Equality Rights in mazes and rabbit holes!

Stumbling across equality rights hidden from view!

Navigating through red tape, jargon and against the backcloth of their low visibility can take you into Alice in Wonderland mazes and down various rabbit holes!

For example, I often find that laws such as the Autism Act 2009 and the Domestic Abuse 2021 Act are hidden from view and only stumbled across when people are trying really hard with assistance to get advice, help or further information.

Let’s look at the Autism Act

In a nutshell, the?Autism Act 2009?requires the Government to introduce and keep under review an adult autism strategy. There have been initiatives in England and sometimes with different scopes and timeframes from the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Lots of points of convergence between them. I have tried here to provide a compass for the maze and highlight good rabbit holes that the journey can then involve.

England but with analogous links to the devolved administrations

Three years ago, the Government published a?new strategy for 2021 to 2026?including children and young people, alongside adults, for the first time. It focuses on autism awareness, education, employment, health, reducing inpatient care, community support and the criminal justice system.

And under one law there are then often links to others! (The Good Rabbit Holes!)

·???????? Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have duties relating to the provision of adult social care services, which apply to everyone including autistic adults.?

·???????? Under the Children and Families Act 2014?, local authorities have a duty to identify needs in their area and commission services to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). In January 2015, the Government published a?SEND code of practice.?

·???????? In April 2023, the Department of Work and Pensions announced a?review considering how to improve autistic people’s employment prospects. In February 2024 the Government published the report and recommendations of?the Buckland Review of Autism Employment,?which highlighted the barriers to autistic people entering the workplace and set out recommendations to address them.

?·???????? Under the Equality Act 2010?, employers must make reasonable adjustments to support disabled job applicants and employees. However, the Buckland Review reported research findings that access to adjustments for autistic employees is “highly variable.”

?·??????? Autistic people may also be entitled to a range of benefits including benefits to help with the extra costs of a disability. These might include Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is gradually replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and ‘Income replacement’ benefits to cover day-to-day living costs, such as Universal Credit.

Devolved Administrations- More Rabbit Holes

·???????? The Scottish Government and COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities ) published a 10-year Scottish strategy for autism in November 2011, backed up with funding of ￡10m over four years. The strategy contained 26 recommendations including on leadership and cross-agency working, improving access to diagnosis and supporting people with employment.?

·???????? In 2021, the Welsh government published an updated Autism delivery plan 2021 to 2022 reflecting the new statutory code of practice on the delivery of autism services. It outlined priorities for 2021 to 2022 and said future priorities would be informed by the outcomes of a demand and capacity review of neurodevelopmental services?

·???????? Northern Ireland -The Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 requires the Northern Ireland Department of Health to publish an autism strategy (for all ages) and to report on its implementation at three yearly intervals.

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www.qedworks.co.uk