| |
| |
| Acknowledgements | |
| |
| |
| Foreword | |
| |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What is the Parents' Handbook? | |
| |
| |
| What is PACE? | |
| |
| |
| Working for all children with autism | |
| |
| |
| Why get involved? | |
| |
| |
| Why get involved now? | |
| |
| |
| Differences between LEAs: 'customised campaigning' | |
| |
| |
| |
| Before you begin... | |
| |
| |
| Separating two objectives: improving services for all children with autism and seeking to meet your own child's needs | |
| |
| |
| Working out what you want to achieve | |
| |
| |
| Working with other parents | |
| |
| |
| What are public authorities and services like in your area? | |
| |
| |
| |
| Initial steps in approaching public authorities | |
| |
| |
| Thinking around the problems | |
| |
| |
| Winning people over | |
| |
| |
| Whom to approach and when | |
| |
| |
| Getting officers to engage with you | |
| |
| |
| |
| When the local authority approaches you | |
| |
| |
| Responding to public authority consultations | |
| |
| |
| Invitations to user groups and forums | |
| |
| |
| |
| Building relationships and influence | |
| |
| |
| Building mutual respect | |
| |
| |
| Making meetings work | |
| |
| |
| Identifying and developing common ground | |
| |
| |
| Putting across your perspective | |
| |
| |
| Assessing progress - and what to do if things don't seem to be moving forward | |
| |
| |
| Making use of political processes in local authorities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Using external levers of influence: MPs, the media and the law | |
| |
| |
| Contacting your MP | |
| |
| |
| Using the media | |
| |
| |
| Using the law | |
| |
| |
| Local authority complaints procedures | |
| |
| |
| Using administrative procedures to hold authorities to account | |
| |
| |
| |
| Common dilemmas faced by parent campaigners | |
| |
| |
| Do we go for short-term warfare or long-term diplomacy? | |
| |
| |
| Is there a danger that different parent approaches will undermine each other? | |
| |
| |
| |
| Local government - structures, people and processes | |
| |
| |
| Funding | |
| |
| |
| Local government structure | |
| |
| |
| Who's who in local government? | |
| |
| |
| Using local authority structures | |
| |
| |
| Local government mechanisms that parents can use | |
| |
| |
| |
| Changes to children's services: policy and structures | |
| |
| |
| How education, social services and health fit together | |
| |
| |
| Bringing the services together: recent government policy | |
| |
| |
| Four common misinterpretations of government policy | |
| |
| |
| |
| The current state of autism services | |
| |
| |
| The shortfall in skills and specialist provision | |
| |
| |
| Pressure on parents and families | |
| |
| |
| Conflict between parents and local public agencies | |
| |
| |
| Resources | |
| |
| |
| References and key documents | |
| |
| |
| Legislation | |
| |
| |
| Political resources | |
| |
| |
| Advisory organisations and contact details | |
| |
| |
| Other resources | |
| |
| |
| Contact PACE | |
| |
| |
| List of abbreviations | |
| |
| |
| Index | |