NAS says Care Act 'should make a huge difference to adults with autism'

"The Care Act introduces sweeping changes to the adult social care system which should lead to better recognition of the needs of some of the most vulnerable people with autism. This is a huge victory for the thousands of people who got behind our 'Careless' campaign last year and challenged the Government’s weak early proposals for the reform.

"The new rules about who qualifies for publicly funded care and support should make a huge difference to adults with autism, bringing all areas of England into line for the first time. We're also pleased to see that socially isolated adults with autism, as well as those who need prompting to carry out essential tasks like washing and dressing, will now be eligible for support.

"But for this promising new framework to make a real difference to the lives of adults with autism, local authorities must implement the changes in their area in line with the newly published Autism Act statutory guidance, and the Government must allocate greater funding to social care. Supporting the most vulnerable members of society isn’t only the right thing to do; evidence shows that it also saves local councils and the NHS money by preventing people from reaching crisis point.”