AM for Wrexham Lesley Griffiths believes a new Welsh Government funding package of £2m for services for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can help secure a ‘step change’ seen over recent years in services for people with the disorder.
The funding will:
- Provide £880,000 to maintain local ASD leads and action plans in each of the 22 local authority areas.
- Fund a full-time national autism co-coordinator to run the Learning and Improvement Network (LIN).
- Extend the Wales ASD Employment Ambassador’s contract for a further 12 months.
- Allow for the Welsh Governments Expert Adviser on Autism to be retained.
In addition Ministers have agreed to launch public consultation event upon how the ASD action plan should be taken forwards up to 2015.
Since the ASD action plan was launched in 2008, the Welsh Government has provided £5.4m ring-fenced funding for ASD, a further £5.1m Revenue Support Grant for Local Authorities for services to children with ASD, and last year a further £2.076 was announced. The new funding is in addition to this.
Commenting on the announcement AM Lesley Griffiths said:
“I know many organisations and people who do great work to highlight the needs of people with ASD will welcome this announcement of additional funds.
“The money will help to build upon the step change we have seen over recent years in the responsiveness of the services available to people with ASD in Wales.
“Unique in the UK, we now have a network of nominated lead officers for ASD in each Local Authority in addition to regional support teams across Wales. On top of this, just recently an Expert Advisor on ASD has been appointed and a new e-resource centre launched.
“This announcement shows the continued commitment of the Welsh Labour Government to the services for people with ASD, despite tight financial circumstances.”
