Agenda item

To consider the Autism Strategy.

Kathryn Collin, Assistant Director for Complex Individualised Commissioning (Children and Young People),and Georgie Jones-Conaghan, Assistant Director for Complex Individualised Commissioning (Learning Disability and Autism), introduced the report which presented the Autism Strategy. They highlighted that the lived experience of those with autism and their families was central to the Autism Strategy. It was explained that this was a neurodiverse strategy which aimed to be inclusive and to move away from the focus on autism as a medical ‘disorder’. It was added that the NHS had recently released its Autism Strategy, which was helpful background, but that the local Autism Strategy aimed to be more holistic and would be developed further over the next 10 years.

It was noted that there were a number of key themes which underpinned the strategy, including workforce development and training, support and intervention, and transitions and handovers. Kathryn Collin explained that the Autism Strategy was ambitious in scope and that there would be three priorities per three year period to make delivery more manageable.

Georgie Jones-Conaghan explained that co-production underpinned the strategy and the delivery of the strategy. It was noted that Joint Commissioning had built a group of stakeholders over the last two years which included representatives from care, education, health, the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS), as well as people with autism and carers. It was acknowledged that there had been limited input from children and young people and that, although there had been some advocating by proxy, there would be efforts to address this as part of the delivery of the strategy. It was also noted that the key performance indicators for the strategy included co-production to ensure its continued importance.

Kathryn Collin explained that the Health and Wellbeing Board was asked to sign off the overarching Autism Strategy, which was due to be published in October 2021. It was also proposed that an update would be presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board at least annually for input and challenge.

Sharon Grant, Healthwatch Haringey Chair, felt that it was useful that the Strategy mentioned the role of the Criminal Justice System. It was highlighted that it was important for the police and magistrates to be fully appraised of the circumstances of people with autism and that this should be a part of their training programmes.

Dr Peter Christian, CCG Board Member, noted that it was difficult for people to get diagnoses, particularly later in life. He acknowledged that diagnoses were very helpful for people, their families, and employers. Georgie Jones-Conaghan stated that the diagnosis issues were known and that there was currently a poor pathway for autism and ADHD diagnoses for adults. It was aimed to develop a neurodiverse diagnostics process which would be delivered by Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey Mental Health Trust with local peer support, including pre-diagnosis support which would be critical.

Cllr Hakata stated that the Autism Strategy was comprehensive and would lead to positive co-production. He noted some concerns that a number of young people from minority ethnic backgrounds who had additional needs had been excluded from schools. He stated that those with additional needs should not be excluded and enquired how knowledge sharing in schools could be encouraged. Georgie Jones-Conaghan stated that officers were aware that people from different areas of the system, such as education, would need to be involved in the delivery of the Autism Strategy. It was highlighted that the Strategy aimed to be as holistic and as broad as possible, particularly where there were disproportionate outcomes, and that this could include schools, alternative provision, and exclusions.

The Assistant Director for Commissioning noted that there had been a deep dive into exclusions in October 2020, during the first school term of the year and after the first lockdown. It was explained that there had been a learning event in schools to highlight the warning signs. It was noted that schools should not be excluding pupils with a diagnosis but that not all children and young people with additional needs had a diagnosis. It was suggested that schools needed to become more autism friendly but that multiple parts of the system were involved.

Jonathan Gardner, Whittington Trust, thanked officers for including the Whittington in the production of the Autism Strategy. He noted that there was currently a backlog in assessments for children and young people. He acknowledged that there were a number of potential actions noted in the report but highlighted that there were limited resources and that the actions in the report would be unlikely to completely resolve this. The Director of Public Health noted that there were limited resources and added that it would be helpful to consider where to focus resources. He added that it was important to focus on Early Years inclusivity, identification, and interventions and as it was generally more difficult to intervene later on.

The Chair thanked officers for their presentation. The Health and Wellbeing Board formally recorded its thanks to those with autism and their families who had been involved in developing the Autism Strategy; it was acknowledged that they had made significant efforts to campaign and to ensure that services were more inclusive.

RESOLVED

1.    To approve the draft All Age Autism Strategy 2021-2031 attached as Appendix 1 to the report.

2.    To agree to updates on progress against the Strategy to come back to the Health and Wellbeing Board at regular intervals.