Sir Robert Buckland KC MP, a Conservative backbencher, is leading a review into autism employment. The key focus will be on supporting employers to recruit and retain autistic people with the aim of reaping the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce.
Sitting in the background of this employment review are the 2009 Autism Act and the national strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021-2026. It could be argued that much ground has been covered since the 2009 Act. There is seemingly far greater understanding of autism across health, education, and wider society in general but there is evidently far more to be done. While the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic may have set things back when it comes to progress in education, training and employment for autistic people, the experience also taught us that there is no reason why flexible working cannot be a longer-term feature of our lives, to the benefit of many who might otherwise not be able to safely access work.
The Buckland Review is not intended to duplicate the efforts of the national strategy. Rather, it is designed to complement it. In both, employment for autistic people is a priority, and finding ways to boost the employment prospects of autistic people and close the employment gap is key.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions, “people with autism have particularly low employment rates – with fewer than three in 10 in work.” The Buckland Review seeks to transform that, with the aid of the charity Autistica.
The Buckland Review will consider issues including:
- how employers identify and better support autistic staff already in their workforce;
- what more could be done to prepare autistic people effectively for beginning or returning to a career;
- and working practices or initiatives to reduce stigma and improve the productivity of autistic employees.
Tim Nicholls, Head of Influencing and Research at the National Autistic Society, sees much to be positive about in the Buckland Review. He said: “We welcome the announcement of the autism employment review led by Sir Robert Buckland MP to better support autistic people into work.
“Urgent action is needed as the autism employment gap is still far too wide, with only 29% of autistic people in employment, compared to around half of all disabled people and 80% of non-disabled people.”
From the evidence we have, it is clear that if autistic young people in further education are to have a fair chance of meaningful employment, the Review needs to address the barriers that currently exist.
These concerns are shared by Danae Leaman-Hill, Director of External Affairs and Development at Ambitious about Autism, who said: “The chances of autistic young people securing a job when they leave school are low. Only 29% are in either full-time or part-time work, compared to 81.6% of non-disabled people. This is one of the lowest employment rates of all disabled groups. Although many autistic young people want to work, they find when they leave education there are many barriers that prevent them from reaching their potential and realising their ambitions.
It seems absurd that these messages still need to be given, but young autistic people in further education need employment opportunities that are acceptable and that help to enable them to reach their potential. This will help to support more positive outcomes, for autistic people and for the economy.
“Autistic people have a huge amount to offer employers,” Nicholls explained, “and more and more businesses are recognising the benefits of having a diverse workforce full of people who offer a variety of skills and different ways of thinking. But still many autistic people face huge barriers in finding and staying in work. Better understanding of autism in the work place could transform thousands of autistic people’s lives.”
Leaman-Hill points to earlier experiences of education as a possible source of some of these issues. “It begins at school when many autistic pupils face being written off by a hostile system. Autistic pupils are twice as likely to be regularly, and unlawfully, excluded from school than those who do not have SEND,” Leaman-Hill explained, “and 73% report they feel their teachers do not understand their needs. They also face rigid attainment targets that do not enable them to achieve their full potential. When thinking about their future, they are met with a lack of tailored careers support and no suitable work experience opportunities. This all contributes to low employment prospects.”
To say that the Buckland Review is welcomed in the sector would be an understatement. It seems to be viewed as a much needed focus on the plight of autistic young people as they seek to make their way in what can be a deeply challenging world. There is widespread understanding that urgent action is needed to tackle the barriers preventing autistic young people from accessing work and to close the autism employment gap. Leaman-Hill said, “The review team and government need to listen to the voices of young people, their families, charities, schools and colleges, to find out the issues preventing autistic young people from accessing employment, as well as what support is helping them into work.
“The support must start within the education system. At the moment, all the gains autistic young people make in school and further education are lost when the support of an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan ends just at the point where they leave education and look for work. We would like to see EHC plans become Employment, Health and Care plans to help support young people as they make the transition from education to employment.”
Nicholls makes the point that the Buckland Review alone is not enough to bring about the changes needed. He said, “This review alone won’t ensure autistic people are able to fully realise their potential in the work place but it’s a really valuable step towards closing the employment gap. The Government must also fully fund its national autism strategy so that autistic people can get the vital support they need.”
Leaman-Hill adds that we also need a commitment to tailored careers advice delivered by professionals who understand autism. “Schools, colleges and universities should provide mandatory tailored careers guidance to disabled young people, including information about schemes such as Access to Work, Disability Confident, supported internships and other employment schemes,” Leaman-Hill said. “We know what works and how best to support autistic young people into employment and there are many other examples of best practice in the sector that we hope the review team will take into account. This will enable them to provide real solutions that the government must take forward in order to tackle the huge barriers autistic young people face trying to access the world of work.”
Find out more…
- The national strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021 to 2026 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/help-and-support/transition-support-service - Transition Support Helpline which provides advice and support to young autistic people and their families on making the transition from school, further or higher education to adult life.
- We need to research and rethink how we hire | Autistica
- Ambitious about Autism | National charity for autistic children and young people - Ambitious about Autism runs a supported internship programme for autistic young people in north London. It also runs a successful national employment programme called Employ Autism, that helps autistic people join the workforce by increasing confidence in autism and neurodiversity in the workplace.
About the author
Elizabeth Holmes
After graduating with a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Reading, Elizabeth Holmes completed her PGCE at the Institute of Education, University of London. She then taught humanities and social sciences in schools in London, Oxfordshire and West Sussex, where she ran the history department in a challenging comprehensive. Elizabeth specialises in education but also writes on many other issues and themes. As well as her regular blogs for Eteach and FEjobs, her books have been published by a variety of publishers and translated around the world. Elizabeth has also taught on education courses in HE and presented at national and international conferences.
