Western Mail Column: Wales must take care as it leads the way on ASD

Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, outlines how the Assembly Government is tackling this challenge of improving the provision for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Autism is a lifelong developmental condition that can occur in varying degrees of severity resulting in difficulties with social interaction, communication and imagination.

Thankfully, awareness of ASD in Wales has come on in leaps and bounds over the past five or six years, but there is still so much more that we can all do.

That is why I was delighted to be able to announce on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government last week the launch of a new, wide-ranging action plan that will help the estimated 30,000 that are either directly or indirectly affected by Autism in Wales.

As a result of establishing the Autistic Spectrum Disorder Strategic Action Plan, Wales is the first country in the world to have established a national action plan for autism.

But we are conscious of the fact that with introducing an innovative policy comes responsibility, as our colleagues in England, Scotland, Ireland and beyond will now be looking to us to act as pioneers in this respect.

This new cross-cutting action plan, that has been allocated £1.8m for the first year – in addition to the £1.7m previously allocated to support children with ASD in the revenue support grant since last year – is intended to drive improvements across both children, young people’s and adult services in health, social and education services in Wales and expanding into areas of housing, leisure and society in general.

So, how do we see the action plan actually helping those who are either directly or indirectly affected by autism in Wales?

Integral to the success of the action plan is the appointment of an implementation support manager that will be able to drive forward the first key actions – which is why I am delighted with the appointment of Hugh Morgan, chief executive of Autism Cymru, to this crucial role.
One of the key actions is the appointment of an autism “champion” by each local authority in Wales, who will be tasked with mapping out needs and services at local level.

Hugh’s role will be vital in this respect. He will have to liaise with the LA champions and draw together the delivery of the action plan. This will provide the foundation for future work and is integral to its success. I am more than confident that Hugh and local agencies will deliver against this very challenging agenda.

While the first year is crucial to future developments, it is evident there is an ongoing need to undertake other actions to vastly increase the awareness and training of practitioners within the education, health and social care sectors.

We are also committed to establishing a Welsh Assembly Government Task and Finish Group this year, to investigate, evaluate and report on the evidence for effective interventions and models of services for adults with autism, an area that has not been adequately explored previously.

This will involve many stakeholders in the public, private and voluntary sector, including both major autism charities, Autism Cymru and National Autistic Society.

The Welsh Assembly Government has shown it’s commitment to this issue and the publication of the ASD Strategic Action Plan, the allocation of funding, the appointment of someone of Hugh’s calibre are all developments to be celebrated.

Autism is a global phenomenon and I’m both proud and excited by the fact Wales is playing a leading role in helping to develop responses to it on the world stage.

World first to improve autism services in Wales

New, wide-ranging efforts to tackle autism and improve services for those who are affected by the condition were announced today [Tuesday, 22 April] by the Welsh Assembly Government's Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas.

The Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Strategic Action Plan is to be launched today at the 3rd Wales International Autism Conference organised by Autism Cymru in Cardiff. Funding for the next 3 years has been identified with the first years funding of £1.8m being announced to drive forward key actions for the first years.

Wales is the first country in the world to have established a cross-cutting national strategic action plan for ASD that will help the estimated 30,000 people that are either directly or indirectly affected by Autism in Wales.

The Action Plan will drive improvements across both children, young people’s and adult services in health, social services and education services – and also expand into areas of housing, leisure and society in general.

Wales has secured another coup in the appointment of Hugh Morgan OBE, Chief Executive of Autism Cymru, to the post of Implementation Manager to drive forward the very important first 12 months developments in the mapping of needs and services which has to be undertaken by every Local Authority in Wales.

Speaking at today’s conference, Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, said:

"An increasing number of people are being diagnosed with Autism in Wales and there is a need to improve the provision that is available for children, young people and adults with ASD.

"It’s crucial that people with Autism have every opportunity to fulfil their potential which is why the Welsh Assembly Government has committed to having an ASD Strategic Action Plan in place which addresses the needs of all ages, touches on all agencies and involves individuals and their families/carers in the decision making process.

"We are doing something positive in Wales to address this issue and we can be proud of the fact that we are witnessing yet another ‘World first’ for Wales with the launch of this new Strategic Action Plan today.

"The Welsh Assembly Government has worked closely with both major Autism charities to develop our Action Plan. With real partnership working between a wide range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations we will see a positive and sustainable change that will benefit the individual with ASD, their families and society.

"I am delighted to have Hugh Morgan in the key role of Implementation Manager and am sure his world renowned expertise will only further enhance this ground breaking strategy.

RECYCLING BOOST FOR NEATH PORT TALBOT WELCOMED

Recycling efforts in Neath Port Talbot are to be boosted by an extra £2.1m over the next year, thanks to the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government.

Neath Labour AM Gwenda Thomas has welcomed the announcement by the Welsh Minister for Environment, Sustainability & Housing, Jane Davidson AM, of additional cash to increase recycling and composting rates and to cut the amount of waste going to landfill in Neath Port Talbot.

The funding is part of a £50 million Wales-wide package to local authorities under the Assembly Government’s ‘Sustainable waste management grant’. This is an increase of £15 million over the previous year.

Welcoming the announcement, Gwenda Thomas said:

"This is a major investment in the way our waste in Neath Port Talbot is managed, which will lead to more recycling and composting and less waste going to landfill.

“The extra cash will support Neath Port Talbot Council as it moves towards the target for recycling and composting 40 per cent of waste by 2010 and I am pleased to see that the Assembly Government is asking councils to target the extra funding on looking at ways to recycle food waste.

"We have made a great deal of progress with recycling in Wales, with the Labour-led Neath Port Talbot Council making terrific progress in increasing the percentage of waste being recycled, with the award winning curb side recycling scheme being a particular success story.

Gwenda added:

“However, we still have a lot to do and today's announcement will lead to further progress at a time when more and more people of all ages are telling me that they want to do their bit for the environment.

“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face, and dealing with our waste effectively is one important way of tackling it. This investment clearly shows that the Labour-led Assembly Government is committed to a cleaner, greener Wales.”