Autism Referral Hub

Welcome to the Autism Assessment Referral Hub.

Here you will be able to access the information and resources you will need in order to make a referral for a child or young person you are supporting.

We are unable to consider self / parent referrals and can only accept referrals from professionals.

To avoid using obsolete referral forms, we suggest downloading a new pack each time.

Important update: Changes to consent process (25.07.25)

Summary of changes

All young people aged 16 or above are required to provide consent for their own assessment. The ASC2 form has been changed to reflect this.

Detailed

Like all adults, young people aged 16 or over are presumed (unless proven otherwise) to have capacity to decide on their own health and wellbeing. This means they must consent to their own assessment.

Where it is felt that a young person does not have capacity to consent, evidence of this will have to be provided.

Referrals for children and young people under 16 remains unchanged.

CQC| A brief guide to Capacity and Consent in under 18s

The referral pack

The referral pack is made up of four core forms and includes a parent questionnaire and school questionnaire. Each form has a specific purpose and is to be completed by the relevant person(s) with clear and relevant examples of social communication and interaction differences.

The forms are clear in terms of what information is required and who should be providing this.

Initiating the referral

As the professional coordinating this referral, you will need to download the relevant forms from the referral pack using the links below, these can be completed by hand or preferably electronically.

The professional coordinating the referral is responsible for collating all the completed forms and supporting documentation and submitting to the assessment team. The responsibility of this can be transferred between professionals if mutually agreed.

Please follow the guidance given in this section and also on each form to avoid unnecessary delay.

How to make a request for assessment

1: The relevant forms are to be downloaded from the referral pack by the professional co-ordinating (the 'referrer') this request for assessment using the links below.

2: The forms are to then be distributed for completion by the relevant parties.

3: The ‘referrer’ collates the completed forms and reviews the information provided to ensure that there is sufficient supporting evidence and the forms have been fully completed.

4: The ‘referrer’ then completes the Submission Form (found on ASC1) and submits all 4 forms (the ‘referral pack’) to Barnsley.ASDAT@nhs.net for consideration.

Please advise the family

They will receive a text message once the referral pack is received by our team. We ask that they allow 30 working days for these to be processed and triaged. We will advise in writing of the outcome of the triage process.

Information leaflet for parents

Please ensure families are given access to this leaflet at the point of referral.

The 'Your support while waiting for an Autism Assessment' leaflet produced by the Family Hubs provides information around support available for families whilst waiting for an autism assessment.

View leaflet

Autism Assessment Referral Pack

The core forms required are:

ASC1 | Request for assessment form
This form is to be completed by the professional initiating the request for assessment. This is a simple form which asks for the basic demographics of the family and an outline of your concerns and reason for requesting an assessment. This form also gives clear instruction on what needs to be done and by whom and also includes a pre-submission checklist to ensure the pack is completed correctly prior to submission.
ASC2 | Consent form
This form is required for all referrals. Referrals without the appropriate consent will automatically be rejected. Please ensure the following points have been considered:
- Young people age 16 must provide consent, this can not be done by the parent.
- Consent must be in ink, not digital.
- An easy read consent form is available for young people who may need this.
- Further information about how we collect, store and use information can be found on our Privacy Notice. Children and young people may wish to view our child-friendly privacy notice.
- Once completed, this form should be returned to the referrer (the person coordinating the referral).
ASC3 | Parent / Carer supporting information form
This form should be given to the family either electronically or in printed format for completion by an adult with parental responsibility or by a professional completing the form on their behalf. Where possible, parents should be encouraged to include the child's views. Once completed, this form should be returned to the referrer (the person coordinating the referral).
ASC4 | Supporting information from educational setting, day-care or childminder
A copy of this form should be given to the child's educational setting or childminder for completion. This could be in printed format, electronic or even a letter asking them to access the form directly online. Once completed, this form should be returned to the referrer (the person coordinating the referral).
If a child is not in education, please refer to form ASC00 for guidance.

Supplementary forms (if required)

ASC00 | Not in education or training
This form is to be used for children who are not in education or training. The form will guide you as to whether this is the correct form to use.
ASC99 | Supplementary information from supporting services
This form is for other professionals working with the family who want to contribute key information to the assessment process. This could be a family support worker, a social worker, a therapist etc. Once completed, this form should be returned to the referrer.

Important information

The assessment team will not consider part referral packs submissions.

It is also not their responsibility to chase up any outstanding information.

Packs with missing forms, forms that are incomplete, forms that are illegible, forms missing consent etc will be returned to the 'referrer'.