Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the domiciliary support local authorities can provide to households with adult children with autism resident at home (i) in York and (ii) across the country.

Local authorities are required to understand and shape their local markets to ensure a diverse range of person-centred care and support services, including domiciliary care for autistic adults resident at home. Councils across the country, including in York, are set to receive £0.4 million from the increase to the Social Care Grant in 2021/22. We have committed to an increase in funding of more than £70 million to support local authorities to improve services, including to plan and develop the support and care options available. The additional £3.5 billion for local authorities in 2022/23 proposed in the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement will ensure local authorities can respond effectively to pressures on their services, including adult social care.

As of January 2022, 87% of domiciliary care agencies were rated good or outstanding by the Care Quality Commission. The updated national autism strategy was published on 21 July 2021. This is supported by £74 million in the first year to improve understanding in society, reduce diagnosis waiting times, and improve access to high-quality health and social care for autistic people.