4. Living well
Autistic adults living in Rotherham will get the right support when needed
Vision
All autistic people living in Rotherham enjoy the best possible health and wellbeing and have a good quality of life
How will we get there?
1. Autistic people and their families have told us they aspire to have a range of housing options. Housing is a fundamental requirement to ensure people with autism can live as independently as they are able. Families and people with autism benefit from autism-friendly homes – often associated with the benefit of additional rooms; outdoor areas to allow for personal space and aide coping mechanisms. A clear pathway and greater choice of appropriate accommodation is needed to assist people to move in a structured way to independence within their chosen community. The Council are developing new supported living options for people with a learning disability and autism in 2020/21.
2. People with autism experience general barriers in engaging with the police and criminal justice system. People with autism are sometimes reluctant to engage with the Police when they are victims of crime. A lack of understanding and awareness of autism within the Criminal Justice System (CJS) is also a potential barrier.
- Autism-awareness training sessions is planned for all South Yorkshire Police officers
- Hate crime awareness training sessions (dealing with hate crime, being radicalised, controlling and
- cohersive behaviour, being groomed or abused in other ways.)
3. Local diagnostic and post-diagnostic services need to be able to undertake a comprehensive assessment that can take alternative diagnoses and co-existing disorders into account. They also need to be able to identify specific needs relating to communication, behaviour, physical or sensory conditions that might, regardless of diagnosis, suggest a need for further assessment.
Rotherham CCG will
- Review Of current adult diagnostic service, to include local and national indicators of volume and waiting lists.
- New local adult diagnostic pathway developed that demonstrates improvement to accessing specialist assessments, with an investment of £300k
- Specialist assessments are available closer to home
4. There was general agreement that more awareness and an understanding of autism was needed. This was not limited to health and care services. It also includes:
- Schools, colleges and early years’ services
- Workplaces
- Housing
- General community
- Transport providers
- Leisure services
- Reception staff
- An e-awareness campaign in 2020 will be developed which target key organisations (all RMBC social care staff, RDaSH and TRFT).
- A wider awareness campaign (phase 2) to extend to partners and universal community services.
- We want all public bodies in Rotherham to ensure that the needs of autistic young people and adults are considered and captured in Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs).
- We will raise public awareness in relation to autism and hate crime/safeguarding.
5. Autistic people living in Rotherham have talked about having mental health problems and problems in accessing the right support -
- Mental health awareness (including suicide prevention) for autistic adults by raising awareness of ‘Being the One - Be the One – Preventing suicide in Rotherham – talk, listen, care.
- Ensuring Rotherham-wide opportunities such as the Five Ways to Wellbeing and ensure the opportunities offered by Get Healthy Rotherham is accessible for autistic people - Get Healthy Rotherham
