New plans to help Peterborough become an autism friendly city

New plans to help Peterborough become an autism friendly city have been launched.
Cllr Lynne Ayres, Peterborough City Council Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education, Skills and the UniversityCllr Lynne Ayres, Peterborough City Council Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education, Skills and the University
Cllr Lynne Ayres, Peterborough City Council Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education, Skills and the University

The strategy was developed by Peterborough City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group in partnership with local organisations, service user groups and parent carer forums, drawing on the knowledge and understanding of those with experience of autism.

The priorities for the strategy include:

· Having a clear diagnostic pathway for children and adults with good support throughout the process, combined with good support before and after diagnosis

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· Training and awareness-raising to help services and professionals understand the needs of people with autism - recognising that autism affects different people in different ways

· Services that take a lifelong approach and support people with autism in school, colleges and universities to be able to live independently and have good employment prospects

· For health and social care to work together to commission integrated services that make the best of the resources available

· For services to understand what reasonable adjustments are needed so people with autism can have positive experiences when they go into healthcare settings.

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Cllr Lynne Ayres, Peterborough City Council Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education, Skills and the University said: “I welcome this strategy. Our aim is for both Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to be autism friendly, where people with autism can live full and meaningful lives, within a society that accepts and understands them. I am confident this strategy achieves that aim.”

Cllr Bryony Goodliffe, Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Children and Young People’s Committee added: “This strategy is based on meticulous research and takes a whole life approach to helping those with autism. With the right support children, young people and adults with autism can live happy, healthy and independent lives within their own communities. It quite rightly focusses on what children, young people and adults with autism have told us is important.”

Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough said: “This strategy consultation is an important way for you to feedback your thoughts on how best to remove the barriers people with autism face day to day accessing services.

“Our region is one big community and by working together for the benefit of all we can enrich the lives of so many. People with autism deserve to be understood and heard, to live in an autism friendly society so they can thrive and like all of us, strive to be the best they can be without hidden or systemic barriers.”

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A six-week consultation was launched this week (Tuesday 7 September) and can be found at https://www.cambridgeshireandpeterboroughccg.nhs.uk/get-involved/consultations-engagement/all-age-autism-strategy-proposal/