Where next for autism policy and practice?

This Autism Acceptance Week, we are sharing Dimensions thought paper: “Where next for autism policy and practice?”; shaped by a range of internal and external experts – including experts by experience – during Dimensions’ first ‘Autism Summit.’

On 4 February, Dimensions first Autism Summit brought together 60 expert delegates including many self-advocates contributed to discussions covering autism friendly environments, hate crime, the language we use and autism policy and practice.

Discussions on autism policy and practice focused on the government’s strategic autism theme of “Making sure autistic people get help in their communities.” They resulted in a set of policy recommendations outlined in our thought paper, which we are sharing with the government’s Autism Strategy Executive Group and the APPG on Inappropriate Institutional Care.

Download Dimensions “Where next for autism policy and practice?” thought paper here.

Policy recommendations

1. Fix the numerous perverse financial disincentives to discharge, for example the settings of the dowry system, through a full review of the financial structures associated with transforming care. Money should never be a reason for keeping a person locked up.
2. No ATU should be able to score better than inadequate in a CQC inspection if more than (x) patients are missing an in-date CTR.
3. No ATU should be able to score better than inadequate in a CQC inspection if more than (x) in an inspected sample are considered to fail quality parameters.
4. Every CTR to identify locally present organisations with experience of supporting people out of ATUs.
5. An outright ban on for-profit organisations running ATUs.
6. Strengthen family information networks through funding independent advocacy groups.
7. Increase funding to the Disabled Facilities Grant, extending maximum funding beyond the current £30k limit for people in exceptional situations – and commit to this in the long term.
8. Commit funds to specialist housing development in line with forecast long term demand
9. Require a proportion of ‘social housing’ in mainstream developments to include restricted funding for alterations to meet individual accessibility requirements
10. Fund social care in line with the Local Government Association’s (or similar) assessment of need.

We will publish further thought papers in the near covering each of the topics discussed in Dimensions Autism Summit 2022, which include: tackling hate crime and abuse, changing how we think and speak about autism and Dimensions Autism Friendly Environments, to help progress thinking on how society can become more inclusive for autistic people.