Autism Accreditation

The Autism Accreditation Programme is the UK’s only autism-specific quality assurance programme of support and development for all those providing services to autistic people. Achieving accreditation proves that an organisation is committed to understanding autism and setting the standard for autism practice. It is a way for organisations to show they offer excellent support to autistic children and adults.

Autism Accreditation is an internationally recognised quality standard and, with over 30 years of accreditation expertise, we are the longest running programme in the world.

What are the benefits?

The benefits of being recognised through the Autism Accreditation Programme include:

A more autism-focused service
Increased expertise in supporting autistic people
A foundation for informing strategic planning
Better outcomes for the autistic people you support/work with
Reassurance for families/carers
A more personalised service
Increased referrals to the service/school
A decrease in vacancies for placements
Evidence for commissioning bodies
Ongoing development for the service/school.

What does the programme consist of?

The programme consists of specific awards tailored to different provision types:

Autism Specialist Award

This award is tailored to specialist providers in the education, social care and prison fields.

Find out about the Autism Specialist Award

Autism Inclusion Award

This award is for mainstream providers in education, general health, community activities and the criminal justice system.

Read more about the Autism Inclusion Award

Autism Friendly Award

This award supports customer-facing organisations of all sizes to provide an autism-friendly environment and inclusive customer service.

Find out about the Autism Friendly Award

Inclusive Employer

Every organisation wants to be more inclusive – but knowing where to start can feel overwhelming, that’s where we come in.

Read more about becoming an Inclusive Employer

Product Approval Scheme

This scheme helps unlock new opportunities and supporting your efforts with autistic people.

Find out more about the Product Approval Scheme

Professional practice

Articles and opinion pieces written by professionals and autistic people who share their knowledge, good practice, research and advice for anyone working with autistic people.

Browse professional practice articles

Our newsletters

Main monthly newsletter, Autism Know How monthly, Education monthly, Criminal Justice quarterly, Employment quarterly.

Subscribe to our newsletters for professionals

Please note:

The Autism Accreditation Assessment awards are not equivalent to statutory assessments. The Autism Accreditation uses a different framework from statutory inspection bodies, focusing on the development of good practice in supporting autistic people.

The National Autistic Society is not a statutory accountability body. Our Autism Accreditation programmes do not audit provision's safeguarding procedures or policies. However, assessors are expected to follow the National Autistic Society’s Safeguarding Policy and report any concerns.