Autism strategy review: tell the Government what you think

The UK Government is seeking the views of adults with autism and their parents and carers in England about the support they currently receive, and would like to receive.

The results from this survey will be used in the Department of Health’s review of the adult autism strategy this year.

The adult autism strategy was published in 2010 with the intention of improving services for adults with autism in England. This year, the Government is reviewing the progress that has been made across the country in implementing the strategy.

Through our Push for Action campaign, we are working to make sure that this year's review speeds up implementation of the strategy and improves the support that adults with autism receive.

This survey is a great opportunity to tell the Government about your experiences.

You can complete the survey online here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/AutismStrategyReview.

New findings show economic benefit of investing in social care services

The NAS, along with 4 other leading charities, have published new research on the costs of social care.

The research, carried out independently by Deloitte, backs up our 'Push for Action' campaign asks by showing that investing in services not only benefits adults with autism but also generates cost savings.

The study looked at how delivering appropriate services can prevent people from falling into crisis situations and can as a result, lead to substantial economic benefits. The study used examples of services, including the NAS's Horizons service in Godalming, to show that such support can lead to increased quality of life and engagement with society as well as reduced dependency on family members and carers.

The study establishes that every £1 spent on services generates benefits to people, carers, local and central Government worth an average of £1.30.

Mark Lever, Chief Executive of the National Autistic Society, said:

“The financial case is crystal clear: the Government must act now to address the inherent flaws in the social care system and ensure people with autism and other disabilities receive the support they desperately need.”

You can find more details and read the full report ‘Ending the Other Care Crisis: Making the case for investment in preventative care and support for disabled adults’ here

Push for Action debated in parliament

Lord Touhig, an NAS Vice-President, today led a debate in the House of Lords about our new “Push For Action” campaign.

 

He quoted a recent NAS survey, in which 70% of adults with autism and carers surveyed said they did not receive the everyday support they need from social services. He called on the Government to consider the recommendations in our report, aimed at improving the lives of adults with autism but improving access to services.

Health Minister Earl Howe said the Government is already implementing some of our proposals and will consider others, including an “innovation fund”, which would provide financial support to help develop local services. The Government will be reviewing progress made in implementing the adult autism strategy later this year.

Lord Touhig and Lord Clement-Jones also mentioned recent research by Deloitte showing that providing low level services to working age adults with “moderate” needs can be cost effective.[1] Research based on services including NAS Horizons shows for every £1 invested, £1.30 could be generated for national Government, local government, adults with autism and carers.

Another NAS Vice-President, Baroness Browning also contributed to the debate, reminding the Minister that a number of Government departments must fulfil their obligations under the adult autism strategy. In particular, the NAS report call on the Department for Work and Pensions to review autism training for Jobcentre staff and work with employers to raise awareness of the benefits of employing people with autism. The Minister assured her that other Departments would be involved in the review of the strategy.

Other Peers raised a number of issues which the review should address, including the need to improve transition arrangements for young adults. Baroness Greengross, who recently chaired a commission in Parliament on autism and ageing, emphasised the importance of diagnosis, training and preventative services for older people with autism.

Transcript:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/lords/todays-lords-debates/read/unknown/7/

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[1] http://www.autism.org.uk/News-and-events/News-from-the-NAS/New-research-shows-significant-economic-benefits-from-providing-social-care-to-disabled-people.aspx

 

Push for Action at The Autism Show

This weekend, along with our team of dedicated campaign ambassadors, we’ve been pushing for action at The Autism Show at London’s Excel Centre.

The show, which attracts over 5,000 people, brings together the autism community, from people with autism and families to professionals, all searching for the latest information, advice and services.

 

Our dedicated Push for Action stand, pictured here with our ambassador, Dan, enabled us to promote the campaign to hundreds of new people, with almost 200 pledging their support to the campaign there and then.

Our Head of Campaigns, Tom Madders, did a presentation on the campaign, titled “Are local authorities improving support for adults with autism?”

And the good news is that we’ll be doing it all again at The Autism Show in Manchester on 28^th and 29^th June! For more information, please visit the show’s website.

1,500 shares and counting for our infographic

Our Push for Action campaign infographic has now been shared over 1,500 times on Facebook and Twitter - a record-breaking response for us here at The NAS!

Spreading the word in this way is so important to getting momentum for the campaign and, crucially, getting more and more people to sign up. Thanks to this social sharing the campaign will have been seen by hundreds of thousands of our campaigners' friends and networks.

Thanks to those of you who have already shared our infographic. If you haven't  yet, please visit our easy to use page to take a look and spread the word!

Find our infographic, here.