Whitegates described as "amazing lifeline" for family

Blog
February 2, 2026

"It's exactly what he needed and shown me what I should be striving towards."

Whitegates has been an amazing life line for our family.

We had hit an extremely low and exhausting point and Social Services deemed us in need of respite. Most places either couldn't or wouldn't take our son. Just hearing that made me feel more isolated and more worried for our future.

Our first visit to Whitegates was fantastic. Our son was excited to go, he happily looked around and genuinely seemed comfortable there. They made us feel very welcome.

After talks and paperwork etc, we left feeling very confident in the knowledge our son would be safe and well looked after.

"We had hit an extremely low and exhausting point and Social Services deemed us in need of respite. Most places either couldn't or wouldn't take our son."

The hardest part for me has been letting go slightly and watching others treat him like an adult with the power to make decisions, rather than my child, that has to do what I feel is best.

It's been exactly what he needed. It's shown me what I should be striving towards.

We are lucky that our son is happy to go every time and the transition is smooth. It means we have a comfortable break away from caring. We all join back up much better for the break.

Right from the beginning we sold it to him as being "respite holiday" and I'm sure this has helped him see the positives of the break for himself. They are extremely amenable to his break wishes, whether trips out or lazing around. He picks to go to the cinema every time and takes art and Lego to fill his time.

He loves chilling in his own space whilst watching Netflix. He has the power to request or refuse company from his carers. There is also opportunities to join in with others, but he also seems to pick to stay in his apartment doing what he loves.

Seeing and hearing about him being this independent (under supervision) makes our time to recover extra pleasing.

Note from Autism East Midlands:

Thank you to the family member who supplied this story of their son's time at Whitegates. We're thrilled that he is thriving and it is a great privilege to hear about his journey.

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