Autism Action Plan update October 2014
Autism Strategy 2010 - “Fulfilling
and rewarding lives”
The strategy for adults with autism in England (2010)
increasing awareness and understanding of autism among
frontline professionals
• developing
a clear, consistent pathway for diagnosis in every
area, which is followed by the offer of a personalised needs
assessment
access for adults with autism to the services and
support they need to live independently within the community
Implementing “Fulfilling
and rewarding lives”
Statutory guidance for local authorities and NHS
organisations to support implementation of the
autism strategy
A. Training of staff who provide services to adults with autism
B. Identification and diagnosis of autism in adults, leading to
assessment of needs for relevant services
C. Planning in relation to the provision of services to people
with autism as they move from being children to adults
• improving
• helping
adults with autism into work,
And
D. Local planning and leadership in relation to the provision of
services for adults with autism
Glossary
ASD
Autistic Spectrum Disorder
CLDT
Community Learning Disabilities Team
DoH
Department of Health
FACS
Fair Access to Care Services
ICO’s
Initial Contact Officer
LD
Learning Disabilities
MH
Mental Health
NAS
National Autistic Society
NDTi
National Development Team for Inclusion
PCT
Primary Care Trust
TIN
Transition Information Network
• enabling
local partners to plan and develop appropriate
services for adults with autism to meet identified needs and
priorities.
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Autism Action Plan update October 2014
TRAINING
Action
Update October 2014
Develop an autism training strategy that will include the:
Officers, Housing contact officers, Policy, Welfare Rights, Reception Staff,
Contact Centre, ICO's, Security, ASB team, Registrars, GLLAB, Job Centre
Training for all frontline
Plus)
 identification and commissioning of a suitable
organisation to deliver training
with the needs of their job
 Two Autism Awareness pilot sessions are to be delivered on 21 October
(2.7)
2014(deferred to 11 November 2014). Feedback on content, relevance
 set up a programme of induction and on-going
training needs
Timescale
 Staff have been identified in at least 12 key areas (Housing Enforcement
 identification of staff who need training
public service staff in line
Responsibility
LEARNING &
DEVELOPMENT
and course length will inform mainstream program.
 The trainer, Robyn Steward has been identified after a rigorous selection
process. Robyn is on the autistic spectrum and lectures all over the
world and is an author of books on autism.
 identify staff who will need specialist training e.g.
 Staff have been identified in at least 10 key areas (CLDT Staff, GLO
care co-ordinators, occupational therapists,
Staff, Day Services, Mental Health Resettlement, Care
personal assistants
 Consider commissioning general and specialist
training for staff that require it locally or as part of
Developing specialist
shared services training with Lewisham and Bexley.
training for staff in health
Coordinators, Occupational Therapists, Commissioners,
Safeguarding, Access to Resources, Support Planners)
 ‘Supporting People through Social Care Assessment’ pilot session is to
be delivered on 30 October 2014.
 Feedback on content and relevance will inform mainstream program.
 NAS has been selected to deliver this course.
and social care (2.15)
 The pilot will inform relevance and content for mainstream program.
LEARNING &
DEVELOPMENT
 The remit will probably need reviewing to reflect the inclusion of staff
involved in other types of assessments (i.e. Housing, Service Centre)
 Note: An additional course will be developed to reflect other areas
where assessments are completed (but not social care assessments) e.g.
Welfare Rights, Housing etc.
Provide awareness training
rd
to Private and 3 Sector
OED to provide 6 half day training sessions to
-
Private and Voluntary Sector (PVI) providers on
covering Awareness, Awareness (internal providers), Assessments (Social
Learning Disabilities and Autism Awareness
Care, Others e.g. Housing and Welfare Rights). Sessions will not be
providers
limited to 6 half day sessions.
-
Involving adults with autism
PVI Autism training will be integrated with DAOPS mainstream session
-
Involve adults with autism, their families or carers
in the delivery of awareness and specialist training
/ families in training
Set up process where adults with autism/their
2015
Learning Disabilities Awareness will be dealt with separately
 Adults with autism, families and carers attend the Autism Partnership
Board. The Board has signed off both training proposals for autism
awareness and social care assessment.
-
31 March
 Julie Raven (GNAS volunteer) and Claire Lindsey (GNAS Committee
31 March
2015
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Autism Action Plan update October 2014
TRAINING
Action
Update October 2014
Responsibility
families can contribute to the on-going assessment
Member) have attended pilots for Autism Awareness and the specialist
and delivery of training need
training for social care assessments and the subsequent feedback
Timescale
groups.
IDENTIFICATION AND
Action
Update October 2014
Section 47 of NHS & Community Care Act 1990 also applies to people with autism
 Information on pathway to diagnosis at
Responsibility
Deadline
DIAGNOSIS
LA have a duty to
assess a person who
www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/autism is clear:
may be in need of
community care
 For RBG residents who are already receiving
 Have a clear pathway to diagnosis in every area
services, this includes
people with autism
health or social care services within Royal
 Diagnostic services should be easily accessible
Develop a clear and
consistent pathway for
support from any learning disability, mental
Greenwich, a contact officer will refer you to
Oxleas Intake Team and you will be signposted to
 Review the current pathways to diagnosis in each area (e.g. health & social
diagnosis (3.8)
care)
be screened for a full diagnostic assessment.
 For RBG residents who are not currently
receiving support from any other services then
 NICE guidelines will set out a model care pathway(s) which will inform
foundation for local commissioners to develop referral and care pathways
 Local authority should appoint a lead professional to develop pathway to
services for adults diagnosed with Autism
you can contact your GP who can make a
referral to Oxleas Intake Team and you will be
signposted to be screened for a full diagnostic
assessment
Lead Professional who will
develop diagnostic and
assessment centre for
adults with autism
Complete
 Dr Elizabeth Kilby, Consultant Clinical
Psychologist, ASD Assessment Pathway Coordinator for Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is
LD Commissioner
the lead professional to develop pathway to
services for adults with autism. Dr Kilby works
in conjunction with Alun Bayliss, Head of
Commissioning, Directorate of Delivery and
Service Transformation, Adult Mental Health,
Learning Disabilities and CAMHS, NHS
Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group.
Director of Adult
-
Establish who has lead responsibility on making assessments for people with
 Dr Elizabeth Kilby, Consultant Clinical
Part Complete
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Autism Action Plan update October 2014
Social Services is
autism
Psychologist, ASD Assessment Pathway Co-
responsible for
ensuring correct
ordinator for Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust has
-
processes are in place
Adults diagnosed with ASD are made aware of their right to a Community
lead responsibility for making assessments for
Care Assessment.
people with autism.
within the local area
-
Establish links between care managers and commissioner to ensure levels of
need are properly identified to inform commissioning plans
-
Prompt sharing of information between diagnostic services and adult services
(and Dr Elizabeth Kilby can make a direct referral to CLDT)
Ensure that adults
 develop and maintain contact details for local autism support services and
diagnosed with autism
voluntary groups, telephone help lines, local support groups
pages with relevant information on national
are given access to
information about
 Royal Greenwich website now includes Autism
and local services and groups.
 Ensure relevant national websites and contact numbers including
 Separate pages exist for Adults and Children’s
autism and sources of
representative groups, are on the relevant sections of the Greenwich internet
support, at the point
and intranet
service users.
 Pages are updated regularly and can be found
of diagnosis (3.26)
at www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/autism
 Ensure social work teams and other departments are aware of information and
know how to access it
 The “Living with Autism” section of the NHS
Choices website is linked from RBG Autism
LD Commissioning Officer
On going
Deadline
pages for Adults and Children’s services
 Ensure the correct signposting to the “Living with Autism” section of the NHS
Choices website are widely available to all Council services
-
Information is readily available post diagnosis
-
Check all publicity information is in accessible formats (use guidance from
Office of Disability Issues)
Transition from
Action
Update October 2014
Responsibility
 Ensure that the transitions register is maintained regularly and
 Transitions Register is up to date and is managed by a
Adult Services
Children to Adult
Transition plans for
young people with
has information that is accurate and up to date when a child
autism
makes the transition from child to adulthood
Transitions Team.
 Sections relating to autism are being reviewed to ensure
information is useful and relevant to the development of
Commissioners /
Transitions Coordinator /
ASD Outreach
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Autism Action Plan update October 2014
Transition from
Action
Update October 2014
Responsibility
Deadline
Children to Adult
 ensure assessment of needs and the provision is required to
meet the needs of all young people with statements
services
 The Transition Team works across Adults and children’s services
and the team coordinates with schools, families and young
 Ensure processes are in place where adults and children’s
services work with schools, families and young people to
identify support needs during the transition to adulthood
people to identify support needs during the transition to
adulthood.
 Transition planning starts at 16 (social care) and continues
through to 18 (or later if appropriate).
 Ensure Transition planning is person centred
 Transition Planning is person centred and a separate plan exists
for every relevant service users
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Autism Action Plan update October 2014
LOCAL PLANNING &
Action
Update October 2014
Responsibility
Deadline
 Lead Commissioner (Learning Disabilities,
LD Commissioner
Complete
LEADERSHIP
Director of Social
 LD Commissioner should work closely with the local specialised
Services in each local
commissioning group such as MH, Older People etc. and the lead professional
Physical Disabilities, Autism & Carers) has been
authority should
in the local area responsible for developing the diagnostic and assessment
given responsibility for leading on Autism
ensure there is a joint
services (3.10)
commissioner/ senior
manager who has in
 LD Commissioner will ensure that adults with autism are an integral part of
their portfolio a clear
mainstream commissioning processes
commissioning
responsibility for
 LD Commissioner will participate in relevant local and regional partnership
adults with autism
boards to ensure that the needs of adults with autism are being addressed at
(6.10)
these meetings (including Valuing People regional delivery boards, Health and
Wellbeing Boards)
 Lead Commissioner liaises with Alun Bayliss,
Head of Commissioning, Directorate of Delivery
and Service Transformation, Adult Mental
Health, Learning Disabilities and CAMHS, NHS
Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group and
Dr Elizabeth Kilby, Consultant Clinical
Psychologist, ASD Assessment Pathway Coordinator for Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.
 Lead Commissioner chairs or attends various
partnership Boards including Joint
Commissioning , LD Placement Panel, Transition
Panel & Board, Learning Disability Partnership
Board, Autism Partnership Board,
Ensure that adults with
Equality Act 2010 requires all organisations to provide a service to the public and to
Autism can access
make reasonable adjustments to ensure they are accessible for people with disabilities
Royal Greenwich Website and this is updated
services and receive
– this includes autism
whenever new services or Groups are
the support they need
(4.7)
 Information on local services is available on the
LD Commissioning Officer
discovered or become available.
-
Include a specific section on autism in the Learning Disabilities Client
communication plan ensuring it covers information on access to services
 Information on local events or services is
Contact Centre Manager
circulated via email to the Autism Partnership
-
Liaise with the Contact Centre Manager to ensure the Customer contact centre
Board members, to internal providers such as
is accessible
Day Opportunities, GLO Homes and external
residential providers and for onward circulation.
-
Identify what reasonable adjustments if any can be made to accommodate
people with autism. Including making adjustments to web access and
-
Commissioners
 The Council is working with G-NAS (Greenwich
telephone communications as required and especially local services such as
National Autistic Society) and Burgess Autistic
Libraries, Housing and Welfare Rights
Trust to develop ideas for appropriate support
Liaise with LD & MH services to ensure their offices/services are accessible in
CDLT/MH Lead
groups. GNAS has recently launched a new
Voluntary & Community
Youth Club which meets in Eltham.
groups
30 June 2016
particular making reasonable adjustments if required) to premises, processes
Page 6 of 8
Autism Action Plan update October 2014
LOCAL PLANNING &
Action
Update October 2014
Responsibility
Deadline
LEADERSHIP
communications, planning and preparation
-
Ensure providers commissioned by the Council are adhering to the Equality
Act requirements and that their offices/services are accessible in particular
 Adults with autism are supported to access
personal budgets and direct payments as are all
making reasonable adjustments if required) to premises, processes,
Adult Service users. The Council works with all
communications, planning and preparation
third sector organisations to promote
awareness and uptake of personal budgets and
 Find out what local services/groups exist for adults with autism
direct payments.

 Work with G-NAS (Greenwich National Autistic Society) and support groups in
surrounding boroughs to establish need for additional support groups for
adults with autism in the borough
-
Explore how the Council can support local groups in planning and
commissioning services locally for adults with autism
-
Liaise with relevant partners in Health, Probation, DWP and other relevant
stakeholders
 Ensure adults with autism are supported to access personal budgets and direct
payments of social care
 Ensure Advocacy in Greenwich and other similar organisations are working
with adults with autism to access personal budgets and direct payments
Each local area should
Develop services within the scope of existing resources and budgets
develop its own
commissioning plan
-
LD Commissioner to develop a commissioning plan around services for adults
new Market Position Statement and
with autism that reflects local needs
commissioning plans. To help with this we
adults with autism that
are asking 3rd sector organisations to
-
Establish what the current JSNA says about adults with autism
the JSNA and all other
relevant data around
prevalence (6.9)
We will undertake a comprehensive
mapping exercise in 2015/16 to inform a
around services for
reflects the output of
-
report on the number of people with ASD
that engage with them.
-
LD Commissioner
31 July 2016
To inform the plan, up to date information will be gathered locally and fed
into JSNA
1) The number of adults known to have autism in the area
2) The range of needs for support to live independently
3) The age profile of people with autism in the area
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Autism Action Plan update October 2014
LOCAL PLANNING &
Action
Update October 2014
Responsibility
Deadline
LEADERSHIP
4) Number of adults with autism in employment in the local area
Page 8 of 8