Agenda and minutes

Venue: Civic Centre, High Road, Wood Green, N22 8LE

Contact: Rob Mack, Principal Scrutiny Officer 

Items
No. Item

38.

FILMING AT MEETINGS

Please note that this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method. Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting. Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on. 

 

By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

 

The chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

Minutes:

The Chair referred Members present to agenda Item 1 as shown on the agenda in respect of filming at this meeting, and Members noted the information contained therein’.

39.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for lateness were received from Cllr Opoku

40.

Items of Urgent Business

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business (late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with as noted below).

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

41.

Declarations of interest

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

 

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

 

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

 

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

Minutes:

None

42.

Deputations/Petitions/Presentations/Questions

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, Paragraph 29 of the Council’s Constitution.

Minutes:

None.

43.

Transitions pdf icon PDF 843 KB

To receive a presentation on the following:

·            How young people across the borough get access to information and support if they have autism, a learning disability or physical disability and have been assessed as having ‘low level needs’;

·            The forthcoming Autism Strategy and the new Learning Disability/Autism offer from the day centres/hubs; and

·            The support that is offered in respect of further education and employment as well as housing and social support advice.

 

(To be considered jointly with the Adults and Health Scrutiny Panel)

Minutes:

At a joint meeting of the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel and the Adults & Health Scrutiny Panel, Members received a presentation on a review of priorities for a whole of life autism strategy. Members were asked to note the presentation and provide comments. The presentation set out the policy context, drivers and priorities for young adults with autism who were transitioning from children to adults and the pathways involved in that transition from child-orientated to adult services. It was noted that this was a follow up to a previous look into transitions undertaken by the Adults and Health panel last year. The presentation was introduced by Charlotte Pomery, AD for Commissioning and Georgie Jones-Conaghan, Joint Lead Commissioner for Adult Learning Disability and Autism.

 

It was noted that an Autism Strategy Group had been established which included a wide array of partners and parent/carer representatives. The group had met three times and was still developing and expanding.

 

Members were advised that Autism was a life-long condition for which there is no ‘cure’. Autism is a spectrum condition. Which meant there are a wide range of traits associated with autism and different levels of need.  Some autistic people also had learning disabilities, mental health issues or other conditions, meaning people needed different levels of support.

 

Autism causes difficulties with social communication and interactions, as well as a potentially restricted and repetitive range of behaviours, activities or interests. Autistic people are more likely to have environmental sensitivity. This means they may be hypersensitive or under sensitive to pain, temperature or other aspects of their surroundings. This will vary in type and intensity from person to person.  The social model of autism is increasingly moving away from seeing autism as a ‘disorder’ and adopting a ‘neurodiverse’ understanding that sees autism as being different but not deficient.

 

Officers set out that a whole of life strategy was being developed, which was partially a response to increased awareness of autism, a recognition of that pathways for autistic people were in some cases inadequate as well as a recognition of the need to listen to the voice of those with autism. Officers also set out that the Council was beginning a process of co-production of services with services users and that this had highlighted a need for change. Further drivers of this work included the Autism Needs Assessment in 2017, a recognition of the need for better early intervention and prevention, as well as the SEND Joint Strategic Needs Assessment completed in March 2020 which showed a growing prevalence of autism in Haringey. 

Some key facts and figures:

  • There are at least 700,000 autistic people currently living in the UK, which is around 1% of the population.
  • Approximately 40% of autistic people have co-occurring learning or intellectual disabilities 80% of autistic people, at some point in their lives, have mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, and the majority rate their anxiety as the number one problem in their lives.
  • Autistic people without a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.