Sylva
02·The pathway

The NHS pathway is broken in two places. We built Sylva for both.

Where a clinical lead or service manager can benefit from Sylva in their pathway, and what it delivers at each stage.

The five-stage framework

The two challenges that families currently navigate alone

This is the NHS England five-stage framework buyers recognise. At two stages, families receive almost nothing.

Stage 1 Identification & referral A difference is noticed and referred.
Stage 2–3 Screening & pre-assessment Little to no support for 12–36 months. ↓ The waiting-list void
Stage 4 Assessment A diagnosis is reached.
Stage 5 Post-assessment support Often discharged with a leaflet. ↓ The post-diagnostic cliff
Goal Living well The goal for every family.

Source: RtC sales deck v2, slide 2; ESF Standards 11 and 12.

How Sylva fills those gaps

Pathway stage While people wait After diagnosis
Screening & triage Scientifically validated screening builds a strengths-and-needs profile families can share with school. Re-screening tracks change over time and flags co-existing conditions.
Pre-assessment support Immediate, personalised psychoeducation so no family waits with nothing. Not applicable at this stage.
Assessment prep Families arrive informed, with a profile ready for school and SENCO meetings. Not applicable at this stage.
Post-assessment support Not applicable at this stage. Ongoing, personalised support that turns a diagnosis into everyday understanding.

Regulatory alignment: NHS England Operational Guidance Stages 2, 3, 5 · CQC Regs 9, 12, 13, 17 · NICE CG128, CG142, CG170, NG87 · QS51, QS39 · ADHD Taskforce Part 2.

Outcomes

With the right support, seven outcomes

Drawn from NICE and CQC. Sylva contributes to all seven, across the pre- and post-diagnostic pathway.

1The person understands their neurodivergence.
2Co-existing conditions are identified and addressed.
3Families and carers are supported in their own right.
4A personalised, strengths-based plan is in place.
5Behaviours that challenge are understood in context.
6Access to education, employment and social connection.
7People are safe, and risk is identified early.
Stepped care

Wrap-around, not replacement

Sylva strengthens, supports and educates in tier one and connects families upward. It never displaces group programmes or specialist clinical input.

Tier 1 · Sylva Self-directed support Personalised psychoeducation and behaviour change, available from the day a family needs it.
Tier 2 Group programmes Sylva does not replace these. It prepares families and fills the gaps around them.
Tier 3 Specialist clinical input Sylva signposts and escalates through its safeguarding system.

Source: ESF Standard 12.

Support

AI mentors

Described by what they do for the family, built from widely used parenting and psychoeducation approaches, and independently evaluated by NHS clinical psychologists.

Hazel Practical parenting ideas for daily life.
Luna Support for the adult relationships around the child.
Fern Ways to manage the parent's own stress and emotional wellbeing.
Rowan A place to slow down and make sense of old and unhelpful psychological patterns.
Phoenix Practical support for organisation, routine and getting things done.
UKCA medical device pending

Screening & profiling

An integrated, regulated module. This is the part of Sylva that uses scientifically validated screening tests to help families and the AI Mentors understand more about their CYP.

“I sent my child’s profile to the SENCO at school and when I met them, they took me really seriously.”
Parent using Sylva

65+ scientifically validated instruments

Covering autism, ADHD and associated differential and co-existing conditions covered under ICD11 6A0.

Full 0–25 age range

One consistent pathway from early years to young adulthood, managing transitions where services normally struggle.

A shareable strengths-and-needs profile

Ready for school and SENCO meetings, and for the assessment itself. Sylva's profiling helps clinicians, therapists and SENCOs understand the patient they are meeting, and provides the insights they need to perform more efficiently.

Want to see the pathway mapped to your service?

We'll walk your clinical and commissioning team through exactly where Sylva sits and what it delivers at each stage.