Supporting autistic adults in NI's workplaces

For National Inclusion Week, Jayne Colville from the Northern Health and Social Care Trust and Paddy Crothers from Now Group, have written a blog highlighing the barriers to work facing autistic individuals, how organisations can overcome them, and some of the support available.

It is widely recognised that in the workplace autistic individuals bring with them reliability, high levels of concentration, honesty, creativity, conscientiousness, close attention to detail, and an excellent memory amongst other skills and qualities.

The Office of National Statistics in their ‘Outcomes for disabled people in the UK: 2020’ reported that only 22% of autistic individuals are employed in the UK.

This stark statistic is indicative of the struggles faced by many autistic individuals gaining and retaining employment.

The CIPD report ‘Autism at work: Seeking mutual gains’ found that, with the right balance of external pressures and internal support, employers can offer autistic individuals a rewarding career that also creates advantage for the organisation.

So, what are the main challenges faced, how can these be addressed, when will Northern Ireland embrace this predominantly untapped talent pool, and what supports are out there?

Some of the main documented challenges faced by autistic individuals include a lack of awareness of the condition and how people can be accommodated in the workplace, recruitment practices that are not inclusive - ranging from advertising the role to the application processes - social communication differences, and the lack of application of reasonable adjustments in the workplace.

To successfully address these barriers organisations should spend time designing and implementing inclusive hiring practices that actively encourage autistic individuals to apply.

Once recruited an individual approach should be applied to the application of reasonable adjustments that will ensure that the skills and talents of the person can be accommodated to enable them to succeed.

Organisations can be supported through a range of interventions available in Northern Ireland to support people living with a disability or health condition into work, such as the Workable (NI) programme and the Access to Work programme.

Many autistic individuals are considered economically inactive, but with the right supports and awareness they could become economically active.

With a labour market experiencing significant challenges in the availability of labour, what is being done across Northern Ireland to make a significant impact in employment rates for autistic people?

One example of good practice and partnership working is The Northern Area Autism Forum chaired by Dr Petra Corr (Director of Mental Health, Learning Disability and Community Well-Being, Northern Health and Social Care Trust).

This forum is a collaboration of statutory, community and voluntary agencies including key Trust representatives, autism advocates, PSNI, NIFRS, Councils, NRC, NIHE, Department for Communities, Department for the Economy and DoH, as well as the Northern Area Autism Reference Group (NAARG), a group of parent/carers and autistic adults who play an integral role.

Key priorities for this forum previously agreed by all partners are delivered on by driving forward a Northern Area Autism Action plan, and therefore meeting the targets within the DoH Interim Autism strategy (2021-2022).

From this overarching Forum there are six working groups who plan, deliver and co-produce together with a dedicated focus on the key priorities, one of which is centred on employability.

The employability working group is chaired by NOW Group and its members are a mix of statutory, community, voluntary and those with lived experience.

The group’s goal is to positively impact autism employment rates by increasing understanding of the condition with employers, raising awareness of supports that are available in the market to appropriately prepare autistic individuals for the workplace, and advocating for more inclusive workplaces, all of which are informed by the Northern Area Autism Reference Group.

NAARG members advise people professionals and managers to talk to your autistic employees to get the best understanding of their needs in the workplace.

Listen and take on board what their challenges are and how they can be addressed, and focus on how their skills and attributes can be fully utilised.

Success is achieved where diversity and inclusion is fully embraced adopting a person-centred approach.

Support and signposting in relation to employment and other areas is also offered to autistic individuals through The Northern Adult Autism Advisory Service, a network of organisations that work together to support autistic individuals aged 16 years and over, and their parents/carers.

Find out more at northerntrust.hscni.net/NAAAS