Autism Strategy for Adults
who live and work in
Nottingham City
2014 - 2017
One Size Fits One
Ensuring autistic people live fulfilling and rewarding lives
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“One Size Fits One” - Autism Strategy for Adults
Nottingham City’s Vision
Nottingham city’s vision is for autistic people,
including high functioning autism to be
acknowledged, to have equal opportunities
regardless of their cultural background or age, to
live fulfilling and rewarding lives and for there to be
recognition that for citizens with autistic spectrum
conditions “One Size Fits One”.
This might be through their social, family or
employment circumstances, access to universal
services or more targeted services.
What is Autism?
As a city we recognise that each individual with autism is unique.
In Nottingham we have adopted the social model of disability and therefore want to
adopt an empowering aspirational definition for the strategy, one which promotes
equal access and quality of life outcomes for autistic people.
The co-production’s empowering definition:
Autism is a lifelong condition it affects the way a person communicates with, and
relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around
them. It is a spectrum of different needs – so it is essential to look at the individual.
Autistic people are neurologically different to non-autistic people. They can therefore
have different areas of strength and challenge when compared to others. As
society is centred upon the skills and needs of the majority, autistic people face
challenges fitting into society and further challenges to be understood and
to understand the general population.
Sometimes autistic people communicate or use language in a
different manner to non-autistic people.This can be more direct
and to the point, sometimes without social nuance. There are
both advantages and disadvantages to this different way of
communicating.
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There are Six Priority Actions being proposed for achieving
Fulfilling and Rewarding lives “One Size Fits One”
1. Understanding the Needs of Autistic People
• There are over 2,600 autistic adults in Nottingham city.
Understand how people
with autism might think,
communicate and see
the world before you can
consult. Find appropriate
ways to build networks
with, talk and engage with
people with autism.
Treat autism as a separate condition
rather than an ‘add on’ to mental
health and/or learning disability.
The aim of this recommendation is to get better at understanding the need of people
across the autism spectrum, in order to plan and develop appropriate services.
Recommended Actions
1. Improve knowledge of the numbers of autistic people using health services.
2. Improve recording of autism within disability monitoring by public services.
3. Raise awareness of the Equality Duty with regards to autistic people, particularly
the requirement to offer reasonable adjustments to services.
4. Public sector equality objectives to include actions relating to autistic people.
5. Nottingham City’s Partnership Board SPLAT (Speak, Listen, Act, Together) to
incorporate autistic adults, their families and carers.
Think Autism Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives 2014 states:
Autism is neither a learning disability nor a mental health problem,
although mental health problems can be more common among
people with autism and it is estimated that one in three of adults
with a learning disability also have autism.
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2. Challenge Stigma – Raise Awareness and
Understanding of Autism
Training and awareness of autism is a real priority.
It must involve people with autism in the planning
and delivery.
A key aim for this strategy is to increase awareness, to develop “Champions” with
knowledge and understanding, so we behave wisely and sophisticatedly when
delivering services to autistic people.
Recommended Actions
1. Establish and implement an Autism Training Programme for Nottingham city
incorporating voluntary/community private and public sector and the Criminal
Justice System.
2. Create “Autism Champions” to raise awareness, challenge stigma and promote
good practice to influence Nottingham city services.
3. Set targets and monitor the impact of an incentivised quality payment scheme for
community forensic teams.
4. Coordinate a catalogue of “Appropriate/Preferred” Autism Trainers.
5. Generate opportunities to deliver Countywide training among voluntary/community,
health and social care partners, and private organisations.
6. Develop a “Charter/Quality Mark” for organisations that are autism friendly.
Autism Training should reflect current good practice and
knowledge. It should be consistent to avoid contradictions and
confusion across services. However, it also needs to enable staff
to feel confident to adapt what they have learnt and respond
accordingly to different situations.
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3. Improve Transitions Support from Childhood to
Adulthood is key
Autistic people can find change difficult and are often unable to visualise what
life might be like in the future. Transition from children’s to adult services is a
particularly challenging time for young autistic people and is often associated with
high levels of anxiety.
Recommended Actions:
My mum is not sure of my future.
She is so worried when I change to
1. In partnership with the Clinical
adult services. She does not want
Commissioning Group (CCG) led
me to spend my time in a secure
multi-agency group develop an
unit. Mum knows my needs, and
Information and Advice Hub to
with the threat of cuts, no one is
support children, young people,
sure what is there in the future.
adults and their families to ensure
a coherent approach.
2. Nottingham Futures to improve
the recording and sharing of information to support better
understanding and knowledge regarding autism needs.
3. Nottingham Futures frontline staff to receive Autism training, including how to
support and signpost carers.
4. Raise the concerns about the numbers of young autistic people accessing the
criminal justice system.
Remember that the transition from primary to
secondary school can also be really difficult for
autistic people.
Transitions happen at a number
of stages of life... Bereavement,
Divorce, new job...
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4. Accessible Pathway for Diagnosis
and Assessment
It is crucial to develop a clear and easily accessible process which is effective
before, during and after diagnosis; with the primary aim of enabling individuals to
remain independent, make choices to live fulfilling and rewarding lives.
Assessments should ask about the practical support people with
Aspergers need everyday – not just focus on whether you can
complete a task.
Recommended Action:
1. The Health and Wellbeing Board know how many people are diagnosed with autism
and how services are planned to meet need.
2. A clear and concise diagnosis and assessment pathway is clearly communicated
and known by professionals, autistic people and carers.
3. Key partners delivering services for autistic people are actively linking services and
establishing levers to enable smooth transitions along the autism pathway.
4. Connect the Multi-Agency pathway
to support children and young people
with challenging behaviours (including
I want a timely diagnosis
ADHD/ASD), in Nottingham city – with
from a trained professional.
the Adults pathway.
I want relevant information
and support throughout the
diagnostic process.
Nottingham City Aspergers Service offers a unique and positive multidisciplinary
diagnostic and support service.
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5. Access to Education
and Employment Opportunities;
During Consultation
• Most people feel the strategy would help autistic people have the chance to
learn and get a job but this would need commitment and involvement from other
organisations beyond statutory services.
• A number of people with autism talked about their negative experiences of work
and the types of support that could help them get and keep a job.
Recommended Actions:
1. Accessible information and advice to be made
available about education, employment, training
and benefits.
2. Provide Transitions support to enable access
to work placements, apprenticeships and
volunteering.
3. Employment Partners to be encouraged to
sponsor the adults strategy for autistic people,
and raise awareness and promote equality of
opportunity.
4. Ensure Nottingham City Council’s employment
initiatives are able to accommodate and include autistic people.
5. Reasonable adjustments to be promoted among employers by Jobcentre Plus, the
Partnership Board and voluntary/community organisations.
Move away from the idea that having academic
qualifications means you do not need
additional support.
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6. Living a Fulfilling and Rewarding Life in the Local
Community, with Access to Support Networks
Increasing Health and Wellbeing and Resilience
Autism is a lifelong condition and people may need to use services at any time in their
life. Nottingham city’s focus is to enable and empower autistic people to have equal
access to opportunities and options to live fulfilling lives. This will be achieved by
• Recognising “One Size Fits One” and providing the ability to make
informed choices.
Recommended Action:
1. Recognising and supporting the pivotal role of
natural and community support networks, by
linking them into SPLAT.
2. Raise awareness of the Equality Duty and
Reasonable Adjustments to ensure services are
accessible, e.g. the Choice Based Letting service
for housing; Leisure Centres and the City card.
3. Autism Training and Awareness to include
adapting processes, design for potential
sensitivities e.g. lighting and layout of space,
information.
4. Create “Autism Champions” to raise awareness, challenge stigma and promote
good practice to influence Nottingham city services.
5. Enable access to mainstream services by providing a suite of Information and
Advice available at Nottingham City services and locations including Service
Centres, Health Centres.
6. Building on the consultation, gain further information on the types of housing
options autistic people would prefer.
Health Support
7. Acquire an autism health facilitator or assign a team member as a “Champion.”
8. Expand the Acute Learning Disability Liaison Team to include an autism lead/
“Champion.”
Carers Support
9. Carers to be offered quality Carers Assessments with a focus on empowerment,
signposting to community and voluntary support services and group support.
10.Establish support mechanisms for carers and families of autistic people.
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How will One Size Fits One be Checked?
Nottingham City’s Health and Wellbeing Board is
ultimately responsible for ensuring the governance
mechanism is in place and functions effectively to
achieve Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives.
Nottingham City’s Partnership Board “SPLAT”
- Speak, Listen, Act Together, brings together
partners providing services in the public, private,
community and voluntary sector to share information
about what is happening in the local area and find
creative solutions to make sure individuals live
fulfilling and rewarding lives.
The Autism Co-production group will form a strand of SPLAT, who will provide
information and report into the Health and Wellbeing Board.
This process provides the opportunity for autistic people who may also have a learning
disability, their Carers and families to:
• Agree the priorities and actions to achieve “One Size Fits One”.
• Check that the work partners are doing fits in with what everyone else is doing.
• Measure the progress and difference this strategy creates.
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Useful Information and Advice
Voluntary and Community Organisations
Autistic
Nottingham and
East Midlands
Monthly Social Night for adults to make friends and network with
other autistic people their families and professionals.
Advice and Support for those wishing to obtain diagnosis, on
Employment, signposting to other organisations.
email: [email protected]
A parent/carer led organisation whose mission is to ‘Support and
Empower Families to be Heard and Achieve Better Outcomes’.
email: [email protected]
Beverley Denby on 0115 934 8451 / 07837 278 981.
A leading autism charity offering a wide range of services designed
to support people affected by autism, including a specialist school,
outreach and supported living services, as well as residential and
day services for young people and adults. NORSACA runs specialist
training for parents and professionals. We also operate one of the very
few autism-specific diagnostic and assessment centres in the country.
Telephone: 0115 976 1805
Web: www.norsaca.org.uk
“SPLAT” – Speak, Listen, Act Together
Nottingham City’s Learning Disability and Autism Partnership Board.
Telephone: 07814 712 367
email: [email protected]
There is an NHS NottinghamAspergers service.
Talk to your GP about a referral for diagnosis if you think you have autism.
Nottingham City Council’s Adult Social Care Services
If you or someone else on your behalf thinks you are struggling to live independently,
contact Nottingham Health and Care Point hotline on 0300 300 3333;
email: [email protected] or, if you prefer, visit us in person.