The ASK Service was originally started by four parents of children with different disabilities in 1977, offering a telephone 'helpline' from their own homes to other parents needing information on services.  They published the first ASK information sheet and then the first Handbook.  The Service moved to the Hamlet Centre in 1986 from where the 2nd Handbook was produced in 1989.

The Service moved to the Advice Arcade on 6 September 1989, where it stayed for 11 years; moving to the Charing Cross Centre in December 2001. The service is available on Wednesday mornings between 10am and 1pm.  You can either telephone or call in and discuss a problem in confidence with volunteers  who are themselves experienced and trained in using the ASK files.

If you are a parent of a child with special needs or have experience in this field and are interested in being involved with the Service for just a few hours a month, please telephone the ASK desk where our volunteers will be happy to discuss the possibility with you.  You will be trained to use the ASK files and to help those in need of help.

If your group is not represented on the Management Committee and would be interested in helping develop and plan the Service further, please contact the ASK desk where the volunteers will be happy to discuss this with you.