Norfolk Autism Partnership Board

Meeting summary

Norfolk Autism Partnership Board Meeting Summary
Tuesday 11 October 2022, 11:00am to 1:00pm
Held via Microsoft Teams

Purpose of the Meeting
The Norfolk Autism Partnership Board (NAPB) met to discuss key ongoing and upcoming activities relating to support and services for autistic people in Norfolk. The meeting included updates from partner organisations, discussions about strategic developments affecting autism and learning disabilities, and progress reports on projects designed to improve care and support. The meeting also aimed to ensure collaborative working across sectors including health, social care, voluntary groups, and local government.

Main Updates and Discussions

Learning Disability and Autism Board Update
Rachel Gates provided an update on the Learning Disability and Autism Board (LD&A Board). Feedback from a recent Peer Review highlighted challenges around the current combined focus on both learning disabilities and autism in one board. The Board is considering splitting into two separate boards, one focusing specifically on learning disabilities and the other on autism. The proposed change aims to give equal attention to both areas in shorter, more focused meetings. Additionally, the LD&A Board is exploring better ways to involve experts by experience (people with lived experience) beyond just attending Board meetings.

Board members discussed the pros and cons of splitting the LD&A Board. They expressed that autism-specific issues are often overlooked under the current combined structure, with services sometimes lacking expertise in autism. By splitting the boards, a stronger focus could be given to autism-specific needs while also ensuring people with overlapping needs are supported. The Board agreed unanimously that splitting the LD&A Board is a positive idea and confirmed their support for it. The co-chairs were tasked with drafting a letter to back this proposal.

Autism Preventative Service Update
Karen Dures, Project Lead for Liberty Protection Safeguards and Autism Development at Norfolk County Council, gave a presentation on a new Autism Preventative Service being developed. The service will focus on autistic adults without learning disabilities, aiming to help people earlier and provide specialist support to reduce the need for more intensive social care interventions. The service will support enablement for people already known to Adult Social Care and help meet needs in a less acute setting.

Karen encouraged Board members to assist in recruitment for the operational autism lead role and to share information to help develop the service. The Coordinator committed to distributing Karen’s presentation and relevant contact details to the Board.

Co-Chair Update
Trevor Key, Co-Chair, shared updates on several projects, including his ongoing work with the Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board (NSAB). A recent safeguarding review led to a Progress Summit in September 2022, which emphasised the need for Ethical Commissioning. This involves improving transparency, scrutiny of care providers, and better training for staff. A coalition for change is being formed, bringing together individuals with lived experience to focus on supporting those at risk of institutional care due to challenging behaviour.

An independent consultancy was commissioned to conduct a “Building the Right Support Review” aimed at better planning and community provision to reduce inappropriate inpatient placements. Plans are also underway for a new policy addressing racism in care services, which will include training and restorative work with service users.

Trevor also outlined proposed legal changes relating to care homes and the Mental Health Act intended to improve oversight and patient rights. NHS Norfolk is improving Safe and Wellbeing Reviews to focus on quality of life and meaningful activity, with commissioners required to be more engaged during visits.

Since May 2022, following new Care Quality Commission guidance, many applications from providers supporting autistic people and those with learning disabilities have either been withdrawn or refused due to not meeting standards.

Board Independence Update
Lee Gibbons reported that ASD Helping Hands officially took over running the Norfolk Autism Partnership on 3 October 2022. Since then, they have hired a new staff member, Lucy Adcock, who will coordinate the Learning Disability Partnership. The office has moved to a new location, which is accessible for drop-in visits by appointment.

Currently, there are five adult social groups affiliated with the Partnership located across Norfolk, with further unaffiliated groups engaging in consultation. There are plans to grow these groups in the future.

The Board discussed options for how future meetings should be held—in person, online, or hybrid. It was noted that one co-chair would be unable to attend in-person meetings. To gather wider views, Lee and Lucy will create an anonymous survey to understand members’ preferences for meeting formats.

Any Other Business and Wellbeing Check
Tracey McLean advised she would soon be leaving her role and requested that her deputy, Rebecca Crossley, be invited to future meetings. All members were asked to provide details of their deputies to the Partnership Coordinator for records. The Board thanked the current Partnership Coordinator, Andrew, for his work as this was likely their last meeting involving him.

A wellbeing check was completed via an email survey to support members.

Decisions and Agreements
The Norfolk Autism Partnership Board agreed in principle to support splitting the Learning Disability and Autism Board into two separate bodies. The co-chairs will draft a letter endorsing this change.

It was agreed that Trevor Key would continue his involvement with the Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board and provide reports on progress to future NAPB meetings.

Actions and Next Steps
The Board Coordinator is to send the draft minutes of the previous meeting (August 2022) to members for review, ahead of the next meeting.

The Co-Chairs will prepare and send a letter supporting the proposal to split the LD&A Board.

The Coordinator will circulate Karen Dures’ presentation material and contacts regarding the new Autism Preventative Service to Board members.

Lee Gibbons and Lucy Adcock will prepare an anonymous questionnaire to collect views on the preferred format of future meetings (in-person, virtual, or hybrid).

Members are asked to share the names of deputies who may attend meetings on their behalf with Lee Gibbons.

The next meeting dates and arrangements will be organised by ASD Helping Hands, with a new schedule to be announced.

Summary
The meeting focused on improving the structure and reach of Norfolk’s autism and learning disability partnership work. Key discussions included plans to split the Learning Disability and Autism Board to better represent autism-specific needs, the development of a new Autism Preventative Service to support autistic adults earlier and more holistically, and ongoing efforts to improve safeguarding, commissioning, and care standards. The Partnership is also growing its independence with ASD Helping Hands taking over its management. The meeting highlighted the importance of collaboration between health, social care, voluntary groups, and people with lived experience to create better outcomes for autistic people across Norfolk.