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Posted: 17th May 2018

Youth clubs face closure

Funding for Yew Tree and Royals withdrawn

Valuable services for autistic children, teenagers and young adults in Havering are set to shut down immediately after the local authority withdrew vital funding.

We've been providing youth clubs and activities for children and young people with autism and adults with learning difficulties but were this week told that our funding  is to be slashed and two youth projects will be forced to close by the end of May. 

The two projects set to close are the Yew Tree Club in Romford which helps young people aged 13 – 18 and the Royals Club in Rainham which helps even younger children aged from 8-13.  The London Borough of Havering have changed the criteria used to determine which children receive support and the end result is that almost all the children who attend the clubs no longer qualify for help, despite some of them having an EHC plan, which is designed to assist people up to the age of 25 with their educational, health and social needs.

Both programmes began in 2006 and have helped hundreds of young people over the past twelve years with vital life skills, but have been told that they will be closing this month after funding with withdrawn by the Havering Council. 

Not only are the youth clubs an enormous help for children and young people with ASD, they also help these young adults to become more productive members of society as they get older, as opposed to requiring further, more expensive care from the local authority.

Chris Gillbanks, CEO of the Sycamore Trust UK is bitterly disappointed at the decision.  She said “When we are forced to close these youth clubs, it will be with great sadness. We need to do more to help the most vulnerable members of society, not less.  The clubs have been helping young people in Havering for the past twelve years and the results are there for all to see.”