Suspension of Referrals to the Autism Support Team

Due to workload pressures the Autism Support Team are suspending any new referrals from schools with immediate effect. This is likely to be in effect until the Easter holidays, however if we can review this sooner we will endeavour to do so.

This action has needed to be taken in light of increased pressures arising from the implementation of the education, health and care plan process.

If referrals are sent to the team they will not be acknowledged or acted upon until caseloads for the Autism Support Team are manageable.

When the team are in a position to open up referrals, transition support will take priority for action before any other pending cases. For cases already known to the team, they will be actioned, however at the moment there will be a lapse in time before a specialist support worker can attend or be in communication with a setting.

In light of the current situation and to prevent this occurring in the future, further work is going to be undertaken to ensure fair and equitable distribution of specialist support worker time within school settings.

If you have any questions about this immediate situation please email the Access and Services Team at cs.accessandservices@norfolk.gov.uk and a member of staff will respond within 2 working days.