The Draft Autism and ADHD Strategy- Engagement Part 2

Part 1 Engagement (May-June 2024)

• What do you think of the draft priorities for the strategy? 

• What is working well in Kingston for autistic people and people with ADHD and what can we do better?

Part 2 Engagement (September- October 2024)

• We shared the draft strategy and asked for people’s feedback on it.

Over 240 people shared their views across the engagement. Below is a summary of some of the key themes. A Full Engagement Report is also available.

You said:

1. We want to see action from the strategy and make sure this is monitored. 

2. Your top priority was: ‘We will be given the right support at the right time, including diagnosis.’ There are long waiting times for a diagnosis of Autism or ADHD which is not good and support is also needed for people who are waiting.

3. Practical support is needed. eg. with form filling, housing, bills or benefits.

4. Mental health issues were a common theme in the engagement. 

5. Training and awareness around neurodivergent conditions need to be improved.  

6. It was clear that everyone’s experience of being autistic or having ADHD was different.

7. Better support for families. Also, some people are worried about what will happen to their adult children who are autistic/ have ADHD when they are no longer around to support them. 

8. It would be good to have a more child-friendly strategy. 

9. The full strategy has too much text. More pictures or infographics are needed.

We used your feedback to help shape the Kingston All Age Autism and ADHD Strategy 2025–2030.  Below is a summary of the key themes that emerged. A full “You Said, We Did” report is available, along with an Easy Read version to ensure the information is accessible to everyone.

• The strategy includes an ‘Action Planning’ section. These actions were informed by the feedback from our survey and from talking to people. The strategy also includes a list of ways in which we will measure our progress. 

• The action plan focuses on 5 areas of diagnosis and support.

• A key reason to have a strategy is to bring together local organisations and the wider community to raise awareness of neurodiversity. 

• Key principles are included in the strategy to make sure that people have a consistent and good experience of services including accessibility and reasonable adjustments.

• We held a focus group with Experts by Experience and the Communications Team about graphic design. There will also be a summary version of the strategy which is more visual. 

What next? 

• The Kingston All Age Autism and ADHD Strategy will launch in Spring 2025. It will be on Kingston Council’s website.

• Partners from the Autism and ADHD Partnership Board are working together on action plans to make the strategy happen over the next 5 years.