Norfolk Autism Partnership Board

Meeting summary

Norfolk Autism Partnership Board Meeting Summary
Meeting Date: 17 October 2019
Location: County Hall, Norfolk County Council, Norwich
Duration: 10:30 – 13:30

Purpose of the Meeting
The Norfolk Autism Partnership Board (NAPB) met to discuss ongoing work related to autism support and services in Norfolk. The meeting aimed to review recent progress, share updates from various working groups, and plan future actions to improve care and support for autistic people across the county.

Main Updates and Discussions

Autism Self-Assessment
Jeremy Bone presented findings from Norfolk’s recent autism self-assessment. The results showed a mixed picture with some areas performing well and others needing improvement. It was noted that Norfolk has a high rate of adults with autism receiving social care support but appears slower than some other counties in diagnosing autism. The importance of collecting data from all diagnosis routes, including private assessments, was highlighted. The Board discussed tailoring autism training based on where individuals live to better target support. Plans were announced to refresh the Data Working Group to develop a new data dashboard, with an update expected at the January meeting.

Employment Service
Paul Scott introduced the Employment Service, which aims to help people with learning disabilities, mental health needs, and autism access employment. Currently, most employers involved are in retail or agriculture, and the service hopes to broaden job options for clients through workshops and new employer engagement. The service is only available to people eligible under the Care Act and cannot be self-referred or referred by other agencies yet. It is still early in development as the service has been running for only four months. Paul Scott welcomed support from the Board, particularly in involving experts by experience, following a pilot focused on accessible employment.

SEND and Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP)
Lorraine Stephens provided an update on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) strategy and changes in the EHCP process. She explained that while there is a backlog of EHCP cases, progress is being made to improve the system’s efficiency. Parents will soon be able to track their children’s EHCP progress throughout the process. Feedback identified that the local offer web pages need to be more user friendly, so a review is underway. The Board accepted Lorraine Stephens as a permanent representative for SEND matters. James Bullion requested a summary of good news points to be shared with the public.

Minutes and Matters Arising
The Board reviewed actions from the previous meeting. Work continues on several outstanding items, including efforts to improve smarter working and resource use. Some action points have been resolved, such as booking issues for board meetings and workforce development training opportunities. Further proposals will be brought to the next Board meeting.

Autism Strategy and Partnership Plans
The Board noted the Norfolk Autism Strategy “My Autism, Our Lives, Our Norfolk” was approved by Cabinet in August 2019, with a public launch planned for 7 November. Members were encouraged to discuss how their organisations are implementing the strategy and bring feedback to the next meeting. A simple response framework and mind map will be developed to help partners report on their progress, with an update expected in March.

National Autistic Society Coproduction Event and Board Naming
Following feedback from a National Autistic Society event, it was agreed that separate terms of reference would be created for the Board, working groups, and forum to clarify roles. To reduce confusion, the public-facing "Norfolk Autism Partnership Group" will be renamed the "Autism Norfolk Forum," a change unanimously agreed by the Board. The idea of changing working groups into priority work streams was discussed but will be revisited in March.

Membership and Conduct
To improve engagement and manage complaints, future meetings will be open only to members who agree to a code of conduct. New membership forms and sign-up processes will be introduced, including the option to join on meeting days. The Engagement Working Group will oversee applications based on feedback.

Buddy Scheme and Working Group Reports
The Board unanimously approved the NAPB Buddy Scheme and related documents, with plans to begin rolling out the scheme. It was also agreed that working group leads will provide summary reports of their actions to update the Board webpage. Tracey Walton will coordinate this.

Independent Review Update
The Engagement Working Group is monitoring progress on implementing recommendations from an independent review of autism services. Any identified concerns or updates will be brought to the Board’s attention.

Working Group Reports and Communication
The Engagement Working Group provided an update on the delayed autism questionnaire, explaining the need to coordinate media responses with clinical commissioning groups and the council. Volunteers are requested to help with media campaigns and to share their questionnaire experiences. A one-page communications plan is being prepared to help share information across services. Members were reminded to clearly mark communications as “for action” or “for information” to improve clarity.

Workforce Development and Training
Board members were asked to review autism e-learning available in their organisations and report any training gaps to the Workforce Development Working Group. Tracey McLean will liaise with the group lead to explore options to increase e-learning accessibility.

Other Reports and Membership Confirmation
Reports from the Data, Diagnosis, and Education Working Groups were accepted. Rosemary Boutet confirmed her continued membership of the Diagnosis Working Group.

Next Meetings
The Board confirmed the following meeting dates and locations:

Wednesday 29 January 2020, 10:00 – 13:00, Costessey Centre, Longwater Lane
Thursday 16 April 2020, 10:30 – 13:30, Edwards Room, County Hall
Thursday 16 July 2020, 10:30 – 13:30, Edwards Room, County Hall
Thursday 15 October 2020, 10:30 – 13:30, Edwards Room, County Hall

Summary of Actions and Next Steps

Refresh of the Data Working Group and development of a new data dashboard; update due January 2020.
Board members to discuss and gather feedback on how their organisations are implementing the Autism Strategy and report back at the next meeting.
Development of a response framework and mind map for strategy progress reporting by March 2020.
Implementation of the renamed Autism Norfolk Forum and review of working group structures in March 2020.
Introduction of new membership application processes and code of conduct for meeting attendees, overseen by the Engagement Working Group.
Rollout of the NAPB Buddy Scheme to begin.
Working groups to submit summary action reports for website updates.
Engagement Working Group to coordinate media campaign volunteers and finalise a one-page communications plan.
Workforce Development Working Group to review and address autism training needs, with input from member organisations.

This meeting continued the partnership’s focus on improving autism support in Norfolk by reviewing progress, identifying challenges, and planning future work with input from a range of stakeholders including autistic adults, families, health, education, social care, and voluntary sector representatives.