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Hillingdon Council is celebrating after its Youth Justice Service became the first in the country to achieve national recognition by a charity for its work to improve support for autistic people.
It has gained the National Autistic Society’s Autism Inclusion Award, which recognises mainstream providers who have gone above and beyond in providing support.
The Youth Justice Service has been working towards the accreditation since 2023, which has helped it become more inclusive for autistic children and young people in the borough.
The accreditation was divided into four main areas - understanding autism, making services accessible for autistic people, providing personalised support, and working in partnership in the best interests of autistic people.
Examples of the work the service has undertaken includes:
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regular audits to ensure the places young people interact with the service are as suitable as possible for autistic children, particularly those who may have sensory needs or anxiety associated with visiting new places
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ensuring any written communications avoid using complex language or jargon and making use of visuals to support understanding
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introducing social stories that can be shared with children, young people and families prior to attending to Uxbridge Family Hub with the aim of reducing anxiety about visiting a new place
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providing children and young people the opportunity to choose the Youth Justice Officer who they feel best suited to
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supporting the wider council to review their neurodivergence training offer for new starters.
Cllr Susan O’Brien, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be the first Youth Justice Service in the country to be awarded this accreditation and excited to continue on our journey of development and support for neurodivergent children, young people and their families.
“This recognition reflects the dedication and commitment of our multi-disciplinary team of professionals and their work to make services as accessible and inclusive as possible for children and young people in our borough. My congratulations to each and every one of them on achieving this award.”
Christine Flintoft-Smith, Head of Autism Accreditation and Projects at the National Autistic Society, said: “We are delighted that Hillingdon Council has achieved the Autism Inclusion Award. The team should be exceptionally proud of their achievement and commitment towards improving support for autistic people.”
For more information about the council’s Youth Justice Service, visit our website. For more information about the Autism Inclusion Award, visit the National Autistic Society website.