Autism Alliance joins call to transform care

The Autism Alliance has signed and contributed to a joint letter to political leaders from a partnership of people and organisations, calling for them to commit in their Party Manifestos to transform care for autistic people and people with learning disabilities.

The letter has been sent by the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, Learning Disability England, ARC England, BASW England, BILD, Rightful Lives, National Autistic Society, Speakup Self Advocacy, Voluntary Organisations Disability Group, Learning Disability Professional Senate, Voiceability, Restraint Reduction Network, and the Autism Alliance.

Despite promises from the Government to transform care, systemic failures have persisted for many years, including a lack of local community support, closed cultures, segregation, institutionalisation, purchasing inadequate and/or out of area services, and harmful restrictive practices.

These failures have had devastating consequences:

• There is continuing evidence of neglect and human rights abuses.

• Over 2,000 people remain in locked settings where they stay for an average of five and a half years.

• Targets to reduce the numbers of children and adults in inappropriate settings have been set and missed for the past 10 years.

The letter calls for political leaders to commit to funding the right support, in the right place, at the right time, and to the systemic reforms required to drive better outcomes for autistic people and people with learning disabilities.

This reinforces the case for Real Change set out by the Autism Alliance, and the partnership hopes to meet with political leaders to discuss the recommendations that have been put forward.