Norfolk Autism Partnership Board

Meeting summary

Norfolk Autism Partnership Board Meeting Summary
Date: 31st March 2026
Venue: Microsoft Teams
Duration: 13:00 - 15:00

Purpose of the Meeting
The meeting of the Norfolk All Age Autism Partnership Board (NAPB) covered ongoing projects, service updates, strategic planning, and forthcoming events aimed at improving autism support and services across Norfolk. The Board brought together members from various organisations and stakeholders including health and social care, police, education, and autistic individuals to share updates, discuss challenges, and plan next steps.

Main Updates and Discussions

1. Membership and Organisational Changes
A key update was the announcement from Caron Ager, the Learning Disabilities and Autism Programme Senior Manager at the Integrated Care Board (ICB), that she plans to leave her role in May. The ICB is restructuring and her responsibilities will be taken over by Alison Sadler from Suffolk ICB. Caron’s contributions to the Board were acknowledged and appreciated.

2. Adult Autism Diagnostic Services
The Board reviewed the current situation regarding adult autism assessments in Norfolk and Waveney. In Norfolk, the provider ABL Health has been working for about 9 months but inherited a backlog of approximately 1,138 people waiting for assessment. Waiting times are lengthy, with some individuals waiting around 4 years and new referrals possibly waiting up to 5 years. The number of completed assessments stands at 81, which is lower than expected due to previous staff leave. Staffing is now stable, so assessment rates are expected to increase.

In contrast, Waveney’s autism assessment service, delivered by Skylight Psychiatry, shows shorter waiting times (around 5 months) and a much smaller waiting list of 24 people. This difference highlights inequalities in service resourcing and capacity. The Board noted the potential impact of long waits on people seeking assessments through the “Right to Choose” route, which allows patients to access private providers when NHS waiting times are too long. The Board discussed the rise in use of this option and the challenges it poses for planning and visibility of demand.

3. Working Group Updates
The Diagnostic Working Group reflected current service delivery issues and staffing.
The Support Pathways Working Group is progressing work to gather feedback from autistic people and families about what good support looks like. They are developing a questionnaire to guide future service improvements and to explore the relevance of an Autism Quality Mark for Norfolk. This quality mark is still only in the scoping phase and not confirmed as a deliverable.
The Young Person Autism Advisory Group (YPAAG) did not meet in March but will discuss engagement with the “Now That’s What I Call Autism” event scheduled for 23rd April.
The Autism Forum Norfolk is preparing forums for April and May with focus on ideas and activities to engage the community.

4. Norfolk Autism Strategy Oversight Group (NASOG) Year Two Progress
The Board received an update on progress against the Year Two Action Plan for the Autism Strategy.
Areas of good progress highlighted include:
The Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust Autism Intensive Support Service pilot, which is recruiting specialist staff.
The planned development of mental health support teams in schools via the ICB.
Positive progress in training initiatives led by the Norfolk Autism Partnership Board and partners.

Areas of concern noted were a lack of updates from the Constabulary regarding their strategy, delays in progressing private diagnosis guidelines due to working group restructuring, and no recent updates on the Parent Carers Needs Assessment rollout. The Board agreed to wait for the next progress update before considering escalation.

Some changes to year two actions were also discussed. Certain local actions were adjusted or transferred to other organisational leads, and the Board agreed to communicate these changes in the end-of-year report rather than immediately updating the public document, to avoid confusion.

5. Digital Strategy for Adult Social Care
The Board heard a presentation from Sarah Rank and Stephen Boddington on the refreshed digital strategy for adult social care, which is focused on improving care through technology while ensuring digital inclusion and maintaining person-centred support. Key aims include reducing administrative workload for staff, better information sharing, and supporting independent living through assistive technologies.

The strategy emphasises that technology will support but not replace human relationships, and that non-digital options will remain available. AI tools may assist with administrative tasks but not decision making, which will remain human-led.

Board members were invited to provide feedback and raised questions on involving autistic people in the strategy design, avoiding over-reliance on AI, and ensuring choices in communication methods. It was agreed that further engagement would be sought via forums and working groups. An action was assigned to continue discussions on gathering feedback from autistic individuals.

6. “Now That’s What I Call Autism!” Event 2026
The Board was updated on preparations for the annual autism awareness event planned at The Forum Norwich on 23rd April 2026. The event aims to celebrate Autism Awareness Week, featuring speakers, a market with makers, information stands, and volunteers to assist.

Attendance is expected to be between 620 and 750 people, with a significant increase in promotion and engagement compared to the previous year. Accessibility arrangements including quiet spaces and travel information have been shared online. Members were encouraged to attend and help promote the event, with promotional materials to be re-circulated.

Key Decisions and Agreements
The Board approved the minutes and action log.
It was agreed to wait for the next progress update before taking escalation actions on areas of concern noted by NASOG.
The Board chose to communicate changes to Year Two Action Plan actions in the upcoming progress update rather than immediately updating the public-facing document.
It was agreed to pursue broader engagement with autistic people and other stakeholders in the ongoing development of the digital strategy.

Actions and Next Steps
Lee Gibbons will continue efforts to schedule follow-up meetings on various topics including carers’ involvement and community scrutiny panels.
The Board will contact the Integrated Care Board to re-establish engagement and the diagnostics group.
The Support Pathways Working Group will meet on 20th April to advance questionnaire development.
The Autism Strategy Oversight Group will meet on 11th May to review progress updates.
The next Norfolk Autism Partnership Board meeting is scheduled for 26th May 2026, where members will review progress and consider any escalation needs.
Further discussions will be held around gathering autistic people’s feedback on digital services.

The meeting closed with thanks from the co-chairs and confirmation of upcoming Board meeting dates in May, July, and September 2026, along with a reminder about the availability of the autism glossary online.