Equality Impact Assessment - Asperger Syndrome Service

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The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

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BROWSE

Is this a new function or a review of an existing function?

New function

What are the aims/purpose of the function?

To provide a specialist service which meets the needs of people with Asperger syndrome.
To be the single point of access for people with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome/High Functioning Autism who require support to live in the Royal Borough of Kingston.
To provide a service which takes into account the communication needs of people with Asperger syndrome/High Functioning Autism.

Is the function designed to meet specific needs such as the needs of minority ethnic groups, older people, disabled people etc?

Yes, disabled people, more specifically those with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism.

What information has been gathered on this function? (Indicate the type of information gathered e.g. statistics, consultation, other monitoring information)? Attach a summary or refer to where the evidence can be found.

The National Autistic Society estimate that there are 1046 individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders living in Kingston (age range 0-65+years), 530 of whom are individuals with Asperger syndrome who have an IQ of more than 70. The gender breakdown is assumed to be 4:1 male: female across the autistic spectrum. Research has shown when considering individuals with Asperger syndrome/high functioning autism, the ratio could be as high as 15:1 (Wing 1981).

The NAS have highlighted that the take up of services among BME communities is lower then expected, due to language barriers and cultural and religious beliefs (‘Invisible Families’ NAS 2005).

In a research project, ‘Meeting the Need’ (Buyson & Long 2005) which focused specifically on the needs of adults with Asperger syndrome living in Kingston, 37 people from age 15yrs+ with a formal or strongly suspected diagnosis of Asperger syndrome were identified. 22 of these took part in interviews. Of the 22 participants interviewed, 5 were from the children in transition team, 11 were from the CLDT, 3 from the CMHTs and 3 participants were not known to any service prior to the study.

This study highlighted that for individuals with AS, there was a “significant unmet need” with inconsistencies in the services provided by RBK. The Asperger Syndrome Service has been developed in response to this unmet need, in order to specifically address the needs of this population, a population which is likely to increase significantly in the future due to heightened awareness of the condition.

Does your analysis of the information show different outcomes for different groups (higher or lower uptake/failure to access/receive a poorer or inferior service)? If yes, indicate which groups and which aspects of the policy or function contribute to inequality?

The take up of services by females is lower owing to the incidence of autistic spectrum disorders among women.

A lower uptake of services is reported amongst BME communities (NAS). The reasons cited for this include language barriers, religious and cultural beliefs. People from these communities may not know what services are available due to language barriers. Disability can be seen as a taboo in some communities and may be perceived as a punishment or a test for the family and therefore, people are less likely to seek support from outside the family.

Are these differences justified (e.g. are there legislative or other constraints)? If they are, explain in what way.

The male: female ratio of ASDs shows a significantly higher number of males with autistic spectrum disorders, and therefore we would expect a lower take up of services from females.

What action needs to be taken as a result of this Equality Impact Assessment to address any detrimental impacts or meet previously unidentified need? Include here any reasonable adjustments for access by disabled people. Include dates by which action will be taken. Attach an action plan if necessary.

The access to services for people from BME communities is dependent on materials being produced in appropriate languages, presenting information about Asperger syndrome in a culturally appropriate way, and establishing links with relevant voluntary sector agencies.

The service will need to consider how to market to females in order to encourage take up of services. Females may be less likely to want to access groups where the majority of participants are male.

Research which BME communities are present in RBK to inform which languages are spoken locally.
Review existing marketing materials, and adjust/translate as necessary.
Contact voluntary sector organisations to market service.
Follow up participants involved in the ‘Meeting the Need’ research project to determine whether they are accessing the service.
Develop better recording and monitoring mechanisms.

When will you evaluate the impact of action taken? Give review dates.

September 2007 – 6 months

March 2008 – 1 year.

Assessment completed by:

Name Katie Vivian

Service Asperger Syndrome Service

Date 26 February 2007

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