Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is routinely provided to children and young people on the waiting list for an autism assessment.

We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to have due regard to relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on autism when commissioning services for children and young people. It is the responsibility of ICBs to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, in line with these NICE guidelines.

On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services. This guidance provides information on facilitating appropriate pre-assessment support while people are waiting for an assessment and will help improve the experience of people, including children and young people, who are awaiting an autism assessment. In 2023/24, £4.2 million is available to improve services for autistic children and young people, as well as pre and post diagnostic support, including the continuation of the ‘Autism in Schools’ programme.

This year, the Department of Health and Social Care is also working on updating the Statutory Guidance on Autism to support the National Health Service and local authorities to deliver improved outcomes for autistic people.

In the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, the Department for Education set out the intention to improve mainstream education through setting national standards for early identification of need and timely access to support. The Department for Education will also develop new practice guides to support frontline professionals. The first three practice guides will be published by the end of 2025, focusing on advice for mainstream settings, and will include a practice guide on autism.