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 29 April 2009 - Film of first responses to the consultation
 29 April 2009 - Press Release


29 April 2009 - Film of first responses to the consultation



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29 April 2009 - Press Release

AUTISM CONSULTATION LAUNCHES - 29th April 2009

Minister receives first responses to Autism consultation in person

Five people with Autism Spectrum Conditions will meet with Care Services Minister Phil Hope to respond in person to a consultation on Autism which launches today.

The meeting will appear online on the National Autistic Society website, You Tube and the new Department of Health consultation webpage . The issues raised will be formally submitted as the first responses to the consultation, which asks for opinions on what should be in the Government’s National Autism Strategy to be published later this year.

The consultation will run for 20 weeks and seeks views from people with autism, their families, their carers and those involved in delivering services, to make sure that the final strategy makes a real difference on the ground.

People responding to the consultation will be asked for their views on five key themes. They are:

As well as writing and e-mailing their views, people can respond to the consultation by:

Ministers have already committed to issuing statutory guidance to ensure the final strategy has teeth and is put into practice at a local level.

Phil Hope said:

“People with Autistic Spectrum Conditions should have the same rights and freedom to enjoy life as everyone else.

“I want as many people as possible to respond to the consultation and let us know about their experiences, in their communities.

“The people I’ve met have strong opinions on what changes will make a difference to their day to day lives. With their responses to the consultation, and the views of people from across the country, we can make sure that the national strategy we’ll publish at the end of the year really delivers where it counts.”

ENDS.

Notes to editors

1. For media enquiries only please contact the Department of Health newsdesk on 02072105221.

2. A film of the first responses to the consultation can be seen on the National Autistic Society website at http://www.nas.org.uk and at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_098587 [*]

3. The consultation period is 29th April – 15th September. This is a period of 20 weeks which is significantly longer than the Cabinet Office requirement to consult for a minimum of 12 weeks.

4. The consultation and the final strategy relate to England only. Services for adults with Autistic Spectrum Conditions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

5. The consultation document is available electronically and in hard copy. Easy-read and plain language versions are available. Hard copies of the consultation document can be obtained by contacting 0300 123 1002, e-mail [email protected], fax: 01623 724 524, minicom: 0300 123 1003 (8am to 6pm, Mon–Fri) or logging on to www.orderline.dh.gov.uk. Please quote 295339 / A consultation on a future strategy for adults with autistic spectrum conditions. You can also write to:

DH Publications Orderline
PO Box 777
London SE1 6XH

People can respond to the consultation by:

Writing to us at:
Adult Autism Strategy Consultation
Department of Health
Rm 124, Wellington House
133-155 Waterloo Road
London
SE1 8UG

Emailing us at:
[email protected]

Writing to us on-line at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/index.htm

Filling in a questionnaire online or on paper
The questionnaire is available at www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/index.htm

Taking part in a stakeholder discussion event [*]
Stakeholders are encouraged to run their own consultation events. A consultation pack can be downloaded from the Department of Health website

Taking part in a regional discussion event [*]
Go to http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_098587 to register interest in taking part

Logging on to the discussion forum at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_098587

Footnotes


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