Issue - meetings

To present the findings and recommendations of the Task and Finish Group.

a)    Accept the findings of the Task and Finish Group.

b)    To ask the service:-

·         to undertake an audit of the situation regarding the professional training of staff who work in the field as a first step.

·         Then to consider setting a target for completing training with the aim to include it on the core training programme as follows:-

a) staff who work or who come into contact with people with autism (by department and including schools) and

b) raising awareness training amongst all Council staff.

·      to build on the training for staff in schools and surgeries regarding referring to the Neuro-Developmental Team in cases where they are not eligible.

·      to encourage all the Councillors to follow the Autism Awareness training e-module and attend open days across the County which enables everyone to experience the autism bus.

c)    It was recommended that the Scrutiny Committee in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Children and Families to contact the Cabinet Member for Housing and Property to secure input from the Additional Learning Needs Service to any development of a new school or any future adaptations to schools to make them suitable for individuals with autism e.g. quiet spaces, the ability to dim lighting etc. It would be beneficial to establish the principle of ensuring input from the Autism Team (Children and Adults Department) for any new development or adaptation to any other Council building.⁠

ch) Following concern that the plan was currently grant-funded, that the Care Scrutiny Committee asks for an update after a further 12 months of operating to ensure that progress is continuing, and request the input of Education and Health once again.

Submitted - the report of the Chair of the Autism Plan Task and Finish Group, Councillor Elwyn Jones, which invited the committee to scrutinise findings and recommendations of the Task and Finish Group.

In the absence of Councillor Elwyn Jones from the meeting, the report was presented by the Democracy and Language Services Manager. It was noted that the Chair of the Task and Finish Group wished to:-

·         Thank all the officers, not only for their work in preparing before the task group meeting, but also for their contribution during the meeting and their clear and honest answers.

·         Thank his fellow councillors for the preparation work before the meeting and for presenting such good questions during the meeting, and that he was of the opinion that ensuring clear understanding came as a result of robust questioning and responses.

·         Emphasise that every member also had an integral role to participate in the training available in the autism field.

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and offer observations. 

A member of the Task and Finish Group noted that:-

·         The personal experience and professional insight of Councillors Dawn Jones and Gwynfor Owen had steered the Group's discussions, and he thanked them for their valuable contributions.

·         It was a pleasure to collaborate and see the work that went into the autism field and clear transparency and honest discussion was had with the officers.

·         He wished to give specific attention to recommendation 3, which related to ensuring that the development of any new school or adjustments to any school in the future was suitable for individuals with autism, and recommendation 4, which asked for an update for the committee after a further 12 months of operating to ensure that progress continued.

The Statutory Director of Social Services noted that:-

·         This was an excellent report and that he was happy that the Group had addressed this extremely important subject.

·         The autism field was a field that was increasing in terms of the number of people who needed support and was a field that increased in terms of complexity too.

·         One of the most challenging factors was that a grant paid for a substantial percentage of the new Autism Team, and because there was no assurance that the Welsh Government would protect this money in the future, there was a need to safeguard the Council and the people who received the services by looking at that.

·         There was definitely a need to take advice when planning any new building or adaptation to any of the Council's buildings or schools to ensure that they were suitable for individuals with autism, but it would suggest amending the wording of recommendation 3 as follows in order to reflect the fact that the Education Department had their own team who had specific expertise in terms of building schools, and also to clearly highlight the responsibilities:-

Recommend that the Scrutiny Committee, jointly with the Cabinet Member for Children and Families, contacted the Cabinet Member for Housing and Property to ensure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7