The strategy defines our ambition to support autistic children, young people, and adults to achieve their life outcomes. It describes what autistic people, families and professionals consider to be the most important priorities for autistic people in Bracknell Forest between 2025 and 2030.
The strategy will provide direction to best support autistic children, young people and adults to:
- the council
- Frimley Integrated Care Board (ICB)
- Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (BHFT)
- partners in the VCSE sector
- early years settings
- schools and further education providers
- local communities and businesses
Terminology
There are a variety of approaches used to describe an autistic person. For example, terminology used throughout this strategy uses a Social Model of Disability (also known as an Identity first approach).
Social Model of Disability
This is also referred to as Identity First approach.
The social model views disability as a result of societal barriers and discrimination, rather than an individual's impairment. Using "disabled people" reflects this model, emphasizing that people are disabled by society's actions, not by their condition. For example: autistic people.
Person-First Language
"People with disabilities" is a person-first language approach, focusing on the individual rather than the disability. This approach is common in some regions and is often preferred for its emphasis on the person. For example, "people with autism".
We asked people with lived experience what their preferred terminology was, they said the social model of disability. Therefore, throughout this document we refer to autistic people.
This strategy is for all autistic people. This includes children and young people living in Bracknell Forest. Throughout this strategy the term ‘autistic people’ will be used to include children, young people and adults. Although at times in this document we may specifically refer to autistic children and young people.
Priorities
The council priorities reflected in the Autism Strategy are:
- Engaged and healthy communities - to help create opportunities where people can succeed, be happy and feel safe
The Autism Strategy will support the following Bracknell Forest Place Health and Care Plan 2025 to 2026 priority areas:
- Learning disabilities and autism - autistic people are involved in the development of services and support provided by Bracknell Forest
- Thriving communities - healthy, independent, and resilient communities/reduction in health inequalities
The new 2-year NHS Frimley ICB Neurodiversity partnership plan reflects a strengths-based approach towards people who are neurodivergent. The priorities are:
- to meet the needs of the neurodivergent without support being diagnosis dependent
- care is joined up so that families can find and access help and advice services from a range of partners swiftly and easily
- neurodivergent people are less disadvantaged in terms of home, education, training and employment setting, health and wellbeing, compared to their peers
Our ambition is for Bracknell Forest to be an inclusive place where autistic people can thrive and are actively able to participate in the community. The focus of this strategy on autistic people and parent carers, should be reflected within the wider context of an inclusive neurodiversity approach.
The strategy is linked to a number of other Bracknell Forest, Frimley ICB and BHFT strategies and priorities and should be read in conjunction with:
- Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022 to 2026
- Frimley ICB Creating Healthier Communities Strategy refresh 2023
- Frimley ICB 2-year Neurodiversity Partnership Plan
- Bracknell Forest Place Health and Care Plan 2025 to 2026
- Berkshire Healthcare Neurodiversity Strategy
- Bracknell Forest Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Strategy 2023 to 2026
- Learning Improvement Strategy 2025 to 2029
The strategy is linked to the partnership SEND improvement programme, improving services for autistic children, young people and their families. Supporting positive transitions and working with health partners to improve access to health assessments. A joint SEND needs analysis is in development in order to provide comprehensive strategic oversight of special educational needs within Bracknell Forest. Once complete, this strategy will be refreshed and updated accordingly to reflect these findings.
In addition, the strategy is also informed by our Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA).
There is a significant amount of partnership work being delivered across Berkshire, the Frimley Integrated Care System and within Bracknell Forest in our SEND and neurodiversity services and approaches. Therefore it is important that we commit to regularly refreshing this strategy to make sure of continued alignment with service development, approaches and priorities across the partnership. In addition, the action plan that will be developed in order to implement the priorities of this strategy will be in alignment with the above strategies and improvement programmes.