You may have read in my previous columns that as part of my ongoing work to close the employment gap for autistic people and those with other neurodivergent needs, I was pleased to announce back in April 2023, to mark World Autism Day, that I had been appointed by the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to lead a new Autism Employment Review.
Autistic people have particularly low employment rates – with fewer than three in ten in work. This means that seven in ten are unable to access the independence and fulfilment that employment can bring. It also means that employers, and the wider economy, are missing out on the skills and energy that autistic people could be contributing, to the detriment of us all.
The Buckland Review of Autism Employment, supported by the charity Autistica, and the Department for Work and Pensions, is aiming to change that. It is important that autistic staff already in the workforce are provided with the support that they need at work. It is also important that autistic people at the beginning of their career or returning to a career are given support as they prepare for work.
Over the months since the review was launched, I have been very busy speaking to hundreds of organisations and individuals, and drawn all their experience, ideas and good practice into the report and recommendations.
I am very grateful for the level of support and engagement we have received from employers and employer representative groups from across the country.
Finally, and most importantly, I would like to thank the very many autistic people we have spoken to as part of the review. We have been careful to ensure that they have had the opportunity to comment on proposals that will be so important to them.
I hope that the publication of the review today will provide a positive way forward that can produce a radical transformation of autistic people’s lives and a radical improvement in autistic employment rates.
It was great to see so many local residents at my busy surgery at Immanuel Church in Upham Road on Saturday. I hold regular surgeries across South Swindon and write to invite residents ahead of these, so please keep an eye out for information about where and when I am holding my next one in your area if you would like to attend. With thanks to all of the residents who attended on Saturday, and also my team who were there to assist me.
As part of my ongoing work to raise awareness of dementia here in South Swindon and increase diagnosis rates locally, I met the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK last week. Since the charity was founded in 1992, the scientists they fund have made significant breakthroughs in dementia research, but there is still so much more to do. At the meeting, I heard about the charity’s most recent work, and we discussed the increasing importance of an early diagnosis.
Further information about dementia and the work of Alzheimer’s Research UK can be found on their website here: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/
Further information on my ongoing work to raise awareness of dementia here in Swindon and increase diagnosis rates locally can be found on my website here: https://www.robertbuckland.co.uk/campaigns/sir-robert-buckland-mps-campaign-raise-awareness-dementia-swindon
