The independent review will produce recommendations with a view to improve services for children and adults with autism, draw up an action plan and report on its findings by December of this year.
The Independent review group, to be chaired by Lord Maginnis, will comprise five leading professionals from across GB and Ireland. The Review team reflects a relevant range of disciplines, including speech and language therapy, paediatrics, public health and leading researchers.
In welcoming the launch of the Independent Review, the Minister said: “I am extremely pleased to welcome such a wealth of expertise to the Independent Review team. We are extremely fortunate to be able to access the knowledge and skills that the team will bring to this Northern Ireland review.”
The Minister added: “Services to people with autism and their families have been neglected for some time. There are examples of excellent good practice locally, nationally and internationally. I hope the review team will identify and enable us to harness and replicate this good practice across Northern Ireland.
“I look forward to receiving the group’s recommendations and I remain committed to improving services to those with autism and ensuring equality of access to those services throughout Northern Ireland.
“This review is both an opportunity and a challenge for all of us to ensure that all children and adults in Northern Ireland with autistic spectrum disorder will receive the highest standards of services delivered in the most efficient manner.”
In accepting his appointment, Lord Maginnis said: “I am delighted that the Minister has confirmed his personal support and hope that together with my review group colleagues, we can produce an action plan that delivers the best possible outcomes for individuals with autism and their families across Northern Ireland.”
Notes to Editors:
1. Terms of Reference
The specific terms of reference for the Review are to:
Map existing services provided by Health and Social Care organisations for both children and adults, and any transition period;
Carry out a desktop literature review of relevant information;
Examine the issues surrounding autism specific legislation in the context of the existing legislative provision in the Disability Discrimination Act and Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, and make appropriate recommendations;
Consult with key stakeholders and others as appropriate; and
Produce a report with associated recommendations on how existing Health and Social Care services to both children and adults might be improved based on the findings of the review team.
2. Timescale
The review group will provide Minister with a report by the end of December 2007. By 31 March 2008, following public consultation, a final report on the group’s findings, including an associated action plan with recommendations, will be produced, based on their findings, on how Health and Social Care services to both children and adults with autism might be improved.
3. Review Group Members
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Chairman)
Lord Maginnis is a schoolmaster by profession, having taught for 23 years. He is currently vice president of Autism NI and a strong lobbyist for improvement to early assessment and services for children with autism. He is a member of the Ulster Unionist Party and a crossbench peer. He entered the House of Lords on 24 October 2001, having previously been MP for Fermanagh & South Tyrone until May 2001.
Professor Michael Fitzgerald
Professor Michael Fitzgerald is Henry Marsh Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin and is a clinical and research consultant to the Irish Society for Autism. He is an honorary member of the NI Institute of Human Relations and holds a doctorate in the area of autism. He trained in Dublin, Chicago and London. He served on the Irish Government Task Force on Autism and the Family, and is the author of over 120 publications on the subject.
Heather Crawford
Heather Crawford has been a Speech and Language Therapist for 29 years and currently sits on the Management Board of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. Since 1996 she has been a Head of Service within the Down Lisburn area, combining management of a whole service with clinical excellence status. She has been acknowledged as the leading clinical specialist speech and language therapist in the field of Autistic Spectrum Disorder and a pioneer in Autism Services in Northern Ireland.
Professor Rita Jordan
Professor Rita Jordan is professor of autism at Birmingham University. She has carried out research into the fundamental nature of learning and teaching in autism; autism and language; evaluation of interventions and educational approaches and services; quality of life issues with adults with autism; and innovative uses of IT including Virtual Reality in autism.
Dr Stephen Bergin
Dr Stephen Bergin has been a Consultant in Public Health Medicine in the Southern Health and Social Services Board since 1998. He currently leads the Mental Health planning team in the Southern Board area, and also coordinates a number of regional planning groups tasked with improving mental health services across Northern Ireland in general.
Dr Sandi Hutton
Dr Sandi Hutton is a consultant paediatrician with a special interest in Community Child Health. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Public Health. Her postgraduate training included paediatric neurology and developmental paediatrics in Manchester, Switzerland and Guernsey. Dr Hutton has been employed by Foyle HSS Trust (now part of the Western Trust) since 1993 as consultant paediatrician.
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