Issue - meetings

Cabinet Members: Councillor Elin Walker Jones and Councillor Dilwyn Morgan

To consider the update on progress

DECISION

a)    To accept the report, noting the observations made during the meeting.

b)    Establish a Task and Finish Group to discuss the implementation of the Plan with the new team and ensure representation from the Education Department and the Health Board.

c)    To receive a progress report in 6 months.

The Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being highlighted that the report was a joint report between the Adults Services and the Children's Services to ensure that the Autism plan was incorporated smoothly into both services. He noted, as Chair of the Regional Partnership Board (which is responsible for gathering information to improve and the quality of the services provided to autistic people and their families or carers), that the Plan received prominent attention.

Councillor Elin Walker Jones (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) confirmed that significant progress had been made by Cyngor Gwynedd since the Code of Practice for the Delivery of Autism Services came into force in September 2021. There was reference to the successful bid that had been made which would mean that staffing resources could be increased for the development of Autism services across the County, development of E-learning modules to raise the awareness of Local Authority staff, the Health Board and the Police and reference to the National Autism Team which had a general role in the development of services throughout Wales and, by meeting every quarter, provided an opportunity to share relevant information and updates.

It was noted that the priorities for the next six months included

·       An induction plan for the new team and the launch of the new service to raise awareness.

·       Establishing clear processes and arrangements for the team to work across children's and adults' services. Contacting existing forums.

·       Further strengthening the links with the Regional Integrated Autism Service, attending their local information events and looking for opportunities to work alongside their contact worker in Gwynedd.

·       Engaging with autistic individuals and their families as well as partners locally in order to move towards the co-production of local services.

·       Establishing a working relationship with the neurodevelopmental service and offering support during the early stages of assessment and diagnosis.

·       Completing the implementation update as part of the baseline assessment for north Wales by the end of May.

·       Reviewing Gwynedd's autism plan based on the information contained in the baseline assessment.

Gratitude was expressed for the presentation.

During the discussion, the following observations were submitted by members:

·       Praise for the work that the service does.

·       Welcoming the appointment of a Coordinator/Project Officer to develop Autism Services.

·       That it was necessary to ensure Welsh language appointments so that children from Welsh households were not at a disadvantage.

·       That there was a need to see change and ensure that this was not merely a paper exercise.

·       That the Autism Bus was excellent (offering innovative and practical training developed to give people who are not autistic an experience of the difficulties faced by people on the autism spectrum) and that this touring bus should be promoted.

·       That the spectrum was broad and that it was important to recognise who really needed support.

·       That there was a need to ensure appropriate support for adults and children as they went through the assessment process.

·       Concern that children were being rejected by the assessment service because they did not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5