Adrian was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome when he was 14. Social services assessed his need for support at the age of 18. His parents were concerned that he was putting himself at risk because of the people he was spending time with.
The assessment found that Adrian had difficulty interpreting other people’s motives and actions and was easily led, which could place him at risk within the community. However, the local authority decided the risks were not sufficient for him to receive support.
Adrian was later bullied and intimidated. His parents continued to contact social services, as well as the police, asking for a reassessment and support for him. After Adrian reported being raped by one of the people who had befriended him, his parents appealed again to the police and social services.
Eventually, a small package of evening support was approved. However, five days later Adrian was murdered by the same person he had accused of rape.
Careless is our new campaign to challenge the Government to better protect vulnerable adults with autism from abuse, neglect and loneliness.
The Government’s new Care Act will establish the new framework in England under which councils will decide which adults with autism will be eligible to receive support. But as they stand, these new measures fail to adequately recognise the basic needs of many adults with autism; needs such as staying safe, building relationships or being verbally prompted to carry out tasks.
Under the proposed system there is a risk that many adults with autism who need this support will not qualify for it, which could leave them unfed, unwashed and afraid to leave the house.
Our research for the campaign found:
- 41% of adults with autism told us that they often feel lonely, compared to 11% of the general population.
But if you need support to form personal relationships and make friends, you’re not eligible for support under the proposed system. - 7 out of 10 adults who need prompting told us they have missed meals when they haven’t had this support.
But if you need verbal prompting, rather than physical assistance, to do things like make meals or wash and dress, you’re not eligible under the proposed system. - 49% of adults with autism told us they had been abused by someone they thought of as a friend.
But if you need support to stay safe from abuse, you’re not eligible under the proposed system.
The Careless campaign aims to change this. We think that these very real and urgent needs of adults with autism should be reflected in the decisions that are made about whether or not they should get support. We think that the Government should be doing more to protect vulnerable adults with autism from abuse, neglect and loneliness.
We don’t have long to fight this.
Or you can read more about the issue in our Careless report.
Find out how we’re securing support for adults with autism in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
