Consultation on the East Sussex Autism Action Plan for all ages

Overview

East Sussex County Council is consulting about the development and creation of an Autism Action Plan for all ages. We would like to gather the views of Autistic residents, parents and unpaid carers, and others with an interest.

The survey asks for your views on a range of services, facilities and opportunities in East Sussex for Autistic people. There are ten pages in the main part of the survey. If a topic isn't relevant to you, please skip it and move on to the next one. 

Your answers will help us to know what is currently working well for Autistic residents, service users and their support network. What you tell us will also help identify areas for improvement, to increase wellbeing and access to services for Autistic people. The overall aim of the plan is to shape and improve local services, promote the voice of the Autistic community and highlight priority areas of key importance for Autistic people. 

Besides this survey, the plan will also be informed by focus groups that have been organised with members of the public, providers, and professionals.

The survey closes at the end of the day on Monday 10 June 2024.  You can share your views online, by clicking on the link below where it says "Please complete the survey questions". If you would prefer, you can ask us to send you a copy in the post. 

Please get in touch using the contact details below if you:

• Need support to take part, complete the survey and have your say
• Need the survey in an alternative format, in large print or on coloured paper
• Prefer to provide your feedback via email, letter or over the phone using the contact details provided
• Would like further information about the consultation or have any questions

Email: apb@eastsussex.gov.uk  Tel: 07745 106 727

Why your views matter

The East Sussex Autism Partnership Board is developing an All-Age Autism Action Plan. This is a plan to improve the lives of Autistic people, their families, carers, and wider support networks across East Sussex. The survey covers topics that may impact the lives of Autistic people and we would like to hear your views.

East Sussex Autism Partnership Board would like to thank you for sharing your opinions and experience to feed into this plan.

Autism in context

In the UK, information published in 2021 shows there are an estimated 700,000 Autistic adults and children, approximately 1% of the population. In addition, there are an estimated 3 million family members and carers of Autistic people in the UK. A growing number of children and young people are diagnosed as autistic, with Special Educational Needs data suggesting 1.8% of all pupils in England now have an autism diagnosis.

Based on national estimated prevalence, the East Sussex Learning Disabilities Data Briefing, published in January 2017, identified an estimated 4,630 adults and approximately 1,840 children and young people are Autistic within East Sussex.

Your feedback, and how it will be used

Against this background, the East Sussex Autism Action Plan will support Autistic people of all age groups, from child to adulthood. This includes those with additional needs and Learning Disabilities. Therefore, we would like to hear from the following groups:

• Autistic adults, including people who self-identify as autistic and/or are on the waiting list for an assessment.
• Autistic young people, including people who self-identify as autistic and/or are on the waiting list for an assessment.
• Parents and unpaid carers of Autistic people.
• Staff who work with Autistic people. This includes staff who work for mainstream and specialist services across health & social care, the third sector, and education.

What you tell us in the survey will be used to develop an action plan. This will be co-produced with the Autism Partnership Board and other partners. The action plan will then be considered for approval by the Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Health in October 2024.

Please note that when completing the survey, you will be asked your views on topics which may potentially be distressing and emotional. In such situations, you may find the following sources of information helpful:

East Sussex Mental Health Directory

https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/social-care/health-advice/mental-health/east-sussex-mental-health-directory    

MIND: Crisis services and planning for a crisis

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/crisis-services/helplines-listening-services/   

Shout: Support with suicidal thoughts

https://giveusashout.org/get-help/issues/suicide/

Completing the survey: The survey questions will take around 20 minutes to answer. You have the option to use the ‘Save and come back later…’ button at the end of each page if you need more time to finish later. 

Privacy information: This survey is anonymous, and we don't ask you to provide any personal information in it. Please ensure that any comments you make don't include any names or personal details of you or anyone else. You can find our privacy notice about how the data will be stored and processed by East Sussex County Council on our website.