ADD-vance is a dedicated group of professionals, who also happen to be parents of neurodivergent children. Our mission is to support neurodivergent families and the professionals involved in their care. We want to increase understanding, provide support and change perceptions of these complex neurological conditions, so as to improve the wellbeing and reduce the social isolation of these young people and their families.
ADD-vance is a registered charity with a team of over 40 dedicated trainers, coaches, admin staff and volunteers. ADD-vance was set up in Hertfordshire in 1996 as a constituted voluntary organisation by Anne Ross. Anne, a parent of a neurodivergent child, found little support for mums like her so resolved to fix the situation. ADD-vance started as a telephone helpdesk in Anne’s home and grew to include support groups, training and coaching. In 2013 we registered as a charity. Today we have a small office in Hatfield that supports our trainers and coaches who work all over Hertfordshire and beyond.
Wise and motivated, Anne founded ADD-vance in 1996 to provide the support for local families she missed out on when her boys were young. Over the following years she built a talented, caring and positive team of trainers, coaches and support staff and made ADD-vance the force it is today.
Training and Consultancy – We provide courses and workshops for practitioners, professionals, parents and carers in education, health and social care.
Coaching – We offer coaching sessions either in the home, by phone or Zoom. One of our ADHD/Autism Specialist Coaches will work with you on a weekly basis to help support you through any difficulties to improve your family life. All of our coaches have relevant qualifications and first-hand personal experience of living with these conditions.
SEN Support Services and QbCheck – We offer referral to specialised services to help support with the EHCP application process and offer the QbCheck as a pre-assessment tool for anyone aged from 7-60.
Support and Helpdesk – We provide monthly support group meetings in Hertfordshire (currently online) plus a telephone helpdesk, 01727 833963.
Membership of ADD-vance is free. Being a member means you will get priority information for ADD-vance courses, training and workshops. ADD-vance never share your contact information with any 3rd party and we will only email with carefully selected relevant information.
We value Expertise by Experience – our credibility and passion comes from having walked a similar path, whilst acknowledging the individual journey of every neurodivergent person and their family.
Our approach Empowers and Equips families and individuals to reach their full potential by working collaboratively to ensure neurodivergent children and young people are supported to thrive.
We Celebrate Neurodiversity – our committed team celebrates the unique strengths that come from being able to ‘think differently’ as neurodivergent children and adults.
We are Approachable, offering compassionate, non-judgmental support and understanding based on our expertise by experience, whilst providing professional and knowledgeable specialist services to families and other stakeholders.
ADD-vance is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in our service delivery. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all delivery and employment practices within our organisation, including access to our support and training services, hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. ADD-vance makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time. For more information, read through our EEO Policy which can be requested from herts@add-vance.org.
As part of our contracts with Hertfordshire County Council and other funders, personal data that ADD-vance collects to enable us to offer services, is anonymised and shared via secure email. This is part of our monitoring processes. If you require a copy of our privacy policy, please email and request this via herts@add-vance.org
