Norfolk Autism Partnership Board

Meeting summary

Norfolk Autism Partnership Board Meeting Summary
Tuesday 26th May 2026, 13:00-15:00 via Microsoft Teams

What the Meeting Was About

This meeting of the Norfolk All Age Autism Partnership Board (NAPB) was held to provide updates from various working groups, discuss progress on the Norfolk Autism Strategy, review the recent “Now That’s What I Call Autism!” event, consider the impact of changes within the Integrated Care Board (ICB), and address any other business relevant to supporting autistic people across Norfolk.

Main Updates and Discussions

Working Group Updates

The Diagnostic Working Group is currently paused as new working arrangements with the Integrated Care Board are being established.

The Young Person Autism Advisory Group (YPAAG) met recently to review autism strategy priorities, focusing especially on employment for autistic adults. They identified limited awareness among young people about apprenticeships, work experience, and alternatives to college. They also highlighted concerns about employer understanding of autism and the need for autism awareness training. There is a strong call for support with life and employability skills such as IT, money management, and time management. Positive feedback was given about careers guidance sessions in schools. The next meeting will focus on health inequalities and mental health issues.

The Autism Forum Norfolk is changing its format due to low attendance, reducing the number of online forums from four to three per year and moving sessions to evenings for better accessibility. Upcoming forums will focus on housing needs, specialist health services, and reviewing progress on the Autism Strategy. It was noted that forums will not be recorded to ensure participants feel comfortable sharing lived experiences.

The Support Pathways Working Group has developed a questionnaire and workbook to gather experiences of support and test the need for a “kite mark” quality scheme for autism services. They have received a good number of responses mostly from autistic people and are analysing feedback to develop draft standards. There is an open position on this working group for interested participants.

Norfolk Autism Strategy Oversight Group

The Norfolk Autism Strategy Oversight Group (NASOG) provided an update on the progress of the Year 2 Plan. Overall progress was strong, with some amber actions improving to green and several actions completed. Good progress includes exceeding the target for SEND audits in schools and developing a partnership to support autistic prisoners into employment after release. However, organisational changes within the ICB are impacting progress on some actions, including stalled autism training for prison staff due to staffing changes.

A discussion highlighted that these issues may be linked to broader system and coordination challenges, particularly the loss of key contacts within the health and justice team. Delays in training are reducing workforce confidence, and details about the method of training delivery are still to be confirmed. NASOG is inviting an autistic person to join the group.

Now That’s What I Call Autism! 2026 Event

The recent “Now That’s What I Call Autism!” event held on 23 April 2026 at The Forum, Norwich, as part of Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month was reported as a success. It was co-produced to offer an affirming space celebrating autistic identity and creativity, involving many autistic makers and support organisations. The event had strong attendance, both in person and online, with over 4,200 people entering the building and a significant social media reach.

Positive feedback was received from stallholders and attendees, emphasising the welcoming atmosphere, good organisation, and networking opportunities. The event underspent its budget and key recommendations for future years include continuing it as an annual event during Autism Acceptance Month, considering weekend delivery to increase attendance, improving diversity among speakers and makers, and enhancing data collection methods for feedback and attendance.

The board formally acknowledged the success of this event and expressed support for continuing it annually with a commitment to making it autistic-led.

Impact of ICB Restructure

The meeting included an update on the recent merger and restructuring of the Integrated Care Board (ICB), which has led to significant staffing reductions affecting autism and mental health work. This has caused pauses in some groups and loss of data sharing, especially around autism diagnostics. The annual Autism Acceptance Month event delivery has been formally included in updated service specifications, with expectations that the provider will be contractually required to continue delivering key components including the event.

Concerns were raised about reduced capacity and uncertain future relationships with the ICB. The board noted that responsibility for strategy actions remains with named leads and organisations, but co-production and partnership working with the ICB are currently unclear. There is a risk of losing local expertise and continuity, with ongoing uncertainty until further clarity is received. The board agreed to continue discussions on this topic at the next meeting and welcomed identification of a new Senior Co-production Manager who may help improve engagement with the ICB.

Other Matters

A Member of Parliament (MP) for North Norfolk expressed interest in the Partnership Board after speaking with a member. The board agreed it would be useful to engage with the MP and invite them to a future meeting to learn more about the board’s work.

New and existing Norfolk County Council councillors have received induction on the Norfolk Autism Strategy. It was suggested that key information should be repeated regularly to help with understanding and retention. Councillors attending the NAPB forums was recommended as a good way to hear directly from autistic people and gain valuable feedback.

Actions and Next Steps

The board agreed several ongoing actions including arranging a follow-up meeting with a contact from the Department for Work and Pensions to discuss sharing employment-related findings.

The board coordinator will meet with relevant members to discuss the October Autism Forum.

The discussion on the impact of the ICB restructuring and related partnership working will continue at the next board meeting.

The MP interested in the Partnership Board will be invited to attend a future meeting.

The next NAPB meetings are scheduled for Tuesday 28th July 2026 and Tuesday 29th September 2026, both from 13:00 to 15:00.

For further information, a glossary of commonly used terms is available on the Norfolk Autism Partnership website.

Summary

This meeting covered important updates on autism support and strategy activity in Norfolk, highlighted ongoing challenges related to organisational change within health and justice systems, and celebrated the success of a major autistic-led event. The board agreed to maintain its work on improving support pathways, engaging with partners and commissioners, and fostering co-production. The meeting underscored the need for clear communication and strategic relationships as Norfolk adapts to wider health system changes.