Agenda item

Resolved: to note the report, and to refer the Committee’s views to Mayor and Cabinet.

5.1      Corrine Moocarme (Joint Commissioning Lead) and Dave Shiress (Housing, Health and Social Care Integration Project Manager) introduced the report; the following key points were noted:

• Previous reports had been submitted to Lewisham’s Health and Wellbeing Board, which provided an update on the national Autism Strategy up to July 2014.
• The report included information about the work that had taken place in the last six months, with a particular focus on work to provide accommodation.
• Autism awareness training had been carried out with GPs and the diagnostic rates would be audited.
• Three possible options had been identified for the provision of specialist housing.

5.2      Rita Craft (Chair of the Campaign in Lewisham for Autism Spectrum Housing (CLASH)) addressed the committee; the following key points were noted:

• There were approximately 2000 autistic people living in Lewisham, many of whom were not known to Council services.
• Autistic adults required help to live independently; this help was not being routinely provided in Lewisham.
• Members of CLASH were concerned about what would happen to their autistic children and loved ones in the longer term, if there were no facilities to support independence.
• Funding was available, through the Mayor of London’s Care & Support Specialised Housing Fund 2012, but this had not been used to provide specialist housing in Lewisham.
• Lewisham had responded well to the development of the national Autism Strategy by establishing a diagnostic service, a support service for adults with Asperger’s as well as developing Drumbeat School, and offering training to health professionals.
• CLASH wanted a specialist employment service and specialist housing for autistic people to build on this work.
• Without a plan for the development of specialist employment and housing opportunities for young people, the costs of support could be high in the long term.
• Those who remained living with their ageing parents, and who were not offered independence skills training would probably need crisis intervention, when those parents became ill, or died, which might become costly for other local services.

5.3      Dave Shiress (Housing, Health and Social Care Integration Manager) responded to questions from the Committee; the following key points were noted:

• Lewisham’s new housing strategy was currently being consulted on. It would include a reference to the need for specialist housing, including from people with autism, but this group would not be prioritised over the claims of other groups.
• Funding from the Mayor of London was used to develop Extra Care housing for older people.
• People with low level support needs, who did not meet the fair access to care services criteria used to be supported by supporting people funding, which was no longer available.
• The Burgess Autistic Trust worked with registered social landlords in Bromley to provide specialist housing. This was a reason for optimism, because this arrangement had been shown to work in a neighbouring borough and the potential the Trust would have the capacity to extend this work into Lewisham.
• The Burgess Trust had started its project in Bromley by identifying a suitable empty property to use. In Lewisham there was significant pressure on the budget for temporary accommodation, which made identifying any suitable property difficult.

5.4      The Committee also discussed the importance of supporting all vulnerable groups. Some Members felt that it would not be fair to prioritise specialist autism spectrum housing over the provision of housing for other groups.

Resolved: to note the report, and to refer the Committee’s views to Mayor and Cabinet.