To: Welsh Government
Resurrect (Wales) Autism Bill 2019!
We demand the Welsh Government reintroduce and pass the Autism (Wales) Bill 2019 to create a legally binding, condition-specific strategy that holds the NHS and local authorities accountable for providing timely diagnosis, specialist crisis support, and lifelong integrated services for all autistic people in Wales.
Why is this important?
❤️ Why is This Bill Essential? Facts and Stories from the Frontline
The campaign to reintroduce and pass the Autism (Wales) Bill is not about adding another layer of bureaucracy; it is about saving and transforming lives by enforcing consistency and accountability in our public services.
The Head: Why the Law Must Change
The Welsh Government currently relies on a Code of Practice for Autism services. Unlike a Bill, a Code of Practice does not fully enforce public services to meet the specific needs of autistic people, often leaving adherence as discretionary rather than mandatory.
The facts show this discretionary approach is failing:
Crisis in Waiting Times: Diagnosis is the gateway to support. Yet, in Wales, thousands of children and young people are waiting for an ASD or ADHD assessment. In June 2023, 67.4% of children and young people waiting for an assessment had already been waiting for 26 weeks or longer. For adults seeking an autism diagnosis through the Integrated Autism Services (IAS), the average wait in late 2022-23 was 95.1 weeks (nearly two years).
A "Needs-Led" Failure: The original purpose of the Autism Bill was to ensure a clear and consistent pathway to diagnosis and guarantee that local authorities and the NHS take necessary action to provide timely support. The current system leaves many autistic people and their families receiving "very little if any support" while they wait for assessment.
The Mental Health Catastrophe: Autistic adults in Wales are six times more likely to report low life satisfaction and eight times more likely to report feeling chronically lonely compared to the general population. About 80% of autistic people are diagnosed with at least one mental illness in their lifetime, compared to 26% of the general population. When the system provides temporary, ill-informed responses, it exacerbates this crisis.
A legally binding Bill would require the Welsh Government to publish an Autism Strategy and issue statutory guidance to the NHS and local authorities, placing mandatory duties on them to act and be held to account.
The Heart: A Personal Plea for Change
If I were talking to a friend, I would explain it simply:
"This campaign is personal, and it’s urgent. I’ve just been through a harrowing family emergency where I had to fight to reinstate my elderly, disabled mother's care package while simultaneously trying to get crisis mental health support for my older sister. I watched as she was fobbed off with sleeping tablets after repeating distressing symptoms of a mental breakdown. She is facing years of waiting for an ASD assessment, despite the strong likelihood of a diagnosis that could finally unlock appropriate, specialist support."
"This isn’t an isolated incident. I was diagnosed in 2018, and even with that diagnosis, the system is not a crisis service. The current Code of Practice means that when the system fails people like my sister—or those facing life-threatening mental health crises—there is no clear legal duty to step in and provide proper, specialist care.
"We saw what happened with the original Bill: the government promised the Code would be enough, but my meeting with Mark Drakeford MS and his subsequent letter to the Minister prove that the promises have not been delivered in practice.
"We need your voice to put the power of law behind this. We need a Bill that forces every health board and council to stop the two-year waits, provide mandatory autism training for staff, and offer specialist, lifelong support. It’s the difference between a life of isolation and crisis, and a life with dignity and support."
Join us because this Bill is the only way to ensure the rights, safety, and well-being of all autistic people in Wales are protected by law, not just by hope.
The campaign to reintroduce and pass the Autism (Wales) Bill is not about adding another layer of bureaucracy; it is about saving and transforming lives by enforcing consistency and accountability in our public services.
The Head: Why the Law Must Change
The Welsh Government currently relies on a Code of Practice for Autism services. Unlike a Bill, a Code of Practice does not fully enforce public services to meet the specific needs of autistic people, often leaving adherence as discretionary rather than mandatory.
The facts show this discretionary approach is failing:
Crisis in Waiting Times: Diagnosis is the gateway to support. Yet, in Wales, thousands of children and young people are waiting for an ASD or ADHD assessment. In June 2023, 67.4% of children and young people waiting for an assessment had already been waiting for 26 weeks or longer. For adults seeking an autism diagnosis through the Integrated Autism Services (IAS), the average wait in late 2022-23 was 95.1 weeks (nearly two years).
A "Needs-Led" Failure: The original purpose of the Autism Bill was to ensure a clear and consistent pathway to diagnosis and guarantee that local authorities and the NHS take necessary action to provide timely support. The current system leaves many autistic people and their families receiving "very little if any support" while they wait for assessment.
The Mental Health Catastrophe: Autistic adults in Wales are six times more likely to report low life satisfaction and eight times more likely to report feeling chronically lonely compared to the general population. About 80% of autistic people are diagnosed with at least one mental illness in their lifetime, compared to 26% of the general population. When the system provides temporary, ill-informed responses, it exacerbates this crisis.
A legally binding Bill would require the Welsh Government to publish an Autism Strategy and issue statutory guidance to the NHS and local authorities, placing mandatory duties on them to act and be held to account.
The Heart: A Personal Plea for Change
If I were talking to a friend, I would explain it simply:
"This campaign is personal, and it’s urgent. I’ve just been through a harrowing family emergency where I had to fight to reinstate my elderly, disabled mother's care package while simultaneously trying to get crisis mental health support for my older sister. I watched as she was fobbed off with sleeping tablets after repeating distressing symptoms of a mental breakdown. She is facing years of waiting for an ASD assessment, despite the strong likelihood of a diagnosis that could finally unlock appropriate, specialist support."
"This isn’t an isolated incident. I was diagnosed in 2018, and even with that diagnosis, the system is not a crisis service. The current Code of Practice means that when the system fails people like my sister—or those facing life-threatening mental health crises—there is no clear legal duty to step in and provide proper, specialist care.
"We saw what happened with the original Bill: the government promised the Code would be enough, but my meeting with Mark Drakeford MS and his subsequent letter to the Minister prove that the promises have not been delivered in practice.
"We need your voice to put the power of law behind this. We need a Bill that forces every health board and council to stop the two-year waits, provide mandatory autism training for staff, and offer specialist, lifelong support. It’s the difference between a life of isolation and crisis, and a life with dignity and support."
Join us because this Bill is the only way to ensure the rights, safety, and well-being of all autistic people in Wales are protected by law, not just by hope.
