Essex Autism / Asperger / ASC Working / Steering Group

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Essex County Council should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear Essex County Council,

For clarification, and to make the existence of this group more widely known in Essex:-

Please can you confirm the title of this group?

When was it's first meeting?

Please provide copies of all minutes / agendas / and of ANY related documents / notes etc so far.

What is it's purpose / aims / agenda / philosophy?

Who are it's members? E.g. Local NHS, Education, Social Services, Support groups, individuals, Autism / Asperger Charities etc etc ...

Who is missing that should be attending?

When is the next meeting? How often does it meet?

Who is it answerable to? Does it have the backing of Essex CC Councillors, executives - who?

Who is the autism lead for Essex?

What frameworks does it work within? What legislations is it working to?

What has it achieved so far?

How far is the Autism Act being implemented?

How does this compare to other local authorities?

Is the autism / Asperger Community properly represented by having members of the group who have autism in any form?

MANY THANKS,

Kind regards,

[P. Smith].

Ruth Byford Research & Analysis Officer, Essex County Council

3 Attachments

Please find attached an acknowledgement of your Freedom of Information
request.

Ruth Byford
on behalf of ISIS
Internal Audit & Risk Management
Essex County Council | telephone: 01245 435944 | extension: 55944 | email:
[email address]
EssexWorks
For a better quality of life

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ASC Information Governance, Essex County Council

12 Attachments

Dear Ms Smith,

 

Please find the attached letter and appendices in response to your recent
Freedom of Information request.

 

Kind Regards

 

Stephen Hassett
Information Governance Officer
Adults Health and Community Wellbeing
 
Essex County Council | mobile: 07788301605 [1][email address]
| [2]Intranet: Informatics
 
EssexWorks
For a better quality of life
 

 

show quoted sections

P. Smith left an annotation ()

I am just pasting the respose from Essex County Council here so people can find it when they are searching the Internet.

Essex County Council
Adults, Health & Community Wellbeing
P O Box 297
County Hall
CHELMSFORD
Essex CM1 1YS

Our ref:
ECC-017445-12/SH

Date: 16th February 2012

Email Address Provided:
[FOI #100897 email]

Dear Ms Smith

Re: Freedom of Information Request 19th January 2012
Thank you for your request for information, which was received by Essex County
Council on 19th January 2012.
I am pleased to enclose the following information, which I believe satisfies your request:
For clarification, and to make the existence of this group more
widely known in Essex please can you confirm:

The title of this group?

The title of this group is the Adult Autism Working Group.

When was its first meeting?

The first meeting of this group was held in July 2009.

Please provide copies of all minutes / agendas / and of ANY related
documents / notes etc so far.

I have provided you with the agenda’s and minutes of these meeting’s (Appendix 1 –
Appendix 8), Unfortunately we do not hold the agendas for the meetings held on 27th
July 2009, 30th June 2010 and 18th August 2010, although the agenda items are
reflected in the minutes provided for these meetings. I have removed all details of all
third parties that attended these meetings and replaced their names with their initials.

I have also provided documents from the consultation workshop for the ‘A Better
Future’ a consultation on the future strategy for adults with autistic spectrum conditions
(Appendix 9) and the minutes for All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism held on 27th
January 2010 (Appendix 10). I have also provided you with a Glossary of Terms
(Appendix 11) to assist with reading this information.

What is its purpose / aims / agenda / philosophy?

Originally, the purpose was to raise the awareness of the needs of people on the
spectrum. However this has repeatedly changed to a reference group for the national
draft autism strategy consultation programme, a working group supporting and directing
Essex County Council as to the gaps in services within Essex and will continue to be an
overview and scrutiny group to ensure Essex is implementing what it promises in line
with its own Essex Adult Autism strategy which is currently in draft format.

Who are its members? E.g. Local NHS, Education, Social Services,
Support groups, individuals, Autism / Asperger Charities etc.

Essex County Council Commissioners for Adults and Childrens services inclusive of
transitions, health commissioners covering both north and south of the county,
Southend and Thurrock Unitary Authorities, Voluntary Organisations, specialist health
professionals (Speech and Language, physiotherapy), family carers and service users
of high functioning and Aspergers.

Who is missing that should be attending?

Family carers and service users of low functioning autism and Black and Minority Ethnic
representation.

When is the next meeting? How often does it meet?

The next meeting is scheduled to be held on the 23rd February 2012. This group is
meeting three quarter times per year.

Who is it answerable to? Does it have the backing of Essex CC Councillors,
executives - who?

This working group is answerable to Liz Chidgey, Deputy Chief Executive of Adult Social
Care. Essex County Council Councillors have not seen papers from this group or
attended any of these meetings, this group does not have the backing of Essex County
Council Councillors.

Who is the autism lead for Essex?

The autism lead for Essex is Steven Allen Senior Commissioning Manager.

What frameworks does it work within? What legislations is it working to?

The frameworks and legislations the working group works within are the National Autism
Strategy and Valuing People Now Strategy. Please find the links below for further
information on these strategies:

National Autisim Strategy –
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsands...
idance/DH_113369

Valuing People Now Strategy -
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsands...
idance/DH_093377

What has it achieved so far?

The working group has achieved increased awareness of the needs of people on the
spectrum, awareness raising training for frontline and back office staff across the
authority, support into employment pilot, the implementation of the Essex Adult Autism
Strategy, partnership working with the unitary authorities and voluntary organisations.

How far is the Autism Act being implemented?

A joint draft strategy with Southend and Thurrock is being written and will be issued for
consultation soon.

How does this compare to other local authorities?

Essex County Council does not hold this information Country wide or for the East of
England, the National Autistic Society (NAS) may potentially hold this information,
please see below contact details to direct this part of your request.

National Autistic Society contact details:

Information Centre
Tel: 0845 070 4004 (open 10am-4pm, Monday-Friday)
Fax: +44 (0)20 7833 9666
Email: [email address]
Website: www.autism.org.uk/infocentre

Is the autism / Asperger Community properly represented by having
members of the group who have autism in any form?

The current group is attended by family carers, people who are diagnosed with
Autism/Aspergers and or presenting autism and voluntary organisations also attend this
working group.

You may reuse all or part of this information free of charge in any format or
medium. You must reuse it accurately and not in a misleading context. The material
must be acknowledged as Essex County Council copyright and you must give the title of
the source document/publication.
Please contact me if you would like further advice or assistance about your request or
your right to access information held by Essex County Council.
If you are not satisfied with my response to your request, please let me know. If I am
unable to resolve the issue immediately, I will explain our complaints procedure.
If, after following our complaints procedure, you are still not satisfied, you are entitled to
ask the Information Commissioner to review our decision. You can contact him at
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545700.
Yours Sincerely
Stephen Hassett
Informatics Officer
Adult Social Care
Email: [email address]

Dear ASC Information Governance,

MANY THANKS, this will be very helpful to those with Aspergers / Autism Spectrum Conditions in Essex, and to parents / carers of those with Aspergers / ASCs in Essex.

Yours sincerely,

[P. Smith]

Dear ASC Information Governance,

Would you kindly please supply the minutes of the last meeting of this group?

Many thanks,

Yours sincerely,

[P. Smith]