Help shape the Buckinghamshire Autism Strategy

Closed 7 Jul 2022

Opened 31 May 2022

Contact

Talkback UK

07419 989006

autismviews@talkback-uk.com

Feedback updated 5 Sep 2023

We asked

Working with Talkback UK, we asked for views to help create a new autism strategy for autistic children, young people and adults.

Talkback set up 3 different surveys and ran a series of workshops from 31 May to 7 July 2022.

You said

We received 356 responses to the surveys from:

  • 104 autistic adults
  • 136 parents / carers
  • 116 professionals

Talkback also ran:

  • 3 face to face workshops and 4 online workshops – attended by 74 people
  • 11 face to face individual interviews with leaders from the voluntary and community sector (VCS) and education – representing over 1,000 residents
  • 13 online individual interviews (9 with autistic people, 2 parents and 2 professionals)

The feedback showed 6 overall issues:

  1. lack of understanding and acceptance
  2. lack of reasonable adjustments
  3. lack of resources – i.e. primarily staff and specialist facilities (and focus on cost rather than need)
  4. diagnosis delays leading to support delays
  5. complicated pathways from referral onwards
  6. lack of lifetime support and lack of awareness of support services / groups that exist

For more information about the issues raised and recommendations, see the Talkback Community Feedback Report August 2022 (PDF 0.53MB).

We did

We used feedback to create a draft autism strategy with 5 equally important priorities:

  • improving awareness and understanding of autism
  • tackling health and care inequalities
  • developing a needs-based approach – so that autistic children and young people get the best start in life
  • developing better support for employment and meaningful activities
  • ensuring more autistic adults maintain their independence

We asked for views on the draft strategy from 17 July to 24 September 2023.

Overview

Buckinghamshire Council logoTalkback UK logo

We are working with Talkback UK to seek feedback on how our services are working for autistic residents. This will help guide Buckinghamshire’s new All-Age Autism Strategy.

Following Covid and the launch of the new national autism strategy last year, we are creating a new autism strategy for Buckinghamshire. This will be an all-age strategy.

Our All-Age Autism Strategy will outline what we need to do to ensure Buckinghamshire is inclusive of all autistic children, young people, and adults.

The strategy will set out our vision, priorities, and areas of development to deliver effective and meaningful services for autistic people and their families.

We want the strategy to influence a positive impact on the lives of autistic people of all ages and abilities across Buckinghamshire.

To help us write this strategy, we need a better understanding of what is working well and what needs to be improved about the way we deliver our services and support for autistic residents.

We want to hear from:

  • autistic people
  • parent or carers of those with autism
  • people who support those with autism in a professional capacity

To help gain feedback from people living with autism, we have asked Talkback UK to run several surveys and workshops.

Talkback UK is an autism and learning disability charity. They work with people and groups to make the lives of autistic individuals and those with a learning disability better.

We understand that a lot has changed in the last two years and now is a great opportunity for people’s views and opinions to be heard.

How to have your say

You can have your say by completing an online survey or attending a workshop.

Online surveys

To make sure we get a wide range of views, Talkback have set up three different surveys, one for:

  • autistic people, 
  • parent or carers of those with autism, and 
  • people who support those with autism in a professional capacity

You can access the surveys using the link at the end of the page.

As a small thank you for completing a survey, Talkback will happily donate £1 to your chosen Buckinghamshire charity.

If you have any questions about this activity, please email caroline.morris@talkback-uk.com or autismviews@talkback-uk.com. You can also call Caroline Morris on 07419 989006.

Please tell us your views before the surveys close at midnight on Friday 24 June 2022.

Workshops to have your say

To get more in-depth feedback, Talkback will also be holding a series of in-person and online workshops between Monday 20 June and Thursday 7 July 2022.

You are welcome to come along and talk to us about your experiences of living with autism in Buckinghamshire.

Spaces are limited and you will need to book your place.

For details and times of each workshop and how to book your place, please see the Talkback UK website using the link at the end of the page.

What happens next

The feedback and views shared through the surveys and workshops will be used to help shape the Buckinghamshire All-Age Autism Strategy.

We will consult on a draft version of the strategy by the end of 2022.

Areas

  • All Areas

Interests

  • Social care
  • Children & young people
  • Communities