A Regional Overview
From Mid and West Wales
Mary Rendell
ASD regional support officer
Retrospective
• The value of looking back and looking
forward
• Identify an ASD lead
• Compile an action plan
• Embark upon a process of stakeholder
consultation/ engagement/participation
• Commence a mapping process
The ASD lead role
• To lead on the action planning, mapping and
stakeholder processes
• Often without allocated time and funding
• One person to address issues across all ages,
teams and services
• Solutions include funded administrator time and
widening involvement
The Action Plans
• 100% response
• No template, so all different in layout,
timescale and content
• A small number of themes and aims are
common to all
• Those themes shared by most areas
have provided a basis for regional
planning
Stakeholder Engagement
• Open consultation
• Stakeholder groups
• Subgroups for siblings, parents, adults and
young people with ASDs
• Group activities, art, music, online consultation
and peer consultation
• Involvement of other groups, NAS Cymru, All
Wales Forum for Parents and Carers, People
First
Mapping
• Initial data about children good but not
complete
• Initial data about adults sparse and mainly
gathered from learning disability support
services
• Now moving on to further mapping of
services, support systems and gaps
Barriers
• Adults known to services as having an ASD,
but no official record
• Difficulties with information sharing, for
example between health and social services
• Lack of diagnostic services for adults
• Cultural acceptance of difference and of
family responsibility
Solutions
• Fund time to develop a data base
• One person co ordinates, cross checks and
records
• One data base spanning all ages from the
point of referral for diagnosis creates a
durable basis for planning
Key themes
common to 100% of action plans
• Stakeholder involvement
• Service mapping
• Diagnosis and assessment of children
(including pre and post diagnostic
support)
Themes in over 70% of the
action plans
• Performance monitoring of the action planning
process
• Diagnosis and assessment – adults
• Development of short break and respite
services – children
• Provide and develop training for professional
• Develop transition pathways/protocols
Themes in over 50% of action
plans
• Developing post diagnostic signposting
information and advice
• Improving the information which is available to
parents and people with ASD about services for
people with ASD
• Developing counselling and emotional support
systems
Continued…
• Develop behaviour advice and support, and
parenting programmes
• Work towards decreasing out of county
placements
• Extend learning opportunities for individuals with
ASDs
• Develop community based provision for adults
• Develop existing services for adults
• Increase access to leisure activities
Cooperative regional projects
• 7 projects addressing the needs of children and
families
• Training in diagnosis for over 30 professionals
working with children and adults
• A community outreach project to address the
needs of adults with ASD living in the community
Future
• Barriers and challenges
• Plans and aspirations
• Questions?