WAQ72999 (e) Tabled on 14/02/2017

Will the Cabinet Secretary outline how the Welsh Government is working with all public services to develop sustainable and timely support for those with autism spectrum disorder/Asperger's syndrome in Wales, and will he advise as to what consideration he will give to bringing forward legislation in this regard during the Fifth Assembly term?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport | Answered on 21/02/2017

I am responding due to my responsibilities for autism.

I am confident that the new legislation and policies we have introduced will achieve real advances in services and support for people with autism. The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 which commenced implementation in April last year will transform the way we meet the needs of all people with care and support needs in Wales, including people with autism and their carers. The Act puts the individual at the heart of decisions about their own care and support including defining their own wellbeing outcomes. Specific reference is made to ensuring the needs of people with autism are identified and addressed.

The refreshed Autistic Spectrum Disorder Strategic Action Plan published on 30th November 2016 was accompanied by a delivery plan to monitor implementation and measure the progress we are making. The key actions in the plan will be delivered through an all-age National Integrated Autism Service which is being rolled out across Wales. This is backed by £6 million Welsh Government investment over three years which will be delivered through our Regional Partnership Boards. These boards were formed under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and will ensure health boards, local authorities and the third sector are working together. The service will see new specialist teams in every region providing adult diagnosis, support in the community and advice and information for adults with autism, parents and carers and professionals. The first four regions: Cardiff and Vale, Cwm Taf, Gwent and Powys will offer this service from June this year and the roll out will be completed across Wales by March 2019.

The new integrated autism service will sit alongside improvements we are making to neurodevelopmental diagnosis and support for children through the Together for Children and Young People programme which is being supported by £2m funding each year. We are setting health boards a new waiting time target of 26 weeks from referral to first assessment appointment for both children and adults and will be collecting this data from the summer.

The Additional learning Needs (ALN) system being developed to replace the existing Special Educational Need system will provide for a radical new approach to supporting learners with ALN across the 0 to 25 age range including those with autism. The ALN Transformation Programme, already underway, is delivering improvements in practice now, including the new Learning with Autism primary school programme, launched last March, which was very well received. Similar resources are now being developed for early years, secondary schools and further education.

The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act and our new National Integrated Autism Service will work alongside the new refreshed Strategic Action Plan and Additional Learning Needs reforms to achieve long lasting improvements to the services and support available for children, young people and adults with autism and their families. Nonetheless, the Welsh Government has made a commitment to consider, in the future, the need for autism legislation if gaps in services and support exist that can only be addressed through new legislation.