Autism Bill to go before Parliament
Mark Lever, Chief Executive of the National Autistic Society, has written an article for the Joe Public Blog at the Guardian, welcoming the publication of a private members bill on autism. In the UK members of parliament who are not members of the government are able to introduce private members bills. There is limited parliamentary time to discuss these bills so there is a ballot of MPs and the top 5 get to be debated. This year Cheryl Gillan MP came first in the ballot and she is sponsoring the Autism Bill that has the support of 13 autism charities.
This means that the Bill should at least get a hearing, providing 100 MPs vote for it on February 27th. UK readers can lobby their MPs via a standard campaign letter on the NAS website that includes the option to add your own personal message to your MP. While it is very unusual for private members’ bills to become law, if they generate enough support they may be adopted by the government or form the basis of future legislation. So if you agree with the aims of this bill please lobby your MP.
AIMS
The Bill has three sections.
- It places a legal requirement on local authorities put systems in place to record the number of people with autism in their area and ensure that they are included in local planning and commissioning strategies.
- In the transition from child to adult services many autistic people fall through the net because of a lack of coordination between different agencies. The Bill will require a high degree of inter-agency co-operation during planning for transition.
- Adults are frequently denied services because they do not meet specific criteria set up by local authority teams and are wrongfully deemed ineligible for services. Lack of training in autism means that many health and social care assessments fail to identify the specific needs of autistic adults. Services to meet these needs are virtually non-existent anyway. The Bill addresses all these structural barriers to adults accessing services.
A bill like this is necessary because of the success of the NAS I Exist Campaign in persuading the government to commit itself to developing an adult autism strategy this year. But we have been here before. We worked with the Education Department to create good practise guidelines for schools. We were commissioned by the Department of Health to produce guidance on services for adults with Aspergers Syndrome: Taking Responsibility.
But neither of these documents has the force of law. As late as 2006 the government was still issuing guidance that
clarifies the nature and intent of existing government policy as it relates to adults with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is intended to encourage people in the social care and health field to develop local agendas for action.
We have had enough guidance and clarification. We want government to give leadership by mandating local government and health authorities to carry out its policies and provide the funding that will enable them to do so. Please support this bill.
