Issue - meetings

Purpose of the item: To update the Select Committee on progress to deliver the aims and objectives set out in the strategy within the first year of the implementation phase and seek support for continuing the work. 

Witnesses:

Sinead Mooney – Cabinet Member for Adults and Health

Hayley Connor – Director for Commissioning (Children, Families and Lifelong Learning)

Steve Hook – Assistant Director for Learning Disabilities, Autism and Transition

Liz Williams – Joint Strategic Commissioning Convenor (Learning Disabilities and Autism)

Clare Burgess – Chief Executive of Surrey Coalition of Disabled People

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.     The Assistant Director explained that the strategy was signed off in September 2021 and the report provided an update of the progress to date. During the development of the strategy there had been consultation with the autistic community. Resources of £500,000 had been allocated from the Better Care Fund and additional funding had been secured from NHS England for specific projects. Some projects could be delivered in the first year, whereas others would take longer to deliver.

2.    The Chairman asked about co-operation with other partners involved in the strategy. The Assistant Director responded that the foundation of the strategy was based around co-production. The Council would continue to consult with the autistic community throughout the implementation of the strategy. A governance model that included partners was crucial, with senior level officer responsibility and input from those with lived experience. The implementation of the strategy was held across the system and the Implementation Board would monitor gaps. 

3.  A Member queried the accessibility of the information produced for autistic services. The Assistant Director explained that there were minimum standards that the Council had to reach, such as easy read benchmarks. The Council checked with groups like ATLAS to make sure that the information produced was relevant and easy to understand. The Learning Disabilities and Autism (LD&A) Partnership Board included communication officers with specific expertise.

4.    In response to a question on the amount and the timescale of funding from the Better Care Fund, the Assistant Director responded that the funding had been used to recruit to key posts and develop an information strategy and a training programme. Although there was an annual bidding process, officers were confident that they would attract ongoing funding due to the profile and impact of the project. Each partner involved had committed their own resources to deliver on aspects of the strategy that they were responsible for. Successful bids had been made to the NHS, such as funding to improve sensory environments for individuals with autism.

5.    A Member asked about the collaboration with other partners to increase awareness and understanding of autism in Surrey. The Director stated that the commissioning function had been integrated with Surrey Heartlands. Raising awareness and understanding of autism was a big element of the consultation and a focus of the first year of the strategy was autism friendly communities and schools. The national and regional autism strategies provided opportunities to learn from others and the autism community brought ideas, such as children and young people suggesting the change in the use of language. The Member highlighted the importance of ethnicity and autism. The Director agreed that equality,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23