A North Belfast mum of two autistic children has expressed her frustration that vital legislation to support those with autism is in jeopardy in the absence of an agreed budget.
Alana Patterson was responding to news that the implementation of the new autism legislation may be delayed, due to funding issues, which she says is devastating for autistic people and their families.
The Department of Health has warned that Northern Ireland's under-pressure health service is facing a minimum £300 million black hole in the coming year.
Read more: Leading GP's warning amid 'mass exodus' of NI junior doctors and consultants
The stark budgetary picture facing the local health service was outlined to representatives of the main Stormont parties at a briefing organised by Department's permanent secretary Peter May on Wednesday.
In response to queries raised by SDLP MLA and member of the All Party Group on Autism, Mark H Durkan, Mr May outlined that financial uncertainty will have a significant impact on delivery of the Autism Strategy including the appointment of an Independent Autism Reviewer.
Mr Durkan said news that this vital piece of work should hit a stumbling block at the final hurdle is “unforgivable”.
Alana, mum to Isla and Lincoln, said: “Like any other parent I want to see my children thrive and realise their full potential in life. I am extremely disappointed that there may well be delays or barriers to delivering on this legislation.
“This was supposed to be the start of real change for our autistic community and to hear the news that there may be setbacks with the implementation of the autism legislation is upsetting and frustrating.”
Autism NI’s CEO Kerry Boyd added: “We have 35,000 autistic people living in Northern Ireland, with huge waiting lists for assessment and support services growing day by day. To receive the news that this critical legislation may not be progressed due to funding is deeply concerning.
“There has been confirmation that the recruitment of an Autism Reviewer, which is one of the critical areas of the new legislation, has been ‘paused’ until funding becomes available.
“The history of failure that we have in Northern Ireland in relation to the provision of autism services is well documented, with the previous seven-year regional autism strategy also not being implemented fully.
“Therefore, without the oversight of an Autism Reviewer to drive implementation, I fear that the new autism strategy will also fail to succeed.
“Our autistic people and their families cannot wait any longer for help and support. It has been a year since the passing of the legislation and action cannot be delayed any longer.
“The simple fact remains, Stormont needs to be up and running fully, to enable this to happen. The consequences of not progressing with this legislation will undoubtedly have ramifications for years to come.
“I believed that the Autism Amendment Act would be the start of delivering better outcomes for our vibrant autism community and I still do believe this, but we need Stormont back up and running to ensure this happens.”
In response, a DoH spokesperson said significant progress has already been made in delivering some of the requirements of the Autism (Amendment) Act 2022.
They added: "While it is intended that further requirements of the Act will be taken forward as actions of the Autism Strategy 2023-2028, which will be published in the coming months, the absence of an agreed budget and the considerable financial uncertainty being managed by the Department, has required difficult decisions to be taken.
"Until there is greater certainty in relation to the budgetary position for the incoming and subsequent years, the Department cannot determine the impact on the full implementation of the legislation.
"Regarding the appointment of an Independent Autism Reviewer, since the commencement of the competition to appoint a Reviewer, the future funding outlook for the Department, and all NICS Departments, has deteriorated significantly.
"Therefore, the very difficult decision has had to be taken to pause this recruitment process. This decision has not been taken lightly, and the Department appreciates the disappointment this will bring.
"It is however vitally important that the Department considers the longer-term viability of funding decisions taken at this point, particularly in the absence of agreed budgets for the incoming and subsequent financial years.
"Once the funding position becomes clearer, we will re-assess the decision to pause this process."
READ NEXT:
Belfast man raising awareness of swallowing difficulties after choking scare
Vital support maintained for Northern Ireland dentists but further action needed
Spring Covid booster jabs being rolled out across Northern Ireland
NI women open up on how they recovered from strokes at just 15 and 30
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
