World Autism Awareness Week is hugely important to make people more knowledgeable about this condition and make sure there is enough support for people with autism.
The Government has outlined the need to reform Think Autism Strategy and to provide more support and funding for both adults and children who have autism. We are trying to reduce the amount of people in Assessment and Treatment Units, and whilst there is some way to go, there has been a 20% reduction in the number of inpatients in Assessment and Treatment Units since 2015. There is also a Care Quality Commission looking into treatment in these centres which the Government will then be able to review and act upon if necessary. There was a consultation held to take into account the opinions and experiences of those affected by autism whether that be sufferers, friends, families or carers. Another consultation enquired into how health and care staff can better support people with autism. This consultation closed on 12 April and the results from both of these will be used to inform the Government on future decisions made with this policy.
The Government has increased the total high needs budget across England to just under £6 billion in 2018. Not only is this the highest high needs budget on record, it also goes beyond what was promised in the 2015 spending review. £250 million of this will go into the budget for schools. Recently, there was a very welcome announcement that every region in England will benefit from a new special or alternative provision school, providing autistic children with the specialist places they need to grow and learn.
