Parents and carers often call our Family Advice Team in a distressed state. They call us because they feel they can't cope with their disabled child’s behaviour and need advice and support urgently. Often they’re referred to Beams by Health Care Professionals following their child’s diagnosis of Autism. We deliver a Parenting Programme, devised by Barnados to help parents understand or learn more about their child's autism, including sensory difficulties, how to communicate, the underlying reasons for their behaviour and coping strategies which can improve family life. Although Beams works with children with any disability, we specialise in working with children and young people on the Autistic Spectrum. The Cygnet Programme is aimed specifically at parents with children/young people on the Autistic Spectrum.  In the future parents may receive follow up support from our Family Advice Team and our Short Breaks Team. All of this support can also have a positive impact on wider family members too. Isolation for example is often a problem for families and carers of disabled children and young people. The Cygnets Programme is run over 6 weeks. The weekly sessions comprise the same parents throughout. By spending time with others in a similar situation they often find they have things in common and can support each other. This can lead to less stress and anxiety which is unfortunately a commonly associated problem for parents and carers of children and young people on the Autistic Spectrum. We aim to empower parents and carers to feel confident about the future. A donation to support this parenting programme will greatly help as we have a waiting list of over 50 families. We have a new programme with new materials, the latest information and sensory equipment and are very excited about the forthcoming Cygnet programmes launching in October 2017. A small donation of £5 can make all the difference. Why not show you care about these families.