Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer.

It is widely acknowledged that autism services are improving, but I am acutely aware that many autistic people and their families still face a daily struggle to access the support that they need. I understand that services must not only continue on this improvement trajectory, but do so at increased pace. 

That is why, today, I have published an updated autistic spectrum disorder strategy delivery plan. The revised plan reflects important new commitments to improve services. These new commitments reflect feedback that we and our partners have heard from autistic people, their families, carers and wider stakeholders. The commitments include: issuing a code of practice on the delivery of autism services under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and the National Health Service Act 2006; issuing a code of practice on the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 and roll-out of the new ALN system from 2020; updating and expanding Welsh Government autism guidance for housing providers; improving data collection through developing GP autism registers; consulting on making autism a stand-alone theme for future population needs assessments; raising awareness by improving engagement and involvement of autistic people in policy development; and expanding the independent evaluation to look at the alignment between children’s neurodevelopmental and wider autism services and to address the continuing barriers to reducing diagnostic waiting times.

I want to say more today about my intentions for the statutory code of practice on the delivery of autism services, which I have already committed to publish within this National Assembly term. This code will set out how local authorities, health boards and their partners should have services available to meet the identified needs of autistic people and their families and carers. In November, I will issue a public consultation to gather views on where we need to focus the autism code. The code will have a significant influence on where and how local authorities and health boards prioritise resources and how they actually deliver autism services. We need to get the balance right between requiring certain outcomes while at the same time enabling continuing innovation.

The consultation document will reflect the feedback that has already been received from stakeholders, including our ASD advisory group and professionals working to provide autism services. As I reflect on individual’s experiences of struggling to get the support they need, I particularly want to hear more from autistic people and their parents, carers and wider family about what they want to see in a code of practice that will make a practical difference in their daily lives. We also want to hear more from those who deliver support, who will be able to advise on current practice to tell us where improvements should be made. We also want to know if there are any unintended consequences that could arise because of any guidance that we choose to put in place.

The consultation document will focus on five key areas and will seek to capture many of the issues that are set out in the autism Bill, which I believe can be addressed without the need for the legislation proposed in the Autism (Wales) Bill currently beginning scrutiny. These are: assessment and diagnosis; accessing care and support; staff training; planning; and stakeholder engagement in service planning and delivery.

The consultation will ask for feedback on where our plans could unintentionally cause harm to existing services and impede the successful delivery of the ASD strategic action plan, particularly the national integrated autism service. For example, we plan to maintain the 26-week assessment waiting time standard for children and expand this into adult services. We do not think it is wise to change these arrangements, as our tested approach will enable service providers to organise and deliver timely first-assessment appointments, rather than just to signal that assessment has commenced, as proposed in the autism Bill. Our approach will help to ensure there remain sufficient resources to provide a post-diagnostic service. I think there is little to be gained by focusing hard-pressed resources on funneling individuals through assessment at the cost of providing care further down the line, where it is most needed.

The code, when published, will reinforce the duties already placed on local health boards and local authorities to provide autism assessment services, setting out guidance on the arrangements and the scope of service provision. It will highlight the need for compliance with nationally agreed diagnostic pathways, which have already been published, and by encouraging named lead roles to ensure services are regularly reviewed and reflect up-to-date practice. There will also be guidance on how autistic people should be able to access care and support services based on their needs and made accessible through adapted practice. That should reflect the existing duties in social care legislation.

In recent years, we have also made significant progress in raising awareness of autism amongst services and across the community. And we want to do more by asking services to undertake a training needs assessment of all of their staff and then to provide training identified as suitable for their role and experience. The national autism framework for Wales is already available as a tool to undertake this work.

The code will also provide additional guidance for regional partnership boards in relation to service planning and existing duties to undertake a population needs assessment. We will make autism a mandatory stand-alone core theme for future assessments. This will ensure that regions have clear plans in place to deliver and monitor autism services. And, lastly, but perhaps most importantly, the new guidance will set out the steps that should be taken to ensure that autistic people, their families and carers are engaged in planning activity and involved in the service development.

In developing the code, I will of course take account of the work being undertaken on the Assembly Member led Autism (Wales) Bill that has recently been introduced. As the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee gather evidence on the proposed legislation over the next few months, I will of course be listening. I'll be attending committee and presenting written evidence. However, it does remain my view that the Bill is not the right answer to improve services for people, in the context of the range of service developments that are, or will be, put in place. In the context of all the actions I've set out today, the potential legislation being discussed in the Assembly will not, I believe, provide us with new tools to improve services. It would though, I believe, install a rigid set of requirements that are likely to do harm to the improvement trajectory that we have put our services on. It will not result in more money being put into the system; it would result in existing resources being used less effectively.

I believe we're on the right path. Rather than change course now, we need to get on with delivery, including through taking the steps I've outlined today. And I do hope that colleagues across parties can get behind our plan and, as a result, that outcomes for autistic people, their families and carers will continue to improve.