Autism Alliance contributes to Government consultations

Following the Budget 2024, the Autism Alliance UK has responded to Government consultations on areas of policy which are important for autistic children, young people and adults, and their families.

These include:

• The Change NHS consultation, through which the Government intends to create a 10-Year plan for the NHS in England. Our response highlights the fundamental dependency of the NHS on the reform of adult social care and calls on the Government to take decisive action to secure the right support in the community for autistic people and their families, and to stabilise and evolve the broken autism assessment system.

• The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review led by Prof Becky Francis, which will make recommendations about the national curriculum and statutory assessment system for 5-19 year olds. Our response calls for fundamental changes in how the curriculum is delivered and educational achievement is assessed, as well as highlighting the opportunity for the curriculum to support greater understanding of autism and neurodiversity.

The Autism Alliance will contribute to any similar consultation launched by the Government on social care, another critical area of policy for autistic people and their families. It is vital that the Government is bold and finally addresses the long-term funding of social care, and that the voices and experiences of autistic people and their families are at the heart of their plan.

We have also submitted evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee of the UK Parliament, which is leading an inquiry into the cost of inaction on adult social care reform. You can read our submission here.