Tom's campaign blog #5: Push for Action so far… in numbers!

It has been almost four months since we launched our latest major campaign, Push for Action, our new campaign to influence the Government’s review of the adult autism strategy and improve the support that adults across England receive.

So much has happened since May, we thought we’d break it down for you in numbers to make it a little more digestible…

8,098 of you have signed the online petition to support the campaign. This is a record number for an NAS campaign (our previous best was 6,000 for the Autism Act) and it really helps us get national and local decision-makers to listen. We’ve already sent every MP a local dossier with the names and comments from all of their constituents and we’ll be delivering the full petition to 10 Downing Street in October.

4 national policy wins for the campaign since launch, and counting. Among other things, the Government have agreed to our demands to improve data collection, to make the self-assessment checks tougher for local authorities and to consult people properly as part of their review. A great start, but a long way to go.

19 local and regional autism charities have signed up as partners in the campaign, and along with our army of NAS branches, are championing Push for Action and campaigning for changes where they are. Read about what’s been happening in Hayle, Bedfordshire and Furness on our blog.

45 shops in Godalming, Surrey are now hosting brilliant autism awareness posters after the adults at our Horizons service pushed for action in their local area.

61 MPs turned up to our launch event in parliament and new independent research found that 35% of MPs are now supporting the campaign. With plenty of exciting Westminster action scheduled for October, that figure should continue to rise as we turn up the heat in parliament.

11 stops on our tour of the Travelling Button! Our big red button will be making its way round the country in October to pay tribute to some of our action hotspots and help us raise more awareness of the campaign. Watch this space to see if it will be coming to a town near you!

6 months still to go until the Government reports on the Autism Strategy Review, so that’s six months more to keep building the pressure. There’s plenty you can still do, whether that’s getting autism on your local NHS’ agenda, taking part in a Government focus group and completing their survey, sharing our campaign infographic and video, or signing our petition if you still haven’t done that!

Keep an eye on this blog for more updates.

Tom Madders,
Head of Campaigns

Video: What we're calling for

Debbie and Tom explain what Push for Action is calling on the Government to do, so that adults with autism get the everyday support they need, whether this be help with laundry, cooking a meal or finding a job.



Turn these recommendations into reality by joining the campaign at www.autism.org.uk/push. 

Tom’s campaign blog week 1: the end is the start

“This is not the end. This is the start.”

I had to remind myself of this on Tuesday. So much energy, anxiety and hype comes with a campaign launch that from the inside, sometimes it feels more like we’ve already built to the climax – the grand finale. But of course it is only the beginning.

And what a beginning it has been. So many exciting and impactful things have happened already, I need far more than a mere blog-post to fill you in. For now, I’ll try to pick three highlights.

1. Cupcakes in parliament

Holding events in parliament can be a nerve-wracking experience. Will any MPs show up? Will they be convinced by our message? Will they get behind us? But this time, nerves were minimal. We just had a feeling we’d got this one right. And we were proved right, with a whopping 60 MPs showing up to find out what was going on in their area, speak to our ambassadors, eat our delicious cupcakes (thank you Lola’s!) and commit to taking important actions to help people with autism in their constituency. Not a bad start at all.

2. Cumbria takes the lead!

The success of this campaign is so dependent on our campaigners spreading the word locally. We’ve gathered the support of local charities as partners in the campaign (more on these in a future blog) who are already helping get the word out there. But special mention this week needs to go to the NAS Furness Branch, who at this moment in time are just a few shy of getting Cumbria up to 100 sign-ups! If all our branches and local partners manage the same, we’re in for some campaign.

3. Our infographic debut

It’s been a great week for social media with tweets from celebrities Stephen Fry and Francis Boulle, hundreds of people watching our campaign videos and loads of you commenting on the Facebook wall on the website.

But perhaps best of all has been the campaign infographic – which we love – and which has already been shared by over 750 people. This social sharing is so important in spreading the word, so if you haven’t already please follow this link and share it with your friends and followers.

Thanks so much to everyone who has already done anything to support the campaign. It’s a long road ahead, but the momentum is already building thanks to you.

Keep on pushing!

Tom
Head of Campaigns

Replay our live web chat about the Push for Action campaign

Today, Tom and Ayla from the team took questions from our supporters on the Push for Action campaign in a live web chat.

In a lively and wide-ranging discussion we discussed campaigning issues like how to engage disinterested politicians and how best to campaign if your council claims to have done it all already. We also unpicked how the campaign could help progress issues like training, transition and housing.

But the common theme was simply the widespread frustration at a lack of support for adults.

Re-read it now and see what you think. If you've got any questions you'd like to ask you can leave them in the comments section, below.

Video: What is Push for Action?

At our campaign photo-shoot, our Push for Action campaign ambassadors explain what the campaign is all about and how you can get involved.

Have a look and see what you think. Remember, You can sign up to support the campaign at www.autism.org.uk/push to push for your local council to take the action it is supposed to.

Oh, and we must apologise for the camera flashes and noisy background - these photo-shoots make for hectic environments!

How can we end the wait for everyday support?

Four years ago, our campaigners worked together to secure a historic moment for people with autism and their families – the passing of the Autism Act. The Act aimed to put adults with autism on the agenda in all local areas, and remove the barriers that were preventing those adults from getting support, whether that is help with washing and dressing, finding work or even getting a diagnosis.

Before the Act, too many areas were ignoring the issue, but now we’re beginning to see progress. For instance, nearly every council has a person responsible for making sure they are following their new legal duties and around half of Local authorities now have a diagnostic pathway - a route for adults with autism to get a formal diagnosis.  But we know that progress across is slow and patchy, and too many adults with autism are still waiting for the everyday support they need.

This year, the Government is conducting a review to see if the intention of the Autism Act is being realised. This provides us with two huge opportunities.

Firstly, we can tell the Government how they can do more to ensure the support adults with autism need is available wherever you live in the England. We’ll be calling for more funding for autism services, closer monitoring or what local areas are doing and clearer guidance about what needs to happen.

Secondly, we have a huge opportunity to change the support that is available to adults with autism where you live. With a renewed focus on the Autism Act, it’s our best chance yet to make our voices heard loud and clear: “our wait for support must end!”

How you can Push for Action
 
1) Join the campaign today.  By signing up here.  You can join your local community in pushing for better support for adults with autism where you live. You will find information about how your own council is performing, as well as how many others have joined your local campaign. You will receive regular updates about what you can do to support the campaign in your area. You can also add your voice to theirs and share your own experiences on our wall.

2) Get your community involved.  We’re stronger when we act together, so once you’ve signed up, see how many of your friends, family and colleagues you can get to join your campaign. You will also find a wealth of resources from posters and reports to balloons and badges here, which can help you to get your message heard where you live.