What is a strategy?

A strategy is a plan of things that need to be done. 

Our strategy explains how we will support autistic children and young people over the next five years.

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Ambitious Together 

Ambitious Together is the name of our new strategy.

It’s a five-year strategy that will run from 2026 – 2031.

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Our vision and mission

A vision is a clear picture of the future you want to create.

Our vision is acceptance and opportunity for every autistic child and young person.

A mission sets out what we will do to achieve our vision. 

Our mission is to help autistic children and young people to learn, thrive and achieve in a world where they belong.

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Our values

Autistic children and young people are at the heart of everything that we do.

We are ambitious.

We celebrate difference.

We are open.

We work together.

We love learning.

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Why we are needed

Education

Autistic children and young people can find it hard to get the education they need. 

People do not always understand or accept autistic children and young people. 

Many do not get the support they need. 

Some people don’t believe they can have a good future.

This affects their progress and outcomes.

Employment and enterprise 

Many autistic young people do not get the careers advice and support they need. 

This can make it harder to get a job.

Only 3 out of 10 autistic adults have a job.

Community inclusion

Being part of a community helps autistic people feel supported, learn and build relationships.

But it is not always easy for autistic children and young people to join in.

Health and wellbeing 

Many autistic children and young people wait a long time for an autism assessment or diagnosis. 

This can delay getting support at school and from other services.

This can affect autistic children and young people for the rest of their lives.

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Our plan for the future

We are working to make education better for autistic children and young people.

Getting an autism assessment and diagnosis early, and having the right support, can help autistic children and young people get a good education and be part of their community.

This can help autistic young people get a job or do voluntary work.

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How we’ll achieve this

We will work with autistic children, young people and their families.

We will learn from autistic people, research and good practice. 

This will help us do the best work we can.

We will test new ways to improve support for autistic children and young people.

We will work with other organisations so we can help more autistic children and young people.

We help make changes across the country so autistic children and young people can get the support they need.

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The next five years

Over the next five years, our strategy will help more autistic children and young people learn, thrive and achieve in a world where they belong.

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