JUNE 2025

Welcome to our regular newsletter for our member organisations and all of their staff.

If you’re receiving this newsletter, it’s because the organisation you work for is part of the Autism Alliance.

New to the Alliance?

We are a national partnership of not for profit organisations that support autistic people and their families. Our members represent a range of sectors, including adult social care, education, community support and more. Together they support thousands of autistic children, young people and adults across the UK.

We work together to share our knowledge, skills and experience in ways which can improve outcomes and reduce inequalities for autistic people - and ultimately help us achieve our vision of a society where autistic people can thrive.

You can view all our member organisations here and find out more about our work more generally on our website.

What’s in here for you?

This is our latest monthly newsletter for all staff across the Alliance membership. We hope you find it useful and always welcome your views about what else we could include. This month features:

FEEDBACK FROM YOU

We love to get your feedback on how we’re doing and the value we’re adding.

We had some positive feedback on our Summer Members’ Meeting earlier this month. This feedback is so useful so we can curate the event to exactly what is useful to our members – thank you for taking the time to send it. 

“It was such a great and well organised event, thank you!”

“Varied agenda. Interesting speakers and the ability to ask them questions [was very useful]”

“I did feel like I had a home with like-minded colleagues that wanted to make a difference”

AUTISM IN THE NEWS

Sheffield Primary School chosen to take part in £9.5m government scheme to support SEND pupils

Carfield Primary School in Meersbrook have used the funds to help their SEND pupils, by implementing measures such as noise cancelling barriers in the dining rooms and staggering lunchtimes to reduce the overwhelm.

Read more below about the positive impact this has had on their pupils.

Government publishes mandatory disability training for care providers

New guidance published in June 2025 aims to provide improvement in the quality of care for people with a learning disability or autism. The Oliver McGowan code of practice aims to ensure staff have the right skills to carry out their duties, with new guidance expanding on existing requirements.

Paula and Tom McGowan have described the new guidance publication as “a milestone”.

Over half of English councils face insolvency under £5bn deficit, MPs warn

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) told the Treasury and other departments to urgently address the estimated £5bn deficit on high needs spending - mainly on SEND – that will hit council balance sheets at the end of the financial year.

Councils have warned these deficits will drive them into insolvency.

Mum runs length of Cornish Coast in six days

A mum of an autistic daughter is due to complete the 288 mile run to raise funds for an assistance dog. The assistance dog would help give her daughter more independence and support her in achieving her dream - to graduate university.

Hannah Ward’s daughter Bryher described her mum as “a bit of a nutter” for undertaking the challenge but added that a support dog would be “life-changing”.

Academic year 2024/25 DfE report on special educational needs now available

1.8 million pupils are now reported to have a special educational need – an increase of 93,700 since 2024. The percentage of pupils with an EHC plan has increased to 5.3%, from 4.8% in 2024. The data collected does not cover home educated children or those in post-16 provision.

Click here to read the full report or click below to read the full article from Special Needs Jungle.

Essex’s first autism specialist psychiatrist appointed

Dr Catherine Dakin will be working at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust to ensure autistic patients receive the best-suited mental health care.

She is the first autism specialist consultant psychiatrist in the county, supporting neurodivergent patients in the community and on inpatient wards.

Dr Dakin was diagnosed with autism and ADHD at the age of 47.

Specialist school place denied for 7-year-old boy.

Austin and his family moved from Wiltshire to Leicestershire to be closer to family. They were told the EHCP, which stated that mainstream school would be unable to meet his needs, would move with him. However, he has now been given a place at a mainstream school.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Here you can find the latest surveys, consultations and research participation requests related to autism. Feel free to share them with anyone you think might be interested.

RESEARCH: A University of Manchester PhD student is conducting a study to understand transgender and gender diverse individual’s experiences with social communication.

Participation requirements:

You are aged over 18 years old;

  • You identify as transgender or gender diverse;

  • You identify as autistic (diagnosed or self-diagnosed);

  • Or you have difficulties with communication in social settings.

RESEARCH:  A study entitled “A qualitative exploration of neurodivergent people’s maternity care experiences in England and Wales.” is seeking participants.  The study aim is to explore neurodivergent people’s experiences of maternity care with the ultimate goal of improving maternity care services and outcomes for neurodivergent people.

Find the participation requirements and more information at the link below.

For more information please contact the researcher, Niamh Farrell (she/her) using the button below.

SURVEY: Help shape the future of Autism support in Coventry and Warwickshire by taking part in an important survey to share your views on the progress made so far, and what still needs to be done within the remit of the Coventry and Warwickshire All Age Autism Strategy 2021-2026.

The survey will close on 6 July 2025.

RESEARCH: An interesting study that explores the nature of daydreaming in children and its role in emotional, cognitive, and social development. Parents of children aged 8-18 who suspect their child may engage in excessive or immersive daydreaming are invited to participate.

RESEARCH: This research investigates the lived experiences of having an eating disorder and the experience of treatment for an eating disorder in women on the autism spectrum and women who are not on the autism spectrum.

Learn more by emailing the research lead using the button here:

RESEARCH: A student at the University of Strathclyde is investigating the role of adult emotional tears from the perspective of autistic individuals. The study involves a short interview of about 25 minutes. Autistic individuals over 18 can apply to participate.

To find out more contact the researcher using the button here:

ALLIANCE NEWS

New Autism Alliance UK Strategy

As our previous Strategy has come to an end, the Autism Alliance UK Partnership Board has approved a refreshed three-year Strategy for the Alliance. Following the appointment of dedicated Alliance staff in 2022, the previous Strategy, which ran from 2023-2025 focused on building the foundations of our membership offer and establishing the Alliance with Government and the wider sector. The refreshed Strategy prioritises real change for autistic people and their families, through reformed public services, greater public understanding, and a strong specialist sector which is understood and valued by policymakers, regulators and commissioners.

In a more uncertain world, it will be important that the Alliance can respond rapidly and flexibly to changes in the external environment, deploying our resource intelligently where we can have the greatest impact: so the refreshed Strategy is also shorter and higher level than the previous version, setting strategic ambitions rather than KPIs. For each of the three years of the Strategy, we will agree a set of deliverables that support our strategic ambitions.

 

A summary of the Strategy is set out below:

 

 

We were delighted to see so many of our members in London for our summer Members’ Meeting. Taking place on the day of the Government’s Spending Review, we were joined by Simon Bottery, Senior Fellow from The King’s Fund for a discussion about social care, the options the Government has on funding, the interaction with the Casey Commission, and the importance of specialist organisations in providing care and support for autistic people and their families.

We then heard from Dr James Cusack, CEO of Autistica and Board member of the International Society for Autism Research, about the recent annual meeting in Seattle. James gave an excellent presentation which outlined and recognised the dangers of the political rhetoric around autism being seen in the US and the importance of addressing misinformation. He also reflected on the importance of our sector speaking with a unified voice on these issues and in autism research more generally, and that despite the growing risks for autistic people in politics and policy in the UK, we are ahead of a lot of other countries in attitudes, advocacy and research.

There was time for both formal and informal networking between members of the Alliance, allowing colleagues to share their knowledge and experience, and discussion of some of the key challenges our sector faces, including influencing local commissioners. Finally, we heard from Kerry Boyd (Autism NI) and Joe Long (Scottish Autism) about the leadership they are providing in other parts of the UK in autism policy and practice – although the challenges autistic people and charities face are similar across the UK, there are some notable differences, including the establishment in law of the role of Autism Reviewer to scrutinise policy in Northern Ireland and hold the Government to account.

It was an excellent day, which demonstrated once again the passion and innovation of our members, and the shared mission that binds us all together: to make a world in which autistic people can thrive. At the end of a productive session, we noted that although many developments happening around us are of real concern, our collective strength, experience and energy is hugely important and a positive force for change in a changing world.

Members’ Meeting - 11th June, Friends House, London

Autism Alliance Professional Groups

As part of their membership of the Autism Alliance, organisations are able to nominate members of staff to attend our professional groups. These groups are a forum for staff to share expertise and provide support for each other, as well as work on specific projects.

At the start of the year we wrote to the CEOs of our member organisations, asking them to update their staff nominations to these groups. If you are newly nominated you should have received a welcome email and calendar invitations to future meetings. If you are unsure please contact your CEO.

These groups are:

Practice Forum

HR Group

Policy Group

Communications and Campaigns Group

CEOs

You can see the meeting dates for all of these groups on our website.

Communications and Campaigns Group

The Autism Alliance UK Communications and Campaigns Group met again in early June to discuss a public resource the Alliance is developing to address misinformation and promote greater understanding of autism. This is in the context of recent statements from politicians about ‘overdiagnosis’ of mental health conditions and some types of neurodivergence, which are reductive and risk damaging the public perception of autism and undermining the reality of autistic people’s experiences. Following further discussion at the Autism Alliance Partnership Board, we will be finalising this resource to share across the membership soon. It may also play a role in our work to influence policy on the future of autism assessment. 

We are also working on a ‘glossary of terms’ to show how we use language to talk about autism, and during the autumn the Group will be bringing in the voices of autistic people and their families to finalise this resource. When completed, it may be useful for Alliance members in their work. 

If you would like to join the Communications and Campaigns Group or nominate a member of staff from your organisation to join, please email Poppy (poppy.smith@autismalliance.org.uk).

 

 

Practice Forum – next month

The Autism Alliance UK Practice Forum will next meet on 10th July, with the key piece of work this year the development of an  autism specialism framework helping policymakers, commissioners, and families understand the core features of specialist autism practice in not-for-profit organisations - in particular the relationships specialist providers enable between practitioners and the people and families they support, whether this is in specialist education, specialist social care, or specialist support in the community.

The Forum has already agreed that commissioning new research on specialist practice would add weight to this resource, and we will be working with Alliance members and the people and families they support to develop an initial resource that can be shared publicly, raising awareness of specialism in commissioning and service design, and also serve as a ‘brief for researchers’. We would like to be able to use excellent examples of practice from across the Alliance membership to show why autism specialism is important across different types of service; what specialism looks like when it is part of service provision; and the benefits of including specialism in services, for individuals, communities, and the economy.

If you would like to join the Practice Forum or nominate a member of staff from your organisation to join, again please email Poppy (poppy.smith@autismalliance.org.uk).

Topic Call

Every quarter, we run online meetings for our member organisations about relevant issues within the sector, with guest speakers followed by a question and answer session. Each of our member organisation’s CEOs receives the invitation for distribution within their staff.

Our next Topic Call is on Wednesday 8th September 2025, 1.00pm – 2.00pm when our speaker will be Dr Conor Davidson, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Lead of the Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service. For the past few years Conor has been the Autism Champion at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and has a strong commitment to evidence-based practice and understanding autism.

Please speak to your CEO if you would like to join us for this video call.

You can see the meeting dates for all of these groups on our website.

INFLUENCING POLICY & GOVERNMENT

Policy update

The Autism Alliance UK continues to work to influence Government policy and support colleagues in other areas of the UK where relevant policy is devolved. Our focus continues to be on ‘influencing from the inside’ through relationships with officials, NHS colleagues, membership of key groups, and through interaction with Parliamentary committees and inquiries, but in the coming months we plan to take forward more public work in collaboration with Alliance members, particularly around addressing misinformation.

 The main policy highlight this month has been the Government’s Spending Review, where budgets – or ‘Departmental Expenditure Limits’ – are set for the next three years, and the policy context behind spending plans is communicated.

 The headlines were:

·        A real terms increase of 3% per year in spending on the NHS. We understand that although this feels significant, the settlement for health is still very tight and new investment will be limited.

·        An additional £4.7 billion for schools, allowing for a 1% year-on-year real terms increase in per pupil funding, which also sounds significant but in reality will be earmarked for the increase in Free School Meals and the teachers pay settlement, rather than any reform of SEND. It was also confirmed that a SEND White Paper will be published in the autumn.

·        An increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028-29 compared to 2025-26. It isn’t clear what this figure refers to and therefore how big an increase it really is – or how it relates to the Fair Pay Agreement in social care the Government is working on. We may see a further announcement about the FPA soon.

·        A rise in defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027, and a rise in funding for science and technology of 7.4%.

·        £39 billion of capital expenditure for social and affordable housing.

·        An increase of 1.1% in the local government settlement.

·        The Home Office, Foreign Office, Department for Transport, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Department for Business on Trade all to see budget reductions.

 

There is always a chance of further spending announcements in the coming months, but the overall picture is that any evolution or reform of public services is most likely to take place within existing budgets; and that local spending on services, particularly in social care, will be heavily dependent on Council Tax increases and council funding from the Government. We have also heard that despite the headline increase in health spending feeling significant, it is expected to be tight, with very little funding for new activity, particularly outside commitments made in the Labour Manifesto.

 

The House of Lords Special Inquiry on the Autism Act 2009 is now nearing the end of its evidence-gathering phase, and is expected to interview Ministers from health, education and work and pensions in the coming weeks. The Autism Alliance will be joining the final evidence session on Monday 7th July, having given evidence in the opening session in March. Our submission has been made to the Inquiry, and we may be engaged again as the Committee develops its recommendations to Government in the autumn. As we have noted before, the Inquiry is a crucially important opportunity to highlight how policy, public services and society can work for autistic people and their families.

 

In other areas of policy, the Alliance is continuing to engage with the Department for Education as the SEND White Paper is developed, both through the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group and directly with officials working on different areas of potential policy. If – as has been trailed – the White Paper confirms the end of Education, Health and Care Plans and seeks to ensure the majority of children and young people are in mainstream education, for autistic and neurodivergent pupils, it will be essential that the core education offer in mainstream schools changes so that it recognises and meets needs as the basis for learning. As well as changes in funding, accountability, teacher training, inspection, and the curriculum and assessment system, making mainstream education truly ‘inclusive’ is likely to require a national change programme which is carefully managed over a long period of time. Whether this happens remains to be seen, and either way the policy carries obvious risks for autistic children and young people, particularly in a climate where intense pressure on resources will continue, and we will be doing all we can to ensure these risks are being recognised and mitigated as the policy is developed.

 

Working with Autistica, the Autism Alliance has also been considering how to influence policy on autism assessment, which is vitally important across the whole system from early years through education, healthcare, employment and justice. We have already been calling for evolution of assessment as the basis for a needs-led approach to services and support for autistic people, and last week we ran a roundtable with leading clinicians and academics to discuss the potential for joint work on this. It was a positive session and over the coming weeks we will be working towards a clearer specification of work we feel we can all support. Assessment and diagnosis is a complex area both in terms of policy design and the social change needed to underpin a needs-led system.

RESOURCES

Here we share resources about autism.

Autism and ADHD Show

London | Birmingham | Manchester

Last weekend saw the London show take place, with Birmingham to follow this week and Manchester on 4-5 July. Amongst a variety of activities there will be talks held by autistic adults on topics such as gaining and retaining employment and navigating the transition into adulthood.

Park View Events, who run the event, hosted the first Autism Show in 2011. All their employees are parents of neurodivergent children and the wider organising team contains many neurodivergent members. One of our members, Ambitious about Autism, have partnered with Park View Events to support the Show.

Tickets are still available for Birmingham and Manchester costing roughly £31 for a professional ticket.

Sensory Processing podcast from Autism Central

If you missed it last year then listen now to the re-released sensory processing podcast series by Autism Central. Learn more about what sensory processing is and the differences that autistic people can experience.

The Autism Central sensory processing series is hosted by Holly Sprake-Hill, a neurodivergent occupational therapist, who is joined by guests including autistic people, parents, carers and professionals.

NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

Each month we will share news from our member organisations. Feel free to send your stories to us via email.

Autism East Midlands

New fire station day service opening in July 

The new day centre in the refurbished fire station will offer lots of space and facilities to the service users – there will be a teaching kitchen, music rooms, spaces to teach and sensory rooms. Not only inside space but also an enclosed outdoor area and space for gardening too.

Ahead of the launch two organisations who have raised money for the charity have been to visit – Pronto Rugby who delivered a cheque for £2000 and Musters Masonic Lodge who presented a cheque for £300.

Autism East Midlands now have beautiful holiday lets in the Ashbourne countryside available to book

Recently refurbished lettings are now open for bookings, aiming to create an affordable and hassle-free experience for families. Located at Ashbourne Heights Holiday Park in Derbyshire, with a swimming pool on-site and the Tissington Trail nearby, there is plenty to enjoy. Find out more here.

Autism Hampshire and Avenues

Four outstanding individuals and teams have been shortlisted as finalists in the National Learning Disabilities & Autism Awards 2025. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on 4 July at the ICC Birmingham.

With 18 award categories Autism Hampshire and Avenues have nominations in the Manager Award (Katie Board), the Oliver McGowan Training Award (the Oliver McGowan Training Team), the Supporting Older People with Learning Disabilities Award (Emma McGuigan) and the Making a Difference Award (Victoria Orsini).  

Wishing all the nominees the best of luck!

Read more here.

PDA Society

The new PDA Society website and suite of resources were published just last month, created with much care and thought to make them truly useful and accessible for everyone who needs them. Hundreds of people have contributed their time, insight and lived experience to make it all possible.

Have a look and read more about the creation journey here.

On Thursday 12 June Prior’s Court hosted the official opening of the UK’s first arts centre built to meet the needs of autistic people. More than 50 guests attended (including some well known faces!) and were treated to performances from eight autistic young people and staff members.

The Piper Arts Centre has been designed to reduce barriers autistic young people may in accessing the arts, whilst also mirroring a professional theatre environment, with the ultimate goal of helping them to access arts venues in the wider community.

Prior’s Court

RESEARCH ROUND-UP

A round-up of timely and interesting news from the research world.

This is provided by one of our members, Autistica - the UK’s leading autism research charity.

How services can appropriately use digital technology when working with autistic people and/or people with learning disabilities

Digital technology can help services provide better support to autistic people and/or people with learning disabilities, but it’s important to know how to do this effectively and safely. That’s why Dr Kris Southby and his colleagues at Leeds Beckett University researched how to appropriately use digital technology for services working with autistic people and/or people with learning disabilities.

Kris and his colleagues gathered and explored the existing research on this topic. Using their findings, they collaborated with people from VSCOs and the Autism and Learning Disability Digital Inclusion Network to create a video guide for six tips on how to get the best out of digital technologies for services working with autistic people and people with learning disabilities. You can read these tips in their blog post about the research, alongside their plans for future research on this topic.

Learn to attract and support thriving neurodiverse teams with the NDEI

The Neurodiversity Employers Index – NDEI® is opening for submissions from 1 July. Led by Autistica, The NDEI® is a gold-standard evidence-based tool to support your organisation to become leaders in workplace inclusion.


As autism charities, you’re likely to be getting a lot of this right. That’s why taking part includes the chance to win an NDEI® gold, silver, or bronze award, acting as beacon of best practice to attract and retain neurodivergent talent, and support thriving neurodiverse teams. This year, Autistica are offering special charity rates.


The NDEI® is a key part of Autistica’s 2030 Goals, that, by 2030 the employment rate for autistic people will double. Register your interest here.

WHAT TO SEE…READ…WATCH…

The Phoenician Scheme - 2025 Film by Wes Anderson

If you are not familiar with the beautiful stylised film catalogue of Wes Anderson then you are in for a treat.  The Phoenician Scheme is as stunning as we have come to expect from the Texan filmmaker and every bit as arresting.  His characteristic pastel palettes and meticulously crafted mis-en-scene combine with his well documented themes of dysfunctional families, love, grief and the eternal battle with consumerism.

Despite film being a genre that is entirely comprised of drama, Anderson removes just about all of the demonstrative drama from his cast’s performances resulting in his classic deadpan delivery style.  This narrative method is entirely compelling, inviting the audience to rummage around in their own emotional arsenals from uncomfortable start to awkward finish. 

The Phoenician Scheme is a wildly exaggerated episodic family business caper where, despite the entirely unfamiliar settings, style, dialogue and plot, you may well find you recognise some family in there.  Benicio Del Toro is joined by many of the usual suspects in Anderson’s ensemble cast and they are a delight to watch (Michael Cera, have you ever put a foot wrong?)  Each chapter of the titular Scheme feels like a mini film of it’s own, foreshadowing the protagonist’s own fragmented and volatile emotional family history.  Look out for Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston who are a particular highlight.

 And be under no illusion that despite the deadpan delivery, your heart will definitely get a good squeeze. 

 I won’t spoil it for you.  Does love win?  Love always wins.

JOB VACANCIES

Autism Anglia provides personalised services, care and support to autistic children, adults and their families in East Anglia. This includes assessment and diagnosis, outreach work, supported living, as well as education and residential homes.

Location: Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk

  • Salary subject to experience

    Deadline: 30 July 2025

    Location:  Colchester

    We have an exciting opportunity for a Clinical Psychologist to join our established friendly and supportive Diagnostics team.

    We are ideally looking for someone who would be able to support us weekly with our assessments, we are very open to speaking to Clinical Psychologists who are self employed or looking for 1 - 2 days per week.

    More information here.

Autism East Midlands provides a wide range of care, support and educational services to meet the needs of autistic individuals of all ages, and their families and carers, across the East Midlands.

Location: East Midlands

  • Deadline: 31 July 2025

    Location: Chesterfield, Derby and Ripley

    Salary: £12.89 per hour.

    Our Community Day Support Hub provides social and outcome focused support for adults in the community, their own home or both.

    Each person is different with different needs so one day you could be supporting someone with food shopping and understanding how to pay their bills, and the next you could be going on a long country walk, or being an emotional/comforting support while they access their volunteering roles.

    More information here.

  • Deadline: 30 June 2025

    Location: Creswell, near Worksop

    Salary: £24,799 FTE, £12.89 per hour

    HR with a difference - we have an exciting opportunity for a HR Administrator to work in our small and friendly team at our Head Office in Creswell.

    More information here.

  • Deadline: 6 July 2025

    Location: Nottingham

    Salary: £26,863.22

    As a Senior Teaching Assistant, you will play a key role in working with teachers to ensure individualised and group support to autistic children and young people, helping them achieve their full potential in a nurturing, tailored educational environment.

    More information here.

  • Deadline: 31 July 2025

    Location: Worksop, Retford, Heanor, Bolsover, Northampton

    Salary: £12.89 per hour

    This is a job where you really will be making a difference to people’s lives. You’ll be supporting autistic people with a variety of activities that they enjoy and encouraging independent living skills.

    You’ll find this is a rewarding job, which promises variety as no two days are ever the same. You will be positively supporting people by providing holistic support including personal care, medication administration, integration into the local community and managing their anxieties, which they may communicate through distressing behaviour.

    More information here.

Avenues is a specialist provider of support services for autistic people, people with a learning disability and acquired brain injury. We know well supported people support people well. From the moment you join us you’ll get all the support you need, through your local team and the wider Avenues Group.

Location: London, Kent, Surrey, Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Shropshire and Hampshire.

  • Deadline: 28 July 2025

    Location: Sidcup

    Avenues Group is a specialist provider of adult social care, supporting people with complex needs to enjoy life. We always want to do things better, and as part of our development we are now looking for new trustees.

    Our trustee group has to reflect the diversity of the people we support and the communities in which we work, and we welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds.

    We would particularly like to hear from people with lived experience of disability, encouraging people who are accessing support services, and neurodivergent people.

    More information here.

All member organisations within the Autism Alliance can advertise their staff vacancies for free. If you would like to do this, please complete our template here and send to us via email.

AND FINALLY….

A closing word from our Director.

Earlier this month I joined a meeting of the Greater Manchester Children and Young People Neurodiversity Collective, which has been convened by our new Autism Alliance member Sam Palmer from Respect for All. This brings together not-for-profit organisations from across GM that support neurodivergent children, young people and their families, and is a diverse group, including community advocates, providers of assessment and post-diagnostic support, and senior figures from the NHS.

The first thing that struck me was that no ground clearing was required - everyone there was already on the same page in their understanding of neurodivergence and their commitment to make a better world. The second was that we know what needs to happen - while there is much still to understand about autism and neurodivergence, the principles of a system and a society which are inclusive for neurodivergent people are already clear: curious not indifferent, compassionate not stigmatising, enabling not excluding. This is powerful and reinforces again how important it is we show what we do, why it works, and show decision-makers that we have solutions.