By Charlotte Webster-
A large investment of over £40m will be required to enable social workers in the Uk to apply new standards they are due to receive on working with autistic children and their families, as part of the government’s revised autism strategy, published last week.
The effective application of those standards will require £25 million to improve the capacity of 7-day specialist multidisciplinary learning disability services and crisis support. These teams are designed to help people with learning disabilities and autistic people with a mental health condition access mainstream services, provide them with specialist therapeutic support and respond to crises.
The provision of children with complex needs with key workers to help them navigate services as part of the commitment in the NHS Long Term Plan, which says these should initially be prioritized for children who are inpatients or at risk of admission.
Social workers don’t work directly with autistic children, but alongside Child and Family Consultation Service(CAHMS), who are psychotherapists- mental health services for children and adult. The service group deal with children who self harm or have been sexually abused , to help them manage their serious levels of mental health.
The capability statement is to be in line with a statement for practice with autistic adults, published in 2019, aimed at helping practitioners work in a relationship and strengths-based way while challenging other services on how they work with autistic people.
Under the initiative, social workers going through the national assessment and accreditation system (NAAS) will be assessed on their knowledge of practice with autistic children through the addition of assessment materials on this topic.
The extension of the existing capabilities statement embodying practice with autistic children and families, was among the recommendations of a study by the chief social workers for adults and children published in February.
The paper, focused on social work with young autistic adults and their families, found that some families were unnecessarily being pulled into child protection processes. It linked this to a tendency to use social work assessments to determine parenting capacity, rather than identify family support needs.
Social workers have often been inadequate in the expertise they have offered in cases of family breakdown, contrary to their expected position of playing the lead professionals for enabling choice, autonomy and personalized support for young autistic people.
The statement highlighted some of the positive practices as including enabling young adults and their families to challenge decisions to keep them in inpatient care. The study concluded that this was based on practitioners forging close relationships with young people and their families.
The statement, published in 2019 expressed an expectation for social workers to understand the distinct oppression and discrimination experienced by autistic adults. The promotion of self-advocacy as a starting point of their work with autistic adults and develop their professional skills to advocate effectively on behalf of autistic adults.
Social workers are also expected to minimize any anxiety that may be caused by their professional status and their home visits. This includes writing ahead to explain their role and purpose.
On top of all of the above, social workers must train trained to understand people’s preferred methods of communication, including how unaddressed sensory needs can impact on interaction and retention of information.
Health Inequalities
The professional demands of working with autistic people is evident in the multiple requirements of social workers, if they are to be proficient in their job. Understanding the causes and indicators of health inequalities in autistic adults, including their application to ethnic minority groups, who face particular forms of discrimination in accessing health and social care services, is absolutely crucial.
The safety and suitability of all care and accommodation arrangements for autistic adults in family and institutional settings is also considered an important aspect for social workers to develop.
The chief social workers’ study also recommended that the refreshed autism strategy acknowledge the value of social workers’ knowledge and skills in working with autistic people.
It said social workers should be identified as the lead professionals for enabling choice, autonomy and personalized support for young autistic people.
This was not directly picked up by the strategy, which only said that social workers “play an important role in identifying the support autistic people need throughout their lives”.
The plan is the third iteration of national autism strategy and, for the first time, covers children and young people as well as adults. Though it runs from 2021-26, funding is only provided for the first year, with much of the £74.88m allocated focused on preventing admissions to hospital, speeding up discharges and enabling autistic people to be supported effectively in the community.
Specific measures in the autism strategy include
Autism research charity Autistica pointed out that much of the funding allocated was already in NHS budgets and the key to the strategy’s success was the allocation of resources for the subsequent four years through the 2021 government spending review, taking place in the autumn.
‘Serious investment needed’
“The initial implementation plan is welcome, but it is a one-year plan for a five-year strategy,” said a spokesperson. “Serious investments in years two and three of the strategy will be required if the government is to truly “level up” its commitment to autistic people.”
Caroline Stevens, chief executive of the National Autistic Society, made a similar point about the need for ongoing funding beyond 2022, adding: ”The true success of the strategy will depend on the government investing in autistic people each year, as well as the prime minister honouring his promise to fix the social care crisis. If this happens, this strategy could be a significant step forward in creating a society that really works for autistic children, adults and their families.”