Autism Act 2009 Committee launches call for evidence

Wednesday, 2 April 2025 10:32

To mark World Autism Acceptance Day, the House of Lords special inquiry committee into the Autism Act 2009 is today launching its call for evidence inviting written contributions to its inquiry. The committee wants to understand how well the Autism Act, the Government's autism strategy and the statutory guidance are working so that it can make specific, practical recommendations about what the Government should do next. The committee particularly...Request free trial

To mark World Autism Acceptance Day, the House of Lords special inquiry committee into the Autism Act 2009 is today launching its call for evidence inviting written contributions to its inquiry.

The committee wants to understand how well the Autism Act, the Government's autism strategy and the statutory guidance are working so that it can make specific, practical recommendations about what the Government should do next.

The committee particularly welcomes views from autistic people and the people who support them.

The committee is seeking evidence on key questions about how to improve support for autistic people, including:

How can public understanding and acceptance of autistic people be improved?

How can the Government improve assessment, diagnosis and post-diagnostic support?

How can the Government improve the identification and support of autistic people when they need it (including if they do not have a diagnosis)?

How can access to healthcare be improved?

How can community support be improved?

How can access to education be improved?

How can support for autistic people to find and stay in work be improved?

How can support for autistic people who are in contact with the criminal and youth justice systems be improved?

To give everyone interested the opportunity to respond, the call for evidence is open for two months, which is longer than usual. The committee invites interested people to submit written evidence by Monday 2 June 2025. The full call for evidence and further information is available on the committee's website. Conventional, easy read and audio versions of the document will be available.

The committee plans to publish its report by 30 November 2025.

Baroness Rock, Chair of the Autism Act 2009 Committee said:

“As we celebrate World Autism Acceptance Day, I am delighted that our committee has also launched its call for evidence.

“A key priority for the committee is to engage directly with autistic people and the people who support them. We want to hear from a wide range of people and organisations with different experiences and perspectives. We will reflect carefully on the evidence that we receive and make recommendations to the Government about how to ensure all autistic people get the support they need.”