North Wales MS and Shadow Counsel General, Mark Isherwood, has spoken in the Senedd of the poor experiences of the health and social care system reported by parents of autistic children, which in Flintshire has resulted in calls for an independent public inquiry into the standards of practice in the County Council.
Public inquiries are major investigations convened by a Government Minister on matters of “public concern”. The responsibilities of the Counsel General include provision of legal advice to the Welsh Government.
Mr Isherwood, who is Chair of the Senedd Cross-Party Autism Group, raised the matter when questioning the Counsel General in Tuesday afternoon’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament over the advice he would give to the Welsh Government regarding this.
He said:
“At the last meeting of the Cross-Party Autism Group, which I Chair, several attendees shared their experiences of the health and social care system. Participants shared feelings of being targeted by staff in services, with one participant stating this has affected their ability to feel safe in Wales. Some attendees felt that they had been intentionally parent-blamed and noted this seemed to be aimed at mothers in particular.
“Some also described how damaging this has been and how it has put the custody of their children at risk. One described their experience with services as one of hostility and prejudice. Participants raised a lack of training and understanding from staff in autism services, and resistance to adopting an autism diagnosis, and many agreed there is a lack of accountability regarding the issues raised.
“A local authority that several participants identified as of issue was Flintshire County Council, stating that they would like to see an Independent Public Inquiry into the standards of practice in Flintshire.
“In the interests of ‘public concern’, what advice would you therefore give, as Counsel General, to the Welsh Government regarding this, which presumably you would be asked to provide?”
Responding, the Counsel General said: “The issues you raise are not unimportant issues, but they should be raised with the appropriate Cabinet Secretary”.