A new employer-funded pathway brings counselling, ADHD and autism assessment, and ongoing support together in one confidential service. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to understand themselves, feel supported and thrive, including at work.
But accessing the right support isn’t always straightforward. With around 1.2 million people waiting for a neurodevelopmental assessment through the NHS, many employees may be trying to manage challenges at work without fully understanding why they’re struggling or knowing where to turn.
Too often, support can feel fragmented. That’s why The Owl and Kara Connect have partnered to create a more joined-up approach to workplace neurodiversity.
Connecting the dots
The new pathway supports employees from those first questions about neurodiversity through to specialist assessment and ongoing support.
- Start with confidential support
Employees can access support through a Kara Connect counsellor, providing a safe space to explore what they’re experiencing and consider whether an ADHD or autism assessment could be helpful.
- Access specialist assessment
Where clinically appropriate, employees can be referred to The Owl for a specialist ADHD or autism assessment.
The Owl is a national CQC-registered assessment provider, with a multidisciplinary team supporting children, young people and adults across the UK.
- Keep the support going
Following assessment, employees can return to Kara Connect for ongoing mental health and wellbeing support.
It’s about making the journey simpler and more connected, while keeping the employee in control.
Support that starts with people
This partnership brings together The Owl’s specialist knowledge of ADHD and autism and Kara Connect’s wellbeing expertise, creating a pathway that considers the whole person rather than simply the point of diagnosis.
Both organisations believe that support should be accessible, reliable and centred around the individual.
Confidentiality is also at the heart of the service. Employees remain in control of what they share and who they share it with at every stage, while employers receive only anonymised, aggregated data.
Understanding is just the beginning
An assessment can be an important step in understanding yourself, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the journey. Sometimes people need someone to talk to. Sometimes they need help understanding how their neurodivergence affects them at work. And sometimes they need practical support to make things work better. That’s why this partnership is designed to provide support beyond diagnosis.
We also share a belief that people shouldn’t always have to change to fit the workplace. Sometimes the workplace needs to change to fit the person. By working together, The Owl and Kara Connect can help employers create workplaces where people feel understood, supported and able to thrive.
A partnership built on shared values
We’re proud to be working together because both organisations put people at the heart of what they do.
Together, we’re bringing a more joined-up, people-centred approach to workplace neurodiversity, helping employees access the right support at the right time.
Ultimately, that’s what this partnership is about, helping people understand and helping people thrive.
Find out more
If you’re an employer looking to provide better support for neurodivergent employees, we’d love to talk to you about how the pathway could work for your organisation.
Click here to find out more about The Owl.
Click here to find out more about Kara Connect.
