Autism SAF - Questions and Answers

This page sets out the questions of clarification we have been asked by sites completing the Autism Self Assessment report template, and shows the answers we have given them.

To make it easier to see what is what, we have put:

Template Question numbers in bold,
The text from the template in ordinary text,
The question of clarification we have been asked in italics,
And finally our answer in plain text again.

Back to main Autism SAF page

Technical Issue - I CAN'T SAVE IT!!!!!

Every time we save the form it says that it is saved as read only. This seems to deactivate the cells that have the drop down boxes in them.

The file was initially distributed as a .xlsx file for Microsoft Excel 2007 file. We have now added a version in the .xls format for Microsoft Excel 95-2003 to the main page. If you are using a version of Excel prior to 2007, you may wish to download this version instead.

Technical issue - The spreadsheet is saying my text is too long.

The reason for the limit to the length of text (1000 characters in most text boxes, 2000 characters for the two Final Questions) is that in this national collating exercise it was considered that it would not be practically possible to analyse and produce a summary report from longer responses. The Self Assessment format is looking for summary answers, not extensive detail.

If you want to refer in your responses to a website where your local authority has published a fuller document, you can do so in the text boxes. We would suggest using one of the two Final Question boxes for this.

Preliminary question: Enter Local Authority Name.

Our Local Authority isn't listed in the drop down menu

Unfortunately we missed out 9 Local Authorities in Yorkshire from the list. These are Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Doncaster, Kirklees, Leeds, Rotherham, Sheffield and Wakefield. If the form you have is missing one of these, please download a new copy of the form (this should have a version number of 5_03 or later in the file name), where this error has been corrected. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Additional questions section

*We have some information in most areas but much of it will be incomplete. Would you prefer the figures we have with provisos explaining their limitations or no figures at all?

For example we have a pilot diagnostic service which started in October with reasonably detailed figures – before that we would have some (but more limited) information relating to numbers from the previous system.*

It is most helpful if you supply the numbers you have in respect of the additional questions adding any comments you want to. These will give us minimum, or approximate figures which we can include or exclude from regional or national totals to give broader or more definite estimates of the wider position. But they also give us useful information about the extent to which people actually have information - in itself an important question.

Additional questions section

We currently don't record what care and support we provide for Autism, our social care recording system SWIFT records LD activity. We are addressing this as part of our action plan. I am assuming you do not want LD numbers in the additional questions?

This is correct. It is the numbers known to your LA with Autism Spectrum Disorders which the section is asking about. Of course many of these people will also have learning disabilities, but it is planning and services for autism that are of the subject of this Framework, so people should be included for this reason, irrespective of whether or not they also have learning disability.

Additional Questions, Question 5 What is the NUMBER of adults (aged 18 and over) with autism (including Asperger syndrome) currently known to the local authority?

Does ‘known to the local authority’ mean known to adult social care only, or does it include housing, housing related support and other local authority activities?

We had taken this to mean known to the adult social care.

Additional Questions, Question 6 What is the NUMBER of these in PAID WORK (include both full time and part time work)?

Does question 6 refer to people with autism in supported employment or working in the local economy generally?

It refers to the people reported in the previous question (‘5. What is the NUMBER of adults (aged 18 and over) with autism (including Asperger syndrome) currently known to the local authority?’)

Additional Questions, Question 7 What is the NUMBER of these living in their OWN HOME or WITH THEIR FAMILY?

Does question 7 refer to people with autism, or is it linked to question 6?

It refers to the people reported in question 5 (‘5. What is the NUMBER of adults (aged 18 and over) with autism (including Asperger syndrome) currently known to the local authority?’)

In question 7, does living in your own home include people who are living in supported tenancies?

and

Supplemental question 7 asks about the numbers of people living in their own home or with family and question eight asks about those in residential or nursing care. Do you intend for those people living in supported living placements or tenancies to be classed under the “Own home and family” cohort?

Yes. Supported tenancies are arrangements in which people have secure tenancy rights, so these are included as their 'own home'. Note this does not include people living in residential care or group homes where they do not have a legally enforceable tenancy agreement.

Additional Questions, Question 12 'What is the NUMBER of adults (aged 18 and over) with autism (including Asperger syndrome) who currently (at 1st January 2012) receive care from SPECIALIST MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES?'

What is the definition of specialist mental health services for the purposes of the autism self assessment? I assume this includes assessment and treatment services, secondary and tertiary mental health services? Would this also include psychiatric support provided by community teams?

We would assume that specialist mental health services include everything not provided by GP practice employed staff. Increasingly specialist staff operate from a wide range of community bases, so (for example) community psychiatric nurses working as part of a community mental health team and employed by a specialist Trusts may well be providing care in GP practice premises. However in doing so, they are operating as specialist staff and thus providing a specialist service, overseen by the specialist Trust, not the General Practitioner.

Quality Outcome 1 (First part) ‘Under the proposed NHS outcomes framework NHS bodies will need to gather a range of information including data on health inequalities, morbidity rates and recovery from ill-health/injury’

Are you in a position to offer guidance about the information the DH want collected in response to the first part of Quality Outcome 1

We understand this question refers to the types of information suggested on pages 5 to 7 of the DH document Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives: Evaluating Progress which accompanied the initial publication of this Self Assessment Framework.

Service Ambition 1 (First part) ‘Does your JSNA mention adults with autism? Have you plans to collect and collate relevant data about adults with autism?’

Are you in a position to offer guidance about the information the DH want collected in response to the first part of JSNA for Service Ambition 1?

We understand this question refers to the types of information suggested on pages 16 and 17 of the DH document Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives: Evaluating Progress which accompanied the initial publication of this Self Assessment Framework.