NAS announces major new strategy
Mark Lever, chief executive of the NAS, has announced proposals for a major
new strategy for the organisation.
He explained: “We are at a pivotal moment for autism services and support in
the UK. Awareness of autism has never been higher and in recent years we
have made great strides in campaigning for better recognition and support for
those with the condition.
“It is crucial that we build on the momentum we now have. Ultimately we want
to see quality services and support, and positive outcomes, for every
individual affected by autism - and we still have a long way to go to make this
a reality.
“We are committed to working in partnership as we move forward and we
would welcome discussion on our plans. Crucially, we want to ensure that
every element of what we do is informed by the voice of people with autism
and their carers and families.”
The new strategy will be underpinned by a major new fundraising drive to
support new and existing activities. It is built around three key objectives.
Providing pioneering services
We believe that providing services for people with autism must remain central
to what the NAS does. We want to build on our existing wealth of expertise to
develop services that are exemplars and a basis for future innovation.
Building a networked autism community
We are looking to build a national network of branches, members, partners
and professionals. We want to share experiences, listen and respond to
people’s concerns and give the autism community a real voice. We will
support this network to lobby and campaign for change in services and
support at a national and local level.
Establishing a Centre for Autism
This will be both a physical centre and a virtual hub at the heart of a
networked autism community. The autism centre will build capacity and
awareness throughout the autism sector by providing information, advice,
guidance and training for professionals, parents and people with autism and
their supporters. It will be also be a focus for the development of professional
practice.
The new strategy will involve some internal restructuring of the organization
and some job roles will change. This is currently the subject of ongoing
internal discussion. Under the new proposals the roles of the NAS regional
directors would change substantially as the NAS would put into place new
national leadership roles in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
These changes are intended to enable us to build up our campaigning activity
in the devolved nations and maximize our impact and the support we can offer
to local groups. We remain absolutely committed to providing support across
the UK through our regional presence.
