Share your views on the all-age autism support service to help shape future support for autism in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Residents across Coventry and Warwickshire who have accessed support through the Community Autism Support Service (CASS) are being invited to share their experiences to help evaluate its impact.
CASS is an all-age Autism support service delivered jointly by Coventry and Warwickshire Mind, Act for Autism and Autism West Midlands. The service is commissioned jointly by Warwickshire County Council, Coventry City Council and the local NHS Integrated Care Board, to support residents in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Since June 2023, the CASS Service has been providing support for autistic children, young people and adults and is available for anyone with a diagnosis of autism, those awaiting a neurodevelopmental assessment or who self-identify as autistic, and their families and carers, as well as professionals.
Now just over 12 months since it was launched, the service is keen to hear people’s experiences to evaluate the impact the service has had. Whether you have accessed support for yourself, a family member or friend, or in a professional capacity, the service would like to hear your experiences to identify what is working well and where support could be improved. Views are invited through a short survey and are welcomed from anyone who has previously accessed CASS or those who are currently accessing any of the support options, which include peer mentoring, one-to-one or group sessions and education and training.
Cllr Margaret Bell, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health at Warwickshire County Council, said "Feedback is crucial in ensuring that our services are as effective and supportive as possible.
"The Community Autism Support Service was launched in 2023 as part of our commitment, together with partners, to improving the support available for autistic people and their families across Coventry and Warwickshire. We recognise that the needs and experiences of those we serve are diverse and evolving which is why it’s important we take this opportunity to listen to what is working well and to where meaningful improvements could be made to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our communities. We encourage everyone who has used CASS to participate in the survey and share their views.”
Dr Angela Brady, Chief Medical Officer, NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board, said: “We are keen to hear your views to help us shape the future of autism support. This is an opportunity to let us know what has worked well and what we can do better. When we launched the service, we wanted to ensure it reflected and responded to the needs of our local community. By listening to our people’s voices, we can work to ensure that available support will continue to be focused on what matters most for autistic people across Coventry and Warwickshire.”
Cllr Kamran Caan, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport, added: “We can only strive to improve services by listening to those people who make use of them, and this is crucial for carers, individuals and professionals who are impacted by autism.
“We have many excellent joint projects between Coventry and Warwickshire and with various health service partners and I hope we can gather helpful feedback to help shape the future of autism support.
“There are a wide range of communities across the region, and we want to ensure that everyone has the chance to respond.”
The Community Autism Support Service online survey is now available on WCC’s consultation pages, Ask Warwickshire, and will be available until 26 August 2024: CASS Feedback Survey
If you would like to request the survey in an alternative format, require any assistance in completing the survey or have any queries, please email IntegratedLDACommissioningTeam@warwickshire.gov.uk.
For more information about the Community Autism Support Service, visit casspartnership.org.uk/.