Another Autism First for Wales

Welsh Labour’s Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas today announced the appointment of an Autism Employment Ambassador for Wales.

Robert Lloyd Griffiths, a Director of the Institute of Directors, Wales has taken up this part-time post for an 18 month period. His role will be to raise the profile of employing people with autism and to demonstrate how businesses in Wales can benefit from the talents, skills and knowledge that people with autism can bring to the workplace.

The role will be complemented by an awareness raising campaign and a series of training packages currently being developed by Careers Wales and Job Centre Plus for employers and related agencies. This new appointment is considered to be the first of its kind in the UK and possibly the world. It is also only one element in a number of innovative projects being taken forward by the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government to enable adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to fulfil their potential in today’s society.

In April 2008, the Labour-led welsh Assembly Government scored another world first with the launch of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Strategic Action Plan for Wales. The Action Plan was the first of its kind in the UK if not in the world. The Strategic Action Plan sets out how Wales plans to meet the needs of adults, young people and children with ASD, their families and carers. Funding of £170,000 over three years was subsequently agreed for an All Wales Employment publicity campaign; the appointment of a Wales Employment Ambassador; and awareness raising and training support for staff within Careers Wales, Job Centre Plus and for Disability Employment Advisory.

There are over 18,000 adults with autism of working age in Wales today. Some, especially those with associated severe learning disabilities, will find it difficult to enter open employment, however there are a great many who want to work and have a lot to offer employers.

Currently the National Autistic Society believe that only 11% of adults with autism are in full-time employment. 7% of adults with autism are in part time work and 5% in some form of voluntary work. This is much lower that other disabilities which on average is 50%.

Learning disabled are full citizens

Wales is committed to making sure all people with a learning disability are full citizens, equal in status and value to other citizens of the same age, with the same rights as every other person in the country.

A team of learning disability professionals, parents and people with learning disabilities headed up by a professor from Cardiff University School of Medicine has guided the Welsh Assembly Government in developing a learning disability policy for the 21st Century.

The Learning Disability Implementation Advisory Group, co-chaired by Professor David Felce, Director of the Welsh Centre for Learning Disabilities in the Department of Psychological Medicine, advised the Assembly on the implementation of a new Statement on Policy and Practice for Adults with a Learning Disability.

“It sets out a vision for the future for people with a learning disability and will guide the future design and delivery of Wales’ health and social services to people with learning disabilities”, explains Professor Felce.

The Learning Disability Implementation Advisory Group was established in 2003 by the Welsh Assembly Government to advise on the implementation of the All Wales Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities.

The Group’s ongoing advice and guidance of was praised by the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services, Gwenda Thomas AM, during the official launch of the Statement at the Senedd.

She said:

“This group has provided helpful and thoughtful advice to the Welsh Assembly Government on a wide range of issues that affect the lives of people with learning disabilities. It has played a key role in developing our new contemporary statement.

“I am sure that these new principles will be absorbed and embraced quickly by all learning disability stakeholders and will soon become an integral part of the cultural and philosophical approach that will help guide the future design and development of service and support arrangements for adults with a learning disability.”

The Advisory Group is working on an Action Plan to follow up the policy statement.