Norfolk Autism Partnership Board

Meeting summary

Norfolk Autism Partnership Board Meeting Summary
Meeting Date: 5 November 2020
Meeting Format: Microsoft Teams virtual meeting

Purpose of the Meeting
The Norfolk Autism Partnership Board (NAPB) met to review ongoing projects, discuss recent developments, share progress from working groups, and plan future activities. The meeting also included a presentation about Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), an autism-related condition, and covered updates related to workforce development, communications, safeguarding, and other partnership initiatives.

Attendees
The meeting included board co-chairs and vice co-chairs, representatives from Norfolk County Council (NCC), Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (N&SFT), voluntary sector groups, autistic adults, clinical commissioning groups, Norfolk Constabulary, public health, and other stakeholders involved in autism-related services and support in Norfolk.

Main Updates and Discussions

1. Welcome and Introductions
The meeting began with welcomes and a brief introduction to using Microsoft Teams, with no requests for adjustments from attendees. Lee Gibbons was assigned to monitor the board’s Code of Conduct. Hannah Riches was introduced as the new Workforce Development Working Group lead, replacing Tom Bassett in that role.

2. Review of Previous Meeting and Action Log
The minutes from the previous meeting on 9 September 2020 were accepted as an accurate record and would be added to the NAPB website. Several actions from previous meetings were noted as either completed or ongoing. Some outstanding items, such as autism hoarding, self-neglect, and safeguarding locked provisions, were scheduled for future updates. Tom Bassett was tasked with bringing discussions on board priorities and ways of working to the next meeting in January 2021, due to limited responses from members. The action log also noted ongoing work on autism training and website development.

3. Working Group Updates
Separate reports were provided from the Engagement and Workforce Development working groups:

The Engagement Working Group continues to develop an independent autism website that may host autism training in the future. There has been a delay in transferring data from the current NCC website to the new site because the IT department has not yet responded. The group also reported a successful Buddy Scheme which matches volunteers to enable better participation by new board members. Additional efforts include sharing positive news stories and supporting autism-friendly public services, such as Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure Park, which has introduced autism friendly measures.

The Workforce Development Working Group noted that online autism training is still not available on the NCC training site due to technical issues. The co-chairs agreed to write to NCC to escalate this matter. Meanwhile, the group has contributed material to Ambitious About Autism, an organisation trialling training sessions. The new lead, Hannah Riches, is taking on the role from 9 November 2020. Board members were asked to complete a training needs survey to help establish baseline data.

Lee Gibbons and Hannah Riches planned a meeting to discuss ongoing projects, and Tom Bassett would arrange for Trevor Key to speak on behalf of the board regarding training updates.

4. Presentation on Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
Rebekah Muttitt and Dr Melanie Bruce gave a presentation to introduce PDA, a condition related to autism, to the board members. The aim was to inform members about the condition and discuss how the board might become involved. Dr Bruce offered to share training resources on PDA with the board. The Workforce Development Working Group agreed to support Rebekah Muttitt and Dr Bruce in developing a Norfolk position statement about recognising PDA and exploring training opportunities. This work would initially be taken forward by the Diagnosis Working Group, with drafting of the PDA statement planned as a major item for the next Diagnosis Working Group meeting in December 2020.

5. Other Updates
Dr Melanie Bruce announced that Norfolk Community Health and Care (NCH&C) and Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (N&SFT) had successfully secured funding through Health Education England to recruit five new trainee psychological therapists specialising in learning disabilities and autism for children and young people. Training would start in January 2021, with trainees working three days per week within the NHS. These posts represent a new autism-specific service for children and young people in Norfolk.

The board welcomed Hannah Riches to her new role and agreed in principle to Dr Bruce acting as a deputy for Stephanie Summers during her maternity leave. Further updates on safeguarding and other ongoing projects were postponed until the next meeting. Walter Lloyd-Smith, safeguarding adults board manager, was invited to give a longer update in the next session or provide information by alternative means.

Key Decisions
Acceptance of previous meeting minutes as a true record.
Support for the development of a PDA position statement and related training through the Diagnosis and Workforce Development working groups.
Agreement in principle for Dr Melanie Bruce to deputise during maternity leave.
Recognition of successful funding for trainee psychological therapists specialising in learning disabilities and autism.

Actions and Next Steps
Tom Bassett to present on board priorities and ways of working at the next meeting scheduled for 6 January 2021.
Lee Gibbons to forward a letter to NCC IT and assist with further correspondence about transferring the autism website data. Amanda Dunn and Trevor Key to also write to NCC regarding this issue.
Board members to submit “Good News” stories for inclusion in the newsletter.
Board members requested to complete a training needs survey to inform workforce development.
Lee Gibbons and Hannah Riches to meet to review ongoing projects and training-related work.
Workforce Development Working Group to collaborate with Ambitious About Autism to develop and trial training sessions.
Diagnosis Working Group to include drafting a PDA statement as a major agenda item for its December 10 meeting.
Administrator to invite Walter Lloyd-Smith to the January 2021 meeting for safeguarding update or arrange alternative briefing.

Next Meetings Scheduled
Wednesday 6 January 2021, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, via Microsoft Teams
Thursday 4 March 2021, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, via Microsoft Teams
Thursday 6 May 2021, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, via Microsoft Teams

Summary
The November 2020 Norfolk Autism Partnership Board meeting focused on reviewing progress in key areas such as training, engagement, safeguarding, and service development. Introduction of PDA awareness and training was a notable focus, alongside steps to improve website resources and workforce capacity. The board committed to several ongoing actions to support these developments and maintain partnership working to improve autism services and support for people of all ages in Norfolk.