House of Lords: end systemic Government failure of autistic people
The House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Special Inquiry Committee has today published its report following an extensive process of hearing and analysing evidence from autistic people, public services, charities, researchers, clinicians and others. The Autism Alliance UK was pleased to give evidence to the Inquiry at two in-person hearings and through a written submission. Members of the Alliance also gave evidence individually.
The Committee’s report is an unflinching statement of how successive Governments have failed to address systemic barriers for autistic people in services and society, and the devastating impact this has had through lost lives and opportunities; and a call for the current Government to address this failure once and for all.
This mirrors the repeated calls the Autism Alliance has made for system-level change, including in the reports Real Change (2023) and Doing the Right Thing (2024), and our analysis of deep barriers in accountability, funding, and above all, culture. Crucially, the report recognises the fundamental importance of public understanding and acceptance of autistic people, and makes clear, as the Autism Alliance has done, that making society inclusive for autistic people will help make it better for everyone. It also provides a comprehensive exposure of how much chronic waste there is across public services, and the huge opportunity to realign funding and resource to achieve transformational outcomes.
We support the recommendations of the report in full and set out our thanks to the Committee for their commitment to thorough investigation, and for listening to the voices of autistic people.
The Special Inquiry received written evidence from almost 400 people and organisations, more than any other Lords inquiry, including evidence provided by autistic people. The Committee also held in-person hearings with autistic people and parents/carers, as well as many other witnesses, and took a range of steps to increase the accessibility and inclusion of the evidence collecting process.
The headline recommendation of the Committee’s report is that the Government must have a new National Autism Strategy ready to launch in July 2026 when the current Strategy ends, and that this must address the systemic barriers faced by autistic people across public services and society. Reflecting the Committee’s core focus on involving and hearing directly from autistic people, the report is clear that ‘the Government must meaningfully involve a diverse range of autistic people and people who support them in every stage of the development and delivery of the new strategy and of every policy under it.’
The report then makes a wide range of recommendations across autism diagnosis, education, healthcare, employment and justice. These include:
Immediate action to improve understanding and acceptance of autistic people, backed by mandatory training in autism and neurodivergence for all public services.
Clear accountability for all public bodies in meeting their duties as set out in equality law.
Investing in action to bring down autism assessment waiting times while building up vital capacity for high-quality support.
Moving away from a ‘binary’ model of autism assessment towards stepped, evidence-based identification, assessment and support.
A national framework for the integration of healthcare and community support for autistic people.
Setting priority health outcomes which local authorities and NHS bodies are required to report on.
Rolling out health checks for autistic people across the NHS.
Building capability to support autistic children and young people across all types of educational setting, with high-performing specialist schools as centres of excellence.
A significant increase in the employment rate for autistic people through supported internships/employment, action from local authorities and the NHS, new standards for employers on providing adjustments, and financial incentives for employers.
Actioning all recommendations of the Neurodiversity in the Criminal Justice System report of 2021, driving this through the new National Autism Strategy, and with clearer evidence on identifying and supporting autistic people.
Although the Autism Act 2009 extends across England and Wales, in practice it and the National Autism Strategy apply in England only. However, there are similar national strategies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and many of the report’s recommendations will be relevant in all parts of the UK.
The UK Government must respond to the report within two months, and all eyes will be on what is said and how. It will be hard to sidestep such a comprehensive analysis of long-term system failure across successive Governments, and to avoid accepting such clear and specific recommendations, particularly given the lack of engagement with the current National Autism Strategy since the General Election.
This is a landmark moment for autistic people and their families. The evidence of systemic failure at all levels and over many years could not be clearer, and the case for change could not be stronger: in terms of social justice, economic benefit, and cost-effectiveness across public services. Reflecting the original impetus of the Autism Act in 2009, if ever there was a moment for a decisive shift in the public policy approach for autistic people and their families, a shift which would also benefit other groups in society, this is it.
Real change will need action from policymakers, local authorities, the NHS, employers, charities, and an unwavering commitment from the Government, with the full involvement of autistic people at every stage. As a national alliance of not-for-profit organisations committed to making a world where autistic people can thrive, we are ready to play our part.