The Leadership Framework is the term used for a new way of doing things at a national government level.
In March 2021 the Towards Transformation Plan said that:
“We will put in place plans for everyone to work together through new leadership arrangements and for this work to be led by autistic people and people with a learning/intellectual disability. National and local organisations need to be involved in this. We want the voice of autistic people, people with a learning/intellectual disability, and unpaid carers to be at the centre of work going forward.”
This work involves people with learning disabilities and autistic people being more closely and actively involved in policy development in Scotland. Most of the activity took place between 2021 and 2024 and the work is now being shared.
The Leadership Framework delivery team is made up of people in the Scottish Government Autism and Learning Disabilities team, The Assembly and Inspiring Scotland.
The autistic and learning disability participants for the development stage are members of The Assembly and the Autism Advisory Forum at Inspiring Scotland. It also involves other people such as staff in the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities and the National Autism Implementation Team.
We worked with relevant professionals and researchers nationally and internationally to create an environment of learning and collaboration amongst people with research and policy expertise and people with lived experience of autism and learning disabilities.
The main goal was to actively engage autistic people and people with learning disabilities in the development of policy that concerns them and directly impacts their lives. We wanted to create a community of individuals and organisations committed to meaningful participation and collaboration.
Drivers was the term used to describe the people with lived experience who were at the centre of the work. This was autistic people and people with a learning disability.
The Autism Drivers were members of the Autism Advisory Forum. The Learning Disability Drivers were members of The Assembly.
The Drivers had an advisory role and informed all recommendations to the Scottish Government and COSLA.
Allies were people who have an interest or experience in championing the human rights of autistic people or people with a learning disability.
They were committed to working together with people with lived experience to highlight the issues affecting them and support them to make real, lasting change in their lives.
Engineers were either local or national decision makers or people who are connected to those. They worked as a bridge between the Drivers and Engineers by hearing the results of the engagement and consultation work and the suggestions of the Drivers. Engineers supported the partnerships between Drivers and Allies to make sure the solutions become a reality.
Engineers sessions focused on how the changes can be made. Decision making was still with the Scottish Government Ministers, COSLA and with local authorities but there was a clear and different process for reporting in to inform those decisions.
Accessing mental health services was a top priority for both autistic people and people with learning disabilities. Three working groups focused on different aspects of this, they were:
1. Training for GPs and health care staff (learning disability)
2. Training for GPs and health care staff (autism)
3. Autism Informed Services (autism)
Resources developed by these groups are now being be shared with health practitioners.
The following things have happened since the last autism meeting in April 2024:
– The GP film, ebook and posters were uploaded on the Different Minds website. A new page has been created called Health Practitioner Resources.
-Inspiring Scotland talked to the Adult Neurodevelopmental Network hosted by the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) about the work and encouraged members to share it. We also wrote an article about the resources for a NAIT newsletter.
-Some Allied Health Practitioners are developing the Autism Informed Services ebook with a local focus with practitioners as part of a project between NHS Fife and NHS Lothian.
– The Neurodiversity team in NHS Education Scotland is providing advice about promoting the resources and disseminating them to health practitioners.
– Two webinars are being created go with the resources.
-Posters have been sent to every GP practice in Highland with QR codes linking to the resources and a survey with a few questions about their impact.
Maree Todd MSP Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport officially launched all the resources in November 2024. Maree Todd recorded a video about the work and the resources, watch it below.
If you want to find out more about our work, you can download more detailed information about the Leadership Framework.
‘A key principle underpinning the work of the National Autism Implementation Team is ‘nothing about us without us’ and we are committed to taking the lead from neurodivergent people and being allies in all the work we do. It is exciting to see the opportunity provided by the Scottish Government to put the perspectives of a wide range of neurodivergent people at the forefront of policy and practice development.
NAIT can ensure that our cross sector practitioner networks are aware of the work and as an implementation team, we can research and practice information linked to priorities identified and we can provide mechanisms for new ways of working to be applied in practice.’
– Marion Rutherford from The National Autism Implementation Team
For all enquiries about the Leadership Framework, please email autismenquiries@inspiringscotland.org.uk
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