Norfolk Autism Partnership Board

Meeting summary

Norfolk Autism Partnership Board Meeting Summary
Date of Meeting: Monday 30 April 2018
Location: The Green Britain Centre, Swaffham, Norfolk

Purpose of the Meeting
The Norfolk All Age Autism Partnership Board (AAPB) met to discuss progress on improving the lives of autistic people and their families across Norfolk. The meeting focused on partnership working, reviewing governance documents, membership, updates on services and strategic priorities, and planning the work of the Board going forward.

Main Updates and Discussions

Welcome and Introductions
The co-chairs, Clare Smith and James Bullion, welcomed attendees and spoke about the importance of honest and constructive conversations to improve support for autistic people. They acknowledged past challenges and expressed a commitment to moving forward collaboratively with the autism community and partners.

Approval of Code of Conduct and Terms of Reference
The Board approved by consensus a draft code of conduct for future meetings. Members reviewed and agreed the draft Terms of Reference (ToR) in detail, including purpose, strategic objectives, structure, governance, meeting arrangements, member responsibilities, and membership rules. Amendments were made, such as changing co-chair terms from one to two years, and the addition of the Carers Council to the governance diagram. The Board agreed processes for dealing with complaints and emphasised the need for member attendance at most scheduled meetings. Clare Smith and Zandrea Stewart were tasked with finalising some wording additions to the ToR.

Membership Matters
The Board elected vice co-chairs: Zandrea Stewart and Mark Rushen. Changes were agreed to the age categories for autistic adult membership to better reflect representation needs, with older autistic person category lowered from 65+ to 55+, and adult category adjusted accordingly. The Board considered gaps in membership, especially for older autistic people, and agreed to explore recruitment through the Norfolk Older People’s Partnership Board. A review of membership status for various organisations was carried out; notably, Healthwatch and Norfolk Constabulary were upgraded to full voting members. Expressions of interest from individuals wishing to join as autistic adults or family members/carers were noted, with voting on these to take place after the meeting.

Reports and Service Updates
Zandrea Stewart provided an overview of ongoing work and priorities, including the development of an engagement tool aimed at gathering feedback from autistic people, families, and carers in multiple formats, to help shape future planning.

Carolyn Watts from Public Health reported on plans for an all-age Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), expected to be published in late summer, with an update to be shared at the next meeting.

Data collection currently presents challenges, with little information on numbers of autistic people accessing services across health, social care, education, and justice systems. The Board agreed to explore existing data sources and identify gaps, recognising the importance of better data for planning and service development.

Workforce training for autism awareness within Norfolk County Council (NCC) has been reviewed, with plans to roll out tiered training, including eLearning, videos, and champion roles to increase knowledge among staff. There are ambitions to develop multi-agency workforce programmes including NHS partners, with some training already available via Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT). The importance of staff awareness across all relevant services was emphasised.

Children’s diagnostic services received an additional investment to reduce waiting times from two years to one by June 2018, with a longer-term aim of 18 weeks or less. However, problems remain with referral processes from GPs, with families reporting difficulties getting referrals for diagnosis. The Board agreed to feed back these concerns to NHS commissioners to improve GP awareness of referral pathways.

Adult diagnostic services face significant capacity issues, with only one main provider (Asperger Service Norfolk) struggling with long waits, sometimes over two years. The current adult diagnostic pathway is not compliant with NICE guidelines. Clare Smith had requested the pathway under a Freedom of Information request, and the Board expects more transparent sharing of current and future service models in forthcoming meetings.

The National Autism Self-Assessment exercise, which evaluates local provision against the National Autism Strategy, will be published in early summer. The Board will have an opportunity to review and contribute to Norfolk’s submission, aiming for an accurate reflection of services and challenges.

Michael Bateman updated on special educational needs and disability (SEND) services, sharing strategic priorities and funding arrangements.

Working Groups
The Board agreed to establish four working groups as priorities: engagement with autistic people and families, data collection, workforce development and training, and diagnostic pathways (covering both children and adults). Expressions of interest were noted, and specific nominations were made for leads and participants. The Board will explore how these groups are best established and will link them to ongoing work including the engagement exercise and self-assessment framework.

Any Other Business and Next Steps
Clare Smith suggested inviting the Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt, Chair of Norfolk’s Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP), to a future meeting to address the Board. Members agreed, and dates will be offered when available.

It was agreed to conduct a poll on suitable dates for the next meeting, preferably in early July before the school summer break, including the offer of various venues. Action will be taken to circulate details and confirm arrangements.

Summary of Key Actions

Clare Smith and Zandrea Stewart to finalise and circulate updated Terms of Reference wording.
Zandrea Stewart to pursue membership engagement with Norfolk Older People’s Partnership Board to recruit older autistic representatives.
Tracy Mclean to update the Board on CAMHS nominated representative once service redesign is clarified.
Carolyn Watts and Zandrea Stewart to share the draft Public Health JSNA autism document with the Board at the next meeting.
All partners to identify current data collection practices on autism across services and share information while ensuring confidentiality.
Tracy Mclean and Dr Melanie Bruce to raise GP referral pathway issues with NHS commissioners and providers.
Tracy Mclean to provide a copy of the current children's diagnostic pathway to the Board.
NHS providers and commissioners to share the adult diagnostic pathway with the Board before the next meeting.
Clare Smith to circulate expressions of interest and collate voting for new Board members post-meeting.
Working groups to be set up with nominated leads and members, with arrangements communicated soon.
Chair to extend an invitation to Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt to attend a future meeting.
Board members to participate in scheduling the next meeting via a poll for dates and venues.

Conclusion
The meeting demonstrated a commitment to collaborative progress in Norfolk’s autism services and strategic planning. The Board approved governance documents, worked on strengthening membership, heard important updates on diagnostic services and workforce training, and agreed to focus on engagement, data, training, and diagnostic pathways through working groups. Next steps include improving information sharing, addressing diagnostic waiting times and referral challenges, and involving autistic people and families more directly in shaping services. The Board looks forward to further meetings with key partners and continued actions to support Norfolk’s autism community.