The adult autism strategy for England and the Autism Act statutory guidance set out key actions and recommendations to be taken forward by local authorities in order to improve outcomes for adults with autism.
The NAS has been asked by the Department of Health to develop an online resource for information regarding the Autism Strategy. This resource has been developed to support health and social care professionals in the implementation of the strategy.
Also, to monitor progress, the NAS launched a survey asking people to email their local authority in England to ask them what they are doing to implement the strategy and statutory guidance
From the information we have collected we have created a map highlighting what action your local authority is doing.
Each point on the map represents a response to our survey. Simply click on a pin point and find out what your authority is doing.
Key
Below is a key that will help you to understand the map. To make it easy to read we have shortened the questions. Each heading relates to a question as shown in this key.
1. Autism lead = When do you plan to appoint an autism lead?
2. Pathway to diagnosis = When do you plan to have a pathway in place for diagnosis and assessment of adults with suspected autism?
3. Autism partnership board = When do you plan to establish an autism partnership board or equivalent multi-agency planning group to plan the development of local services?
4. Autism in JSNA = When do you plan to have specifically included the needs of adults with autism in the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)?
5. Training for key staff = When do you plan to have specific autism awareness training in place for community care assessors?
6. Local commissiong plan = When do you plan to have developed a local commissioning plan for services for adults with autism?
7. Autism awareness training = When do you plan to have autism awareness training as part of your standard equality and diversity training?
Has your local authority replied?
If not, please email your council to ask them what they are doing to implement these new duties. The more people who contact their council's the more likely services are to improve for people with autism. You can find out more about the questions we are asking local authorities from the link on here.
Please note, the new duties only apply to England
What else is your authority doing?
Not every authority will have responded to our survey yet, but they may still be taking action.
The autism strategy states that the "Director of Adult Social Services (DASS) should ensure there is a joint commissioner/senior manager who has in his/her portfolio a clear commissioning responsibility for adults with autism" (6.10). This has now has legal force as a result of the guidance. Has your local authority appointed a lead commissioner?
The adult autism strategy says it is essential that adults with autism and parents/carers are involved in the development of local services. It therefore recommends the setting up of local autism partnership boards (APBs), or a similar mechanism, that "brings together different organisations, services and stakeholders locally and sets a clear direction for improved services" (6.11-6.13). The statutory guidance makes it clear that local services must involve people with autism and their families in the development of local plans. Has your local authority set up an autism partnership board?
As part of the autism strategy, it was "recommended that local areas appoint a lead professional to develop diagnostic and assessment services for adults with autism". The strategy also went on to state that "by 2013, we expect there to be a clear pathway to diagnosis in every area" (reference section) This now has legal force as a result of the guidance Has your local area appointed a lead professional to develop diagnostic services?
Local Authority commissioner?
If you are a Director of Social Care or a senior commissioner for a local authority you can respond to the survey here. If you have any questions regarding this survey please do not hesitate to contact policy@nas.org.uk or 020 7923 5799.