Autism Partnership Board minutes - June 2026
1. Welcome, introductions and apologies
Mark welcomed everyone to the meeting, introductions were made, and apologies noted.
2. Minutes and actions from last meeting
The minutes from the meeting held on 30 March 2026 were accepted as an accurate record of discussions.
Actions 66, 95 and 100 were agreed to close. Updates were shared on open actions and the log updated accordingly.
Action 72: Confirmation given that we have a strong connection with the Beachy Head Chaplaincy Team and other partners. BB is the public health consultant leading on the suicide prevention strategy.
Action 116: EW confirmed The Employee Hub in Brighton have an Amaze practitioner offering support to send young people that come through the Youth Employability Hub. CB (Skills and Employability Manager) confirmed that this is being set up in Hastings and they are looking to expand it to other parts of East Sussex.
3. Autism education update
IW presented on current developments in education. These are not autism specific, but they are developments relating to inclusion and SEND reform in East Sussex.
IW gave information about the collaborative process of developing a shared definition of inclusion for East Sussex, involving staff from various school types, local authority representatives, using information from national research and questionnaire responses from parent/carers and children and young people. The agreed definition of inclusion is:
"Everyone working together so that all children and young people access education and are supported in their safety, wellbeing, and learning to belong, thrive and achieve.”
This is then translated into system-level and school-level principles focused on strengths, early action, local provision, and co-production.
BASE model
The BASE model, was developed by the educational psychology service. It emphasises belonging, autonomy, sense of safety, and equity as foundational elements for inclusion. Schools and services use the model to guide practice and improve outcomes.
Universally available provision
IW outlined the draft Universally Available Provision (UAP), which is a set of inclusive teaching and support strategies for all children. It is currently under consultation with schools. It's noted the need to align it with forthcoming national inclusion standards. The UAP is in two parts:
- Part 1 – Provision for all pupils (universal)
- Part 2 – Supporting broad areas of need (targeted)
Part 2 goes into detail around the broad areas of need from the SEND Code of Practice including:
- communication and interaction
- cognition and learning
- social, emotional and mental health
- sensory and/or physical needs
The UAP identifies the barrier and/or need and provides strategies that will help schools to meet the needs.
There is a section on working with parents and carers, children and young people, ensuring early identification and timely responses, inviting them for conversations.
This UAP is aimed at primary and secondary, with work currently being undertaken on the early years and post 16 versions.
SEND reforms
IW summarised the two government documents that were recently published:
- Schools white paper: Every child achieving and thriving
- SEND reform: Putting children and young people first
IW highlighted the shift towards universal high-quality teaching, new support layers (targeted, targeted plus, specialist), individual support plans, and the expansion of inclusion bases, with a long-term implementation timeline extending to 2035.
IW confirmed that the government has confirmed that those with current EHCPs and specialist provision will continue to receive them and recognised the importance of engaging effectively with parents and carers.
IW confirmed that there are several funding streams available to help implement the strategies.
IW confirmed that currently mental health support teams work in schools to support mild to moderate level need, and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) work with much higher levels of need. However, it is recognised there is a gap between the two offers, so consideration is being given to commissioning additional mental health support through the Experts at Hand model which is part of the SEND reforms.
It was noted that the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) project had a focus on accessible communication with parents/carers. The schools involved in the project worked with communication experts to create a strategy which met the needs of their audience.
Actions:
- ND to look at the UAP guide and provide IW with any feedback relating to where reference could be made to co-occurrence between neurodivergence and hypermobility and physical disabilities.
- IW to flag to the SEND Reforms team the importance of working with ESPCF in relation to listening to and sharing the parents and carers voice and communicating in a transparent and reassuring way.
- IW to check if the information about communication from the PINS project is in the UAP.
4. National updates
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) review of mental health conditions, ADHD and autism independent review
The review aimed to explain the rising demand for autism and ADHD assessments and mental health support, recognising that it arose from multiple factors including unmet needs, help-seeking behaviour and service constraints. The increase in demand requires a whole-system response consisting of co-ordinated, multi-agency and community-based solutions.
Key findings included:
- increased anxiety, depression and emotional difficulties impacting wellbeing
- waiting lists and numbers for diagnosis and referrals for ADHD and Autism have increased significantly
- underdiagnosis, misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis is really stretching healthcare systems and assessment pathways
- access to support often requires formal diagnosis, creating bottlenecks
- the current model raises concerns around fairness with disparity, which is influenced by deprivation, ethnicity, age and gender
The interim findings align with what we already know, and what we're trying to achieve locally through the East Sussex Autism Action Plan. The review recognises the importance of understanding access barriers.
ND/ CB were concerned by the use of the phrase ‘over-diagnosis’. This is a theory that has been raised by certain politicians in recent months and is unhelpful to the neurodiversity movement. For further context, see section 2 of the report: Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: interim report | GOV.UK
House of Lords Autism Act 2009 committee report
This review looked at how well the government is doing in achieving delivery of the Autism Act 2009.
The main finding was that whilst there was a clear delivery plan at a national level for the first year, there was no plan to deliver or fund the strategy after that. The key recommendation from this paper was that a new Autism strategy is urgently needed as the current national strategy runs out next month, July 2026. The report recognises the importance of co-production with autistic people.
5. Autism action plan
Update since March meeting
EW provided a progress update on the Autism All-Age Action Plan, detailing achievements in health and wellbeing, education, and employment. EW also outlined the priorities for the coming year.
EW highlighted the:
- launch of the quarterly newsletter (Neurodivergent News)
- development of a signposting toolkit
- health and care passports
- updated mental health directory
- Autism Advice Service
- innovative school projects and employment support resources.
Year two priorities include:
- involving autistic people in service design
- promoting healthcare digital flags
- developing autism training champion
- expanding inclusive education practices
- enhancing employment support through sector engagement and collaboration with the Careers Hub.
There were also discussions about the East Sussex Local Offer, educational training and Oliver McGowan mandatory training.
Actions:
- EW to discuss feedback on the Local Offer website with responsible ESCC team including comparison with the Essex equivalent. Explore opportunities to link the team with experts by experience from the Autism Partnership Board.
- IW to explore ways to include input from children and families accessing EOTAS or alternative provision in the development of pupil working groups and training initiatives.
- SC to invite a representative from Sussex Police to a future meeting to provide an update on neuro-inclusivity initiatives and training within the criminal justice system.
Communications
EW reminded the group about the Communication Strategy that was co-produced with APB members in 2025 which underpins the Autism All-Age Action Plan.
The newsletter was first launched in December 2025. There are currently 256 subscribers. The newsletter includes:
- updates on work being undertaken in East Sussex
- positive case studies
- information on research
- national developments
- resources to support people
The short autism film was shared.
Action: EW to ensure subtitles are added to the film and consider BSL interpretation.
Review of Autism webpages
EW led a group discussion about the council's Autism webpages.
Participants identified that the current pages are difficult to navigate, not sufficiently accessible for neurodivergent users, and often lead to frustration and confusion - especially for those looking for urgent support.
There were suggestions that the information would be better placed under a new category ‘Inclusion and Difference’ or current categories Wellbeing or Community.
The website should be used to promote the newsletter and sign up.
Feedback included the importance of honest communication about service availability and limitations, to manage expectations and build trust with users.
There was a proposal to relocate and redesign the Autism pages on the council website to ensure they are accessible, appropriately categorised, and relevant to all autistic people, not just those eligible for Adult Social Care.
Autistic people should be involved in content creation, with suggestions for a review panel to maintain up-to-date resources. The pages should include clear information on legal rights and council duties.
The pages should incorporate information about co-occurrence of neurodivergence and hypermobility into all relevant paperwork and online resources.
Action: All meeting attendees to email their thoughts to APB@eastsussex.gov.uk in answer to the following questions:
- What will improve the user journey?
- What is missing/frustrating now?
Action: EW and EB to review the Autism webpages, consider moving them to a more appropriate section of the website, and incorporate feedback from the group.
Peer support
EB presented an overview of the current support offer for autistic adults in East Sussex.
Information was shared relating to the limited support available through SPFT and Sussex Recovery College, noting capacity constraints and the need for broader, more accessible options.
Support models in Brighton & Hove, West Sussex, Hampshire, Portsmouth, and Leicestershire, were discussed, highlighting features such as:
- community hubs
- drop-in services
- anonymous online support.
Recommendations and next steps:
- Improve signposting to promote the existing resources and services
- Work with existing services and groups to increase neuro-inclusivity by promoting care passports, access guides and training
- Develop a draft business case for an East Sussex neurodivergent peer support service
6. Any other business
AC provided an update on the rollout of Oliver McGowan mandatory training in East Sussex, announcing the start of 10 courses in September. Further details will be shared in due course.
2026 meeting dates
- 24 September: County Hall, Lewes, Watergate C11F
- 3 December: St Mary’s House, Eastbourne, SMH 102