Norfolk Autism Partnership Board

Meeting summary

Norfolk Autism Partnership Board Meeting Summary
Date: Tuesday 29th July 2025
Venue: Microsoft Teams

About the Meeting
The Norfolk Autism Partnership Board (NAPB) met to discuss recent progress and ongoing work supporting autistic people across Norfolk. The meeting included updates from working groups, feedback from autistic young people, and discussions about improving autism services and support pathways. The meeting aimed to review the current state of services, share experiences, and plan next steps.

Main Updates and Discussions

Diagnostic Working Group
The group reported on the progress of the adult autism diagnostic service commissioned by the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and delivered by ABL Health. While formal data and feedback are not yet available, early responses from users and staff have been positive with no current concerns. It was clarified that although ABL Health is not part of the NHS, its autism diagnoses are commissioned under an NHS contract and are recognised as equivalent by the NHS.

Autism Support Pathways Working Group
The group’s purpose is to improve autism support in Norfolk, making services easier to access and more autism-friendly. They focus on co-producing helpful tools for autistic people and families, maintaining resources like the Norfolk Autism Directory, and developing the Norfolk Autism Partnership Kite Mark to highlight autism-friendly services. Terms of Reference (TOR) for the group were approved with an addition to include carers. It was confirmed autistic people can be co-leads of the group, and additional methods beyond the group meetings, such as questionnaires, will be used to gather lived experience and feedback.

Norfolk Autism Forum Update
The Autism Norfolk Forum held in July had good attendance, and the next forum is scheduled for October 2025. Updates were shared from the NAPB and its working groups. Training sessions for professionals have exceeded participation targets. Concerns were raised about post-diagnostic support and mental health services following a presentation from Oliver Godfrey of ABL Health. The Norfolk Autism Adult Support Service, led by Tracey Walton, shared progress from its first year including the number of referrals, coaching outcomes, common support areas, and identified gaps like routines and life skills support.

Young People’s Autism Advisory Group (YPAAG)
This newly established group gives autistic young people a voice in shaping autism services. The first meeting took place in July with six attendees. Young people shared struggles such as difficulties with processing information quickly in schools, lack of understanding from teachers, bullying especially related to special interests, discomfort with school uniforms, and challenges with crowded transitions between lessons. Suggestions included having quiet spaces before school, autism awareness education for all students, sensory-friendly uniform options, and adjusted schedules to avoid overstimulation. They also expressed anxiety around GP visits and suggested reasonable adjustments like waiting in the car until their appointment is ready and social stories to prepare for healthcare visits. Shopping experiences were also challenging due to noise and queues, with requests for quieter shopping options. The next meeting is planned for November and will focus on education access and support during transitions to adulthood. Their feedback will help inform the autism strategy action plan.

Strategy Oversight Working Group
This group assessed progress on the first year of the Norfolk Autism Strategy. Positive progress was noted in training delivered by the Norfolk Autism Partnership Board and supported employment services exceeding government targets. Areas of concern included a lack of updates on some actions related to children and young people’s health, particularly diagnosis, and some school improvement actions. To address this, senior managers and escalation routes have been engaged. The group is preparing to draft the Year Two plan, aiming to reassign some actions to organisations and improve clarity and plain English use. Action owners will be asked to provide updates and agree on new actions by mid-August. The draft plan will then be reviewed and discussed before approval. Mental health updates are welcomed to ensure the strategy captures all key progress.

Reasonable Adjustments in GP Practices
Work was shared on improving access to GP services for autistic people, as many find these challenging. A survey revealed that 87% of respondents felt they needed reasonable adjustments, but more than half never requested them, and less than half felt confident asking. Common requests included quieter appointment times, quieter waiting areas, waiting in the car until called, and face-to-face appointments. Implementing these low-cost changes could reduce health inequalities. Proposed next steps include sharing the findings with Learning Disability Leads in GP practices and encouraging adoption of these adjustments. The development of social stories to support autistic patients before GP visits was also proposed. The importance of including mental health practitioners in this work to identify and record adjustment needs was noted.

Other Business
An autistic member of the board, Laura Edwards, has withdrawn from board activities due to personal reasons including engagement and wedding plans. She expressed gratitude for her involvement. The board will begin recruitment to bring new autistic members on board and is arranging a thank you message for Laura.

Actions and Next Steps
The Diagnostic Working Group will discuss how to present diagnostic data from 1st June onwards.
Completion and approval of Terms of Reference for the Diagnosis Working Group and Support Pathways Working Group are ongoing.
Recruitment continues to find a lead for the Support Pathways Working Group.
Norfolk Autism Partnership Board structure diagram has been updated and shared.
Follow-up is planned for the Autism Intensive Support service.
Action owners will be contacted on 1st August for progress updates and Year Two planning, with responses due by 15th August.
The Strategy Oversight Group will meet on 1st September to monitor progress and help co-produce the Year Two plan.
The Norfolk Autism Partnership Board will meet next on 30th September 2025, to review Year One progress, agree escalation processes, review Year Two planning, and approve the Strategy Oversight Group’s Terms of Reference.
Recruitment efforts for new autistic board members will begin, alongside sending a thank you message to departing member Laura Edwards.

Future Meetings
Tuesday 30th September 2025, 13:00–15:00
Tuesday 25th November 2025, 13:00–15:00

This summary reflects discussions and updates presented during the meeting. Items noted as actions or proposals do not imply board decisions unless explicitly stated. The board continues to work collaboratively across health, social care, education, and community partners to improve support and services for autistic people in Norfolk.