Norfolk Autism Partnership Board Minutes – 28th January 2025

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Meeting Details

Date: Tuesday 28 January
Time: 13:00 – 15:00
Venue: Microsoft Teams Meeting

Agenda Item: Pre-Meeting Support

Agenda Item 1 : Welcome and Introduction

1.1 Welcome and introductions made. Communication prompts posted to the Teams Chat window, and their use explained. No reasonable adjustments were requested. Members reported no declaration of interest.
Minutes and action log approved by the Norfolk Autism Partnership Board (NAPB)
Code of Conduct to be monitored by Lee Gibbons

1.2 Members were notified that an automatic transcript of the meeting would take place
to ensure accuracy of minutes. There were no objections

Agenda Item 2 : Diagnosis Waits Updates

2.1 Adult Diagnosis (without a Learning Disability)

• Annual average referrals of 68 each month
• Total number of adults waiting 1177
• Average of 18 assessment a month

Waiting period breakdown

• 0 people waiting longer than 200wks
• 20 waiting between 200-104 weeks
• 610 waiting between 104–52 weeks
• 390 waiting between 52-18 weeks
• 157 Less than 18 weeks

2.2 Adult Diagnosis (without a Learning Disability) – Year on Year comparison of demand for assessment

	Average Monthly Refferals	Total Refferals	% of change since previous year
2020	28	339	N/A
2021	49	584	72% (increase)
2022	79	950	63% (increase)
2023	90	1081	14% (increase)
2024	68	816	-25% (decrease)

2.3 Question: Do we know the number yet of how many people are exercising their right to choose?
Answer: CA advised that we don’t have that data, but we have seen a significant increase in providers requesting payment indicating more people are exercising their right to choose.

2.4 Question: Do we know how many options are available for diagnosing, and how many right to choose assessments can people access in the area now?
Answer: It is the role of the GP to share with those patients seeking support for symptoms associated with autism, the adult autism diagnostic pathways and where to get support. Any provider with a contract with an ICB nationally, can offer right to choose. In Norfolk we are aware of 7 or 8 providers who invoice us frequently for assessments completed, some of which have contracts with Norfolk and Waveney, some with other ICBs

2.5 Question: Can we see data on how many people are seeking an autism diagnosis in Norfolk through the Right to Choose scheme?
Answer: CA can explore what data commissioners have access to and will share this the next meeting.

2.6 Question: Is it possible to see how the data reflects the waiting times for people, and whether they’re exercising the right to choose right away or if they’ve been waiting for some time?
Answer: CA explained that it isn’t easy to track. People on the waiting list with Autism Service Norfolk

• don’t always advise them they wish to come off the waiting list and have obtained an adult autism assessment in another way.
• don’t have to provide a reason for coming off the waiting list, if they choose not to.

2.7 Question: Do we have a reliable way to track those exercising their Right to Choose?
Answer: TK stated the goal is to improve tracking by ensuring individuals who exercise their right to choose are removed from one waiting list.

2.8 Question: Can we clarify the language and charts used to describe people on the waiting list, as there seem to be multiple pathways?
Answer: The data provided at the Norfolk Autism Partnership Board meeting is for people referred to Autism Service Norfolk for assessments. While private diagnoses can’t be tracked, data that is available will be shared at the next meeting.

Agenda Item 3: Oliver McGowan Training Update and involvement of autistic people

3.1 Progress Update:

• A pre-recorded update was provided due to the first Tier 1 interactive webinar scheduled for later in the day.
• The update covered progress over the last six months, including recruitment, training, and the growth of the team.

3.2 Recruitment and Training:

• Significant efforts have been made to recruit experts, both autistic and learning disability experts, as well as facilitators.
• Experts have been inducted, onboarded, trained, and supervised. Some have completed their training, and others are progressing through the qualification process.
• The team has established booking systems for Tier 1 and Tier 2 courses, providing options for organisations to manage bookings internally or through ACC.

3.3 Systems and Governance:

• The team has set up booking systems and governance processes, including information-sharing agreements and enhanced DBS checks for experts.
• There is also a focus on ensuring appropriate support for experts, with options for self-employment or joining the ACC payroll.

3.4 Partnerships:

• The ACC team has been building strong relationships with various organisations in Norfolk and Waveney, including NHS England, Norfolk County Council, Suffolk County Council, hospitals, and other local services.
• Collaboration with job coaches and support workers has been essential for supporting the experts in their roles.

3.5 Support for Experts:

• The team adopts a person-centred approach, focusing on individual needs and removing barriers such as travel anxiety.
• Experts are supported with transport arrangements and have the option to work with family members or support workers for additional assistance

3.6 Team Development

• The ACC team now consists of 36 members, including 10 facilitators, 15 autistic experts, and 8 learning disability experts, 3 members have autism and learning disabilities
• The team includes individuals with a range of experiences and challenges, such as muscular dystrophy, seizures, Tourette’s, and hypermobility
• Opportunities for progression are available, with many experts advancing to qualifications such as Tier 2 or facilitator roles.

3.7 Training and Opportunities:

• ACC is offering opportunities for experts to progress and gain qualifications, with 200 Tier 1 webinars and approximately 500 Tier 2 sessions planned for 2025.
• Some experts have already moved into other roles, such as training others and working with external organisations like the North and Waveney ICB.

3.8 Website and Team Profiles:

• The ACC website is being updated with team member profiles, showcasing the diverse range of experts involved in the training.

3.9 Opportunities Beyond Training:

• Experts have been offered opportunities to work with other training providers or pursue independent ventures.
• Notable examples include Callum, who has started his own training company, and Joe, who turned down a job offer to remain an expert.

3.10 Next Steps:

• The ACC team encourages the sharing of their website with potential experts and is open to informal chats with anyone interested in joining the team.
• If you would like more information, please email: amandacollinge@accconsulting.co.uk

3.11 Q&A:
Lee has offered to circulate any questions submitted via chat or email, and responses will be provided in a timely manner.

Agenda Item 4: Break

4.1 A ten-minute break was held

Agenda Item 5 : Update from the Strategy Oversight Group

5.1 Overview of the Autism Strategy Oversight Group

• The group consists of six autistic people/parents, Karen, Tracey and Lee.
• From September to November 2024, the group met three times to develop the Year One Plan.

The group is now meeting every two months to:

• Monitor progress on Year One Plan actions.
• Decide on what to highlight to the NAPB, including areas of good practice and any concerns.

5.2 Update Following the Last Board Meeting

At the last meeting on 26 November, the Board:

• approved the Year One Plan in principle.
• agreed to publish the plan once sign-off was received from Norfolk & Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB)
• Agreed that KD and TW will continue to work with Education and the Police to strengthen actions within the plan.
• provided contacts to strengthen actions related to the criminal justice system, specifically courts.

Post-Board Meeting Actions

• ICB sign-off was received.
• The Year One Plan was published on the Norfolk Autism Partnership Strategy webpage in early December.

5.3 Further Updates

• Children’s Services: A senior manager with responsibility for Education will attend the Board. Additional actions have been proposed for the Year One Plan, which the Autism Strategy Oversight Group will review.
• Police: An officer has been assigned to work with Karen and Tracey on their actions
• Court System: A representative from the court system provided contacts for the Crown Prosecution Service and Witness Care service.
• Action Owner Updates: TW and KD contacted all Year One Plan action owners on 4th December, requesting progress updates by 20th December. The deadline was extended to 17th January, and updates have now been received from all owners.

5.4 Progress Updates and Format

• The Oversight Group met on 13th January and agreed on the format and timeline for presenting progress updates
• TW and KD are working on adding the progress updates in the agreed format for sharing with the Strategy Oversight Group and then the Board in March

Progress Update Format:

Two new columns were introduced: “Progress to Date” and “Next Steps.”
A BRAG (Blue, Red, Amber, Green) rating will be added:

• B (Blue): Not yet started
• R (Red): No progress or lack of progress
• A (Amber): Some updates but concerns about falling behind
• G (Green): Making expected progress

5.5 Next Steps

• TW and KD will reach out to court system and meet with the Police.
• The Year One Plan progress document will be emailed to the Oversight Group on 20th February.

The next Oversight Group meeting will be held on 3rd March, where the group will:

• Identify areas of good practice and completed actions
• Discuss actions that have not progressed as expected.
• Agree on areas to highlight to the Board on 25th March

The Year One Plan progress document will be sent to Board members in advance of the 25th March meeting.

5.6 Question: Can we apply more pressure to ensure reports are delivered sooner in
the future, or is this likely to happen again?
Answer: KD explained the deadline was delayed due to holidays and it being the first time requesting updates. The Oversight Group have now scheduled regular update for the year. These will be shared with action owner to enable them to also prepare their updates by the deadlines required

5.7 Question: Just to clarify, during the steering group discussion, did we talk about having the Steering group review this before it goes to the board?
Answer: The Steering group were unsure if this was discussed. The Steering group were to go away and look at any minutes or notes from that meeting to see if this was discussed.

5.8 Question: How do the Oversight Group feel about the process so far, considering this is the first report and things are just starting?
Answer: The Oversight group is positive about the progress. However, the Oversight group will discuss the bigger picture at the next meeting to evaluate overall progress.

Agenda Item 6 : Autism Acceptance Week (March 31st – 6th April)

6.1 The theme for Autism Acceptance Week 2025 is Colour, and under Priority 1: Improve Understanding and Inclusion of Autism, the Norfolk Autism Partnership has committed to planning and developing events for this week.

6.2 To effectively plan, organise, and hold event(s) for Autism Acceptance Week, it would be valuable to form a Task and Finish Group.
Who is needed in the group?

• Autistic individuals
• Parents/carers
• Providers
• Individuals with event planning and organising experience

6.3 If you’re interested, please email contact@norfolkautismpartnership.org.uk The first meeting will be held on 3rd February 2025 from 13:00 to 15:00, and in that meeting we will determine the frequency of future meetings once we have clearer ideas of what we would like to achieve.

Agenda Item 7 : Any other business

7.1 The Norfolk Autism Partnership Board (NAPB) will have a stand at the Co- Production event on Wednesday, 9th July 2025, from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm at the Forum. They are seeking board members to join them at the event

Additionally, NAPB is creating a video for Co-Production Week and is inviting members to record a short video about why it’s important to be part of the NAPB and to highlight a board achievement. Assistance with recording is available, or members can visit the office to record in person.

Anyone interested in participating should email: contact@norfolkautismpartnership.org.uk.

7.2 It was noted that the Autism Service Norfolk will be changing hands, with the new provider having been selected in December, the company is called ABL Health. The transition process is currently ongoing, and further details will be shared once information from the new provider is received.

Date, time and location of next meeting

Tuesday 25th March 2025 13:00 – 15:00 (Microsoft Teams)