EAST Sussex County Council is marking Autism Acceptance Month with the launch of an action plan designed to improve the lives of autistic people living in the county.

The all-age action plan has been developed based on the lived experiences of people with autism, their carers and their families, with input from the NHS and wellbeing, education and employment providers.

The plan focusses on improving three areas;

• health and wellbeing
• access to education and supporting positive transitions to adulthood
• supporting autistic people into employment and helping them sustain employment

Cllr Carl Maynard, the county council’s lead member for adult social care and health, said: “A great deal of work has gone into getting the East Sussex All-Age Autism Action Plan right and I am grateful to the various partners and local residents who helped with its development.  It’s great to be able to launch the plan during Autism Acceptance Month.

“It’s so important that action plans like this are informed by the real-life experiences of people in our communities and reflect what autistic people feel is most important to them.

“By working together with partners to implement the actions set out in the plan and raise awareness, I hope we can help improve the lives of autistic people, their families, carers and the wider support network across East Sussex.”

The three-year plan includes 26 actions across the three priority areas including piloting tailored health and wellbeing support, developing a tool for schools to help understand individual needs and how they can be met, and developing support services that can act as an advocate to support employed autistic people to navigate the work environment.

Cllr Maynard added: “This action plan will be implemented at a time when both the East Sussex County Council and NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board are facing significant funding challenges, and it is important that the actions are achievable.

“We have worked hard with stakeholders to ensure the priorities identified are not only affordable but deliver meaningful change and make a real difference.”

The plan can be viewed at East Sussex all age autism action plan 2025-27 | East Sussex County Council