Inclusive Community Engagement in the Australian National Autism Strategy Development

Описание: Public policy should be grounded in community need, be evidence-based and incorporate the wisdom of practice. This requires the inclusion of diverse stakeholders, especially those most affected by the policy, those most underrepresented and those responsible for its implementation or practice.

In 2023, Autism CRC undertook foundational co-design work to develop a series of recommendations for inclusive community engagement in the National Autism Strategy. This co-design process included a literature review and environmental scan, workshops and interviews with autistic individuals, families/carers and organisation representatives, and a national survey.

Building on these insights, we applied these recommendations to develop an inclusive community engagement process to undertake work commissioned by the Department of Health and Aged Care to support the development of the National Roadmap to Improve the Health and Mental Health of Autistic People. Central to the approach, all engagement was co-led, with focus groups and workshops co-facilitated by autistic individuals and informed by the guiding principles of safety, trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and respect for diversity, which align with Blue Knot’s foundational elements of a trauma-informed approach.

We worked through and with a national network of community partners who have established and trusted relationships with the autistic community, and other marginalised groups. We equipped and supported them to have deep and meaningful consultations with their communities. In this presentation, we will share how these principles were enacted and how others were equipped and supported to facilitate these important, yet challenging conversations, enabling national-scale engagement with grassroots support from local and online communities.