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ConferencePromoting equal rights for people with autismin the field of employment and education(Turin, 29 November 2014))National Autism Plans and Strategies in the EUMember StatesValentina Della FinaThe Conference is supported by the European Union Programme PROGRESS (2007-2013).Thisprogramme is implemented by the European Commission. It was established to financially supportthe implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the employment, social affairs andequal opportunities area, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategygoals in these fields. The seven-year Programme targets all stakeholders who can help shape thedevelopment of appropriate and effective employment and social legislation and policies, across theEU-28, EFTA-EEA and EU candidate and pre-candidate countries.For more information see: http://ec.europa.eu/progress. The contents of this presentation are thesole responsibility of the author and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the EuropeanCommission.

EU Project “Promoting equal rights for people withautism in the fields of employment and education”2 ISGI legal study: assessment of Article 24 (Education) and Article 27 (Workand Employment) of the CRPD implementation in the EUMember States focus on EU States having developed autism specificlegislation and/or autism plans, or having adopted specificlegislative measures in favor of people with autism in thefields of education and employment Objective: identification of good legislative practicesconsistent with the rights and the obligations stated inArticles 24 and 27 of the CRPD and the EU lawJUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

ISGI legal study3 The scientific results of our research will be published inthe book titledProtecting the Rights of People with Autism inthe Fields of Education and Employment: International,European and National Perspectives, V. Della Fina, R.Cera (eds)Publisher: SpringerAvailable: first months of 2015E-book format with free open access (Springer openaccess book)JUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

Role of autism legislation and national autismplans or strategies 1/24 Safeguarding people with autism from discriminationand social exclusionProviding special support and services for individualswith ASD and their familiesWorld Health Assembly: Resolution WHA67.8 on‘autism’ of May 2014 recommended to Member States‘to develop or update and implement relevant policies,legislation, and multisectoral plans, supported bysufficient human, financial and technical resources toaddress issues related to ASD’ (para 1.2)JUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

Role of autism legislation and national autismplans or strategies 2/25 European Parliament : Charter for Persons with Autismof 1996 affirms, among others, that people with autism should share the same rights andprivileges enjoyed by all of the European population these rights should be enhanced, protected andenforced by appropriate legislation in each StateJUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

EU Member States: national autism plans andstrategies 1/56Actually, only a short number of EU countries hasimplemented the recommendations of the EuropeanParliament Specific autism legislation and/or autism plans andstrategies have been developed by:Bulgaria, France, Denmark, Hungary, and within theUnited Kingdom, England, Wales, Northern Irelandand Scotland JUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

EU Member States: national autism plans andstrategies 2/57 France adopted three Autism Plans: the first for the period2005-2007; the second for the years 2008-2010 and thethird one covering the years 2013-2017In Denmark, the National Autism Plan (NAP) was firstpublished in 2006, only in Danish. In 2008, following thereform and the merger of the municipalities, the Plan waspublished in English as a guide for municipalities which startedto base their autism policy on the NAPIn Hungary the National Autism Strategy (2008-2013) wascommissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour andprepared under the supervision of the Hungarian AutisticSocietyJUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

EU Member States: national autism plans andstrategies 3/58 In England, Autism Act 2009 is the first autism specificlegislation adopted in Europe. The Act is the legal basis ofthe:Fulfilling and rewarding lives: the strategy for adults withautism in England of March 2010 and its updated versionof April 2014 called Think Autismand its guidance, Implementing fulfilling and rewardinglives: statutory guidance for local authorities and NHSorganisations to support implementation of the autismstrategy of December 2010, currently under publicconsultationJUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

EU Member States: national autism plans andstrategies 4/59 The Welsh Assembly adopted the Autistic SpectrumDisorder Strategic Action Plan for Wales (2008-2018) for aperiod of ten yearsAs for Northern Ireland, in 2008 the Health Ministerannounced his intention to develop a Strategic Action Planfor ASD Services and in 2009 a first ASD Strategic ActionPlan (2009-2011) was publishedIn 2011 the Autism Act (Northern Ireland) was enacted,providing the statutory obligation to develop a strategy: in2013 the Autism Strategy (2013-2020) and Action Plan(2013-2016) were adoptedJUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

EU Member States: national autism plans andstrategies 5/510 As for Scotland the ten-year Scottish Strategy for Autism(2011) was developed by the Scottish Governmentworking in partnership with the Convention of ScottishLocal Authorities (COSLA), the two national autismorganizations, and a wide range of stakeholdersIn Bulgaria, in 2012-2013, the Ministry of Healthprepared a document titled ‘Measures to improve carefor helping people with autism and ASD, and theirfamilies’. In August 2013 this document was approved bythe Minister of Health and is considered a kind of nationalautism plan covering the years 2013-2016JUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

Proposals of national autism plans andstrategies 1/211 In Ireland the Autism Bill 2012 was introduced in theAssembly of Ireland with the aim to place a statutoryobligation on the Government to adopt an autism strategy, twoyears after the passing of the Act, to meet the needs of adultswith ASD in the accessibility to services, employment and socialinclusion, and the needs of families and carersIn Italy a kind of autism plan called “Progetto nazionaleautismo”, to be developed at national and regional levels, hasbeen proposed by the national working table on autism set upin 2007 by the Ministry of Health (‘Tavolo nazionale di lavorosulle problematiche dell’autismo’); it has not yet been adoptedJUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

Proposals of national autism plans andstrategies 2/212 In Canada individual members of the Senate requested anenquiry on federal funding for ASD treatment and the need for anational ASD strategy at federal level. In the final report of theenquiry of 2007, the Standing Senate Committee on SocialAffairs, Science and Technology recommended that‘The federal government, in collaboration with the provinces andterritories, establish a comprehensive National ASD Strategy;all stakeholders, including individuals with autism, be consulted onthe components that should be part of the Strategy, such astreatment, research, surveillance, awareness campaigns,community initiatives, education.; and, the Strategy include child,adolescent and adult treatments and supports’JUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

Proposal of a European Strategy for Autism13 Autism-Europe and other associations have proposed aEuropean Strategy for Autism in consideration of the increasingincidence of people with autism in Europe and the need tocoordinate policy approaches at national and European levelsAccording to the proponents, the European Strategy for Autismshould identify the most urgent needs to be met for peoplewith autism (such as diagnosis, early interventions, andresearch) and enshrine the fundamental human rights of thepersons with ASD in conformity with the CRPDThe EU could follow the precedent of the European Strategyfor Disability 2010-2020 to adopt a European Strategy forAutismJUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

National autism plans adopted outside the EU1/ 314 In the last years, also outside the EU autism plans have beendeveloped. The cases of the United States, Canada andAustralia are worth mentioningThe US Government funds States to develop autism plans toimprove services, as well as investing in research, publicawareness, and expanding training programs for healthprofessionalsNational autism plans have been adopted, among others, byMichigan (2012), Nebraska (2000, revised in 2013) andTexas (2010)JUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

National autism plans adopted outside the EU2/ 315 In Canada a federal ASD Strategy has not yet beenadopted, but since Canadian provincial and territorialgovernments are responsible for delivering health andsocial services within their respective jurisdictions, someprovinces have developed autism plans, such as:Nova Scotia ASD Action Plan (2011) is designed tosupport children, youth and adults with ASD and theirfamiliesManitoba five-year Plan to help Manitobans with ASDand their families (2011)JUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

National autism plans adopted outside the EU3/ 316 In Australia the Federal Government has adopted specificautism legislation providing public resources to fundinitiatives in support of children with ASD and their familiesEach State has developed its own legislation including, in somecases, autism national plans:in 2009, the Victorian Government adopted an Autism StatePlan in recognition that ASDs are becoming more prevalentand demand on services and support is growingIn 2011, the Queensland Government announced the intentionto develop an autism plan but, at the current stage, it has notbeen releasedJUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

National autism plans and strategies:education and employment17 Education and employment for their relevance in terms ofinclusion of people with ASD in society are priority areasin all national autism plans and strategies adopted by theEU Member States and outside EU Actions and services to address the needs of people withASD in these two fields differ in each plan and strategydepending on the domestic legal order and the existinghealth, social and educational services that providesupport to people with ASD in the specific StateJUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

National autism plans and strategies:distinguishing aspects 1/318 Practical approach: all autism plans and strategiesfollow a practical approach identifying for eachgroup of people (children, young people, adults, etc.)the key areas of intervention and the necessaryservicesRole of autism representative organizations: allnational autism plans and strategies have beendeveloped in partnership with autism associations,which are also involved in the process of revision ofthese instrumentsJUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS

National autism plans and strategies:distinguishing aspects 2/319 Flexible nature: concerns the possibility to revise the planswithout recurring to formal procedures. This aspect is linkedwith their implementation and monitoringCompetent Ministries/Departments are usually charged withthe task to implement the plans and update them, often withthe collaboration of central and local organs, and stakeholdersAs for the Strategy for adults with autism in England (2010,updated in 2014) and the Northern Ireland Autism Strategy(2013-2020) having a legal foundation in primary legislationtheir implementation, monitoring and revision are regulatedrespectively in the Autism Act 2009 and the Autism Act(Northern Ireland) 2011JUST/2013/PROG/AG/5004/NGOS