National Autistic Society To Demand Action From Local Authorities

Local authorities must appoint specific teams to help adults with autism, a major charity will demand.

In a session of the National Children and Adult Services Conference in Liverpool next month, the National Autistic Society will call on local authorities to record the number of adults with autism in their area and appoint named individuals to take responsibility for them.

As part of it’s ‘I Exist’ campaign, the charity will tell the conference, organised by the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, that two-thirds of local authorities do not know how many adults with autism live in their area.

The Society claims that without this fundamental information, local authorities will find it ‘extremely difficult’ to properly plan services that people with autism need.

It will say that while the Government has told directors of adult social services to appoint a named individual or team with responsibility for autism, just 39% have done so.

The conference, which takes place at the Liverpool Arena and Conference Centre, runs from the 22nd to the 24th of October. The National Autistic Society session takes place on the 22nd of October.