members – whether you're a parent, sibling, grandparent, or friend – of any age. Everyone plays a part in creating understanding and acceptance, and we're here for you.

Our Specialist Support Service is a comprehensive, professional, high-quality Positive Behaviour Support provision. This service is for individuals with Autism Spectrum Condition and other related conditions (and their parents/carers), who demonstrate behaviours of concern. We know that all behaviour, including the most challenging to manage behaviours of concern, happens for a reason.

Positive Behaviour Support is a way of understanding what help individuals need and what can be done to provide this (through a bespoke assessment/action plan), so the person experiences a better quality of life. Our Behaviour Specialists (who complete the initial assessment process) and Specialist Intervention Advisors (who provide the follow-up tailored intervention sessions) operate in West and East Sussex and Kent.

Read more here.

Positive behaviour support

As a member of the British Institute of Learning Disabilities, Aspens believes that to improve the quality of life, independence and autonomy of the people we support, Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) must be a cornerstone of our ethos and values. PBS is a framework for understanding and supporting those that are vulnerable to displaying
behaviours that concern, enabling us to enhance all areas of an individual’s life.

Aspens’ PBS team is made up of Specialists, Leads and Support Workers. It is the PBS Specialist’s job to communicate effectively with staff, implement strategies, assess and analyse behaviours and provide insight into how we at Aspens can improve the quality of life of the people we support across all our services.

Read more here. 

How to request support

Our strategy: 2022-2027

The impact our work has

The highly personalised support and care Aspens provides is time-consuming and intensive, using a great deal of staff expertise, but the impact is immeasurable and the results life-changing. 

Read our Annual Impact Report 2024-2025 here. 

The Report tells the story of how we have continued to increase our impact across the South-East, highlighting the outstanding work of our dedicated team and how the support they provide is transforming the lives of people on the autism spectrum and with learning disabilities, and their families. 

Previous Annual Impact Reports

Annual Impact Report 2023-2024

Annual Impact Report 2022-2023

Annual Impact Report 2021-2022

Annual Impact Report 2020-2021