Autism Spectrum Conditions

We want to make sure that people providing unpaid care or help to an adult family member, partner, or friend, with an autism spectrum condition are involved in the planning and delivering health, social care, and community services in Hertfordshire. To enhance these services, it’s crucial that those who commission and deliver services listen to carers’ experiences and perspectives.

We believe in collaborative efforts – co-production – where carers play a vital role:

Sharing insights: providing information about effective services and highlighting issues or services that they feel need improvement.
Influencing the development of new and better services.
Ensuring effective communication and that their needs are met. That carers get the help and advice they need, when they require it and that it is at a suitable time or location, or accessible format.

Our Carer Engagement Team supports unpaid family and friend carers to be heard, informed, and connected to services and others in a similar caring situation. They achieve this by:

• Organising meetings and events for carers to find out about a particular issue or topic, such as benefits or financial help, legal matters, or service reviews.
• Keeping carers informed about consultations and working groups.
• Supporting carers in responding to national and local consultations and advocating on national issues.
• Empowering carers to challenge commissioning decisions constructively.
• Regularly sharing updates or event notifications, mainly via email.

Some of the information and views you share is fed to the Hertfordshire All Age Autism Co-production Board (HAAACPB). The Board consists of family carer representatives along with professionals from NHS organisations, Hertfordshire County Council and community or voluntary sector services like us, Carers in Hertfordshire.

There is more information about Co-production in Hertfordshire on Hertfordshire County Council’s website via this link – Co-production in Hertfordshire.