Government makes landmark commitment in response to I Exist campaign

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Journalists: find our press release about the Government's announcement in the 'Related resources' section at the bottom of this page.

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We are delighted that the Government has listened to The National Autistic Society (NAS) and our campaigners and has announced a major commitment to improving the lives of adults with autism.

Ivan Lewis, Minister for Care Services within the Department of Health, has announced a set of measures that will expand Government capacity and expertise on autism, and will provide greater leadership to those delivering local services.

Following sustained pressure from us and our supporters, Mr Lewis has made a commitment to the following measures, which will build towards a national strategy for adults with autism:

• a full-time, senior autism advisor post within the Department of Health
• funding a study into the numbers of adults with autism
• funding research into the needs of young people with autism as they approach adulthood
• improving understanding of autism among professionals.

Mark Lever, NAS Chief Executive says:

"This is great news for the thousands of adults with autism who told us they feel isolated and ignored. We are delighted that the Government has listened and is taking decisive action. Today's announcement should mark a sea change in the way that the needs of people with autism are recognised and met. However, we will keep campaigning to ensure real change happens at ground level. Autism is a serious, lifelong and disabling condition and without the right support it can have a profound and sometimes devastating effect on individuals and families."

The National Autistic Society's I Exist campaign highlights the stark and often desperate reality for adults with autism, most of whom do not receive the support that they need. Our campaign report, I Exist: the message from adults with autism, was informed by adults with autism, their families and carers, as well as local authorities and primary care trusts. The Government has responded directly to the demands our campaign, and we'll closely monitor each of the commitments made in today's announcement.

The Government's commitments to adults with autism

A full-time, senior autism advisor post within the Department of Health
This role within the Department of Health will ensure that continuing focus and attention is given to autism. The Government has a crucial role to play in providing leadership to local agencies, and in removing the barriers that prevent people with autism accessing the support and services they need. This post will ensure that action is taken in these areas, and provide specific expertise on all departmental matters that relate to people affected by autism.

Funding a study into the numbers of adults with autism
Nobody knows how many adults there are with autism in the UK. This lack of information has led to the exclusion of people with autism in the planning of services and contributes to a lack of understanding of the condition. We are therefore delighted that the Department of Health has committed to funding a study that will begin to redress these issues, and hope to work with the Department to further inform this process.

Funding research into the needs of young people with autism as they approach adulthood
The transition from school to adulthood can be a difficult time for young people with autism, even more so for the large numbers of people who receive little or no support after their formal education has come to an end. We welcome the extra funds committed by the Department of Health to find out more about the experiences of young people in transition and what support should be available them.

Improving understanding of autism among professionals
To truly understand the needs of people with autism, those providing assessment and support services must first be trained in autism. Our I Exist report revealed that over two-thirds of all local authority care managers receive no autism training, either in their initial training or continuing professional development. Adults with autism are frequently isolated and ignored because of a lack of understanding from the professionals upon whom they rely.

The Department of Health has today announced that it will bring together a summit meeting of leading clinical advisors, social care experts and others to investigate what must be done to improve the professional training of those providing support and services.

These new measures will apply in England, but we have also celebrated successes in other nations.

In Scotland, new guidance to help meet the needs of adults with autism was published by the Scottish Government on World Autism Awareness Day. In Wales, the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Strategic Action Plan was published this month and includes a commitment to establish a group to identify specific issues that adults face and take forward work to tackle them. I Exist will launch in Northern Ireland later this year.

To request a copy of our I Exist report or to join our campaign, visit www.think-differently.org.uk

Related resources

Relevant documents for downloading

• 8 May: Charity welcomes landmark autism announcement (DOC)