Autism affects about 2% of people in the UK. Autistic children can have problems talking and interacting and are often distressed. This is sometimes called behavioural distress, challenging behaviour or meltdown. Families of autistic children often have problems with mental health too. These children need help to manage the difficulties autism can bring. Family wellbeing and life chances of autistic children are poor. The care and support received by families once they know their child has autism is not suitable at the moment.

Systemic Autism-related Family Enabling (SAFE) is a package of support for families of autistic children based on Family Therapy. SAFE includes known ways of helping autistic people. We will carry out a large study to find out whether SAFE is helpful for families. We also want to know if the cost is acceptable to use SAFE in the NHS. We will also find out what would help use of SAFE in the NHS or make it difficult.

Based on what we know worked in our previous research, we will invite 494 families of autistic children from six sites in the UK to take part. From these families, 329 will be chosen at random to receive SAFE, as well as usual care. Usual care is what families receive from the NHS or local authority. The other families will receive usual care only. SAFE supports the whole family. When taking part in SAFE, families can decide who makes up their family. The autistic child and their main carer must take part. Families can include the autistic child, mums, dads, siblings, grandparents, and step-family members. Families may also include other close people if the families wish.

Taking part in SAFE involves attending two three-hour sessions for parents in a group with other parents of autistic children. There are also five two-hour sessions for each family including children. All sessions take place in community rooms. Families will work with specially trained therapists. SAFE includes useful ideas from Family Therapy and Attachment Theory. SAFE uses talk, images and play activities to help explore the difficult parts of autism. This includes help for difficult behaviour, solving problems, poor wellbeing and developing ways of coping. We will ask all 494 families to complete questionnaires before and after SAFE or usual care. The final questionnaires are a year after being chosen at random. We will measure changes in communication, coping with difficulties, family strengths and wellbeing. We will also ask families to talk to us in groups about taking part in the study.

SAFE was developed with more than 90 families of autistic children. These families worked with a team of psychologists and therapists. Families were involved at every stage of creating SAFE. Families have helped to write funding bids to make sure the study looks at their needs. Families have also helped to make sure finding out about SAFE is about answers to their problems. One of the research people on our bid is a parent of an autistic child and she leads a group of other parents and autistic people. We will work with this group in this study.

We will share what we have found out about whether SAFE is helpful with people who change policy, NHS workers, therapists, families and other groups. We will also share what we have found out about using SAFE across the UK. We will use local and national events and other ways to do this such as online groups or newsletters.