Norfolk Autism Partnership Board

Meeting summary

Norfolk Autism Partnership Board Meeting Summary
Date: 25 July 2018
Venue: Kings Centre, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

Purpose of the Meeting
The Norfolk All Age Autism Partnership Board (AAAPB) meeting brought together representatives from local government, health services, voluntary sector, autistic people, and their families to discuss ongoing work, challenges, and plans related to autism support and services in Norfolk. The meeting aimed to review progress, share updates from working groups, and plan next steps for improving autism services and co-production with the autism community.

Main Updates and Discussions

Attendance and Introductions
The meeting was co-chaired by James Bullion (NCC Executive Director Adult Social Services) and Clare Smith (autistic adult). Several new members were welcomed, including Claire Miller (family member/carer), Rosemary Boutet (older autistic person), and Maxine Blocksidge (NCC Senior Adviser SEND). Observers and presenters were also introduced.

Minutes of Previous Meeting and Matters Arising
Amendments to previous minutes were agreed, including clarifications around training plans and references to adults and children’s services. There was agreement to use full names of participants in future minutes for clarity.
Attendance requirements were discussed, noting current meeting times created difficulties for autism representatives. It was suggested to review attendance on a case-by-case basis, with a view to amending the Terms of Reference accordingly.
Concerns were raised around the draft Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for autism, highlighting the need for further engagement with the autism community before final sign-off. An interim JSNA will be considered at the October meeting.
Requests for sharing the full children’s autism diagnostic pathway were repeated, as the documents circulated previously did not meet this requirement. Similarly, the adult diagnostic pathway needs revision to comply with NICE guidance and to be transparent.
The attendance of Patricia Hewitt, Chair of Norfolk’s Sustainability and Transformation Programme (STP), at the next meeting was welcomed as an opportunity to discuss the STP’s impact on autism services.

Working Group Updates
Workforce Development and Training: The group’s report was noted and approved.
Engagement: The report of this group was noted, although the group lead was unable to attend.
Data Collection: Mark Rushen took over as lead. A report outlined the current data collection practices across organisations. It was noted that autistic people without a learning disability are currently not recorded by Norfolk County Council as having autism, but there is hope this will improve. The report will be revised to be more accessible and recirculated.
A glossary of commonly used terms and acronyms will be developed for clarity, led by Tracey Walton.
Diagnostic Pathways: Concerns were raised about the current adult diagnostic pathway being out of date and opaque. The working group will press for CCGs to share plans to allow autism community input. For children, efforts continue to confirm the current official pathway. Work is underway to reduce waiting times for first assessments to a year or less.

Co-Production
A significant discussion focused on the sense of lack of true co-production with autistic people. Clare Smith expressed frustrations about being treated tokenistically and about reports presented to other boards that implied co-production without sufficient autistic input. Suggestions included better training for autism members about statutory processes and workshop training for all Board members on co-production and partnership working, with an independent facilitator. This proposal was agreed by all present.

Autism Partnership Group (APG) Feedback
Following criticism from the public, future APG meetings will be held in different locations across Norfolk and scheduled at times that are more accessible for parents. Clare Smith had invited the Executive Director of Children’s Services to a meeting to discuss Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), but this was declined. James Bullion offered to follow up and suggested inviting a senior member of Children’s Services to future meetings.

Membership Update
Two resignations were noted: Nikki Elliott and Alexandra Smith (young autistic person). Vacancies exist for one young autistic person, one autistic adult, and one older autistic person. The Board agreed to hold a formal voting process to fill these seats, expecting new representatives by the next meeting.

Resources for Autism
James Bullion highlighted that future funding decisions should be guided by actual needs, gaps, and support models. It was noted that proper autism resources might reduce pressures on mental health services.

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP)
Michael Bateman presented on the current challenges in managing the increased volume of EHCP referrals and annual reviews, noting staffing shortages. Concerns were expressed about children and young people with high needs being refused assessments.

Communications Plan
The autism section on Norfolk County Council’s website has been updated with meeting dates. However, no autism member had input into this update. The Board agreed to adopt a logo designed by Clare Smith. A recent newspaper article about the Board’s work was shared. Oliver Cruickshank (South Norfolk CCG) will join the Engagement Working Group to help develop a communications plan.

Development of Norfolk’s All Age Autism Strategy
A draft strategy had been circulated before the meeting. A task-and-finish group was established, including Zandrea Stewart, Tracey Walton, and Clare Smith, to develop the draft. Mark Rushen will review the document but cannot join the group meetings. It was agreed that logos in the strategy should reflect all organisations involved. Members were encouraged to provide feedback following the meeting.

Involvement Fees
Autistic people and family members/carers attending meetings can claim an involvement fee of up to £20 per meeting plus travel costs. A process overview had been circulated prior to the meeting.

Next Meeting Agenda and Any Other Business
James Bullion proposed including a discussion item about Criminal Justice and Prisons at the next meeting, which was agreed.
A one-day autism awareness training course is planned for all Board members before the next meeting in October.
Tracey Walton was asked to prepare a summary of current and potential working groups.
Members were invited to provide feedback on proposed future meeting dates to help finalise the calendar.

Next Meeting
Provisionally arranged for Thursday 4 October 2018, 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm at County Hall, Norwich. The date and venue were to be confirmed.

Summary
The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration between autistic people, their families, statutory organisations, and voluntary groups. Key themes included better co-production, improving diagnostic pathways, addressing data collection gaps, and developing a clear autism strategy. The Board made plans to improve engagement, revise terms of participation, and enhance communication efforts, with follow-up actions and working groups to continue this work ahead of the October meeting.