Autism Act 2009 Committee to hear from experts, practitioners and academics

Giving evidence at 14:45 on barriers to building effective support in the community for autistic people and to discuss how those barriers could be overcome will be: 

• John Phillipson, CEO, North East Autism Society  
• Dr Ashok Roy, Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Medical Director, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust; and Ex-Clinical Lead for Learning Disabilities, Health Education England  
• Prof Rebecca Charlton, Professor of Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London 

Questions the committee is likely to ask include: 

• What is the evidence on the numbers and characteristics of autistic people who need support in the community (including social care, mental health care and housing support) and on how far they have access to the support they need? 
• What impact (if any) have the Autism Act 2009, the statutory guidance and successive autism strategies had on the provision of support in the community for autistic people? 
• What are the main barriers to the effective identification and support of autistic people in the community? 
• What are the main barriers to the provision of effective low-level support in the community (such as peer support and befriending) for autistic people? 
• What are the main barriers to the provision of effective support in the community to enable autistic people to leave and stay out of hospital? 
• Following the end of the autism strategy for 2021 to 2026, what should the Government prioritise to improve support for autistic people in the community? 

Giving evidence at 15:50 on key barriers to supporting autistic children and young people with access to education and transitions to adulthood and to discuss how those barriers can be overcome will be: 

• Prof Karen Guldberg, Professor of Autism Studies, University of Birmingham and Chair, Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, Department for Education 
• Prof Sue Fletcher-Watson, Professor of Developmental Psychology, University of Edinburg  
• Dr Jonathan Vincent, Lecturer in Higher Education, Lancaster University 

Questions the committee is likely to ask include: 

• What is the evidence on the numbers and characteristics of autistic children and young people, the support they need throughout their educational journeys, and how far they have access to the support they need? 
• What impact (if any) has the Government’s autism strategy for 2021 to 2026 had on improving support for autistic children and young people? 
• To what extent do autistic children and young people have access to the provision and support they need throughout their educational journeys? What are the main barriers to the provision of accessible education? 
• What are the main barriers to the effective identification and support of autistic children and young people, including through diagnostic pathways and education systems? 
• What are the main barriers to the effective provision of support with transitions to adulthood for autistic children and young people? 
• Following the end of the autism strategy for 2021 to 2026, what should the Government prioritise to improve access to education and transitions to adulthood for autistic children and young people? 

 The sessions can be followed live on parliamentlive.tv