A report asking the Committee for approval to go out to consultation on Reading’s All Age Autism Strategy 2022-2026 with the aim to improve the lives of autistic children, adults and parent carers in Reading.

Further to Minute 34 of the meeting held on 31 March 2022, the Executive Director of Social Care and Health submitted a report seeking permission to consult on Reading’s All Age Autism Strategy 2022–2026, which would aim to improve the lives of autistic children, adults and parent carers in Reading.  The draft Strategy, consultation plan and Equality Impact Assessment were attached to the report.

The report explained how the draft strategy had been shaped, involving public and partner engagement from November 2021 to May 2022, resulting in seven selected priorities being used as the basis for the draft strategy:

·       Improving awareness, understanding and acceptance of autism

·       Improving support and access to early years, education and supporting positive transitions and preparing for adulthood

·       Increasing employment, vocation and training opportunities for autistic people

·       Better lives for autistic people – tackling health and care inequalities and building the right support in the community and supporting people in inpatient care

·       Housing and supporting independent living

·       Keeping safe and the criminal justice system

·       Supporting families and carers of autistic people

The development of the strategy was being co-ordinated by Reading’s Autism Partnership Board. With such a high level of engagement as part of the needs assessment development process, there was good reason to believe that autistic people’s top priorities had been robustly identified and the draft strategy and supporting plans were in development on this basis. However, to have a thorough review of the work and content of the strategy and priorities to date, there would be a formal consultation, with the feedback being used to clarify aims and help with the finalisation of the strategy and the development of an action plan.

The proposal was therefore that there would be a formal public consultation on the proposed priorities and draft strategy for 60 days from 15 July to 15 September 2022. As previously, an online survey would be hosted by the Council.

The final strategy and action plan would be brought back to the Committee for approval and would also be submitted to the Health and Wellbeing Board.  An autism action plan would be developed each year across the four years of the strategy, and this would be brought back to the Committee annually.

The Committee discussed the draft strategy and the points made included:

·       The strategy mentioned that Autistic people were more likely to die early from suicide, but the suicide rate for people with autism was actually over nine times higher than for the general population and was one of the most concerning reasons for needing improvements in services, so this should be stated more strongly in the strategy.

·       On page 20 of the strategy, it stated that there were already 644 autistic children in primary care, but on page 23, the predicted number of 5-19 year olds with autistic spectrum disorders in 2020-2025 was shown as fewer than 400.  Such inconsistencies needed to be checked and corrected as necessary.

·       The aims of the strategy were laudable but ambitious and there might be issues with needing to manage people’s expectations.  The action plans would need to be clear what would be expected to be delivered in each year.

Resolved –

(1)      That the draft of Reading’s All Age Autism Strategy be noted and the comments made above be taken into account in its development;

(2)      That the consultation plan for the development of Reading’s All Age Autism Strategy be noted and endorsed.