Posts tagged cardiff
Summary of the Public Services seminars: trying to find a ‘lingua franca’ …
The Newcastle and Cardiff Public Services seminars brought together researchers, autistic people and family members and service professionals working in government, NHS, education and charities.
Our first goal was to create an opportunity for engagement, and forge new partnerships. We know that people from these communities tend to operate in separate worlds. So we equalised the numbers attending from each community - being able to bring people together across the two days to talk about the same questions was itself an accomplishment! Across the two days of each seminar we heard different views, different interpretations and debate. But we also saw real connections emerge, and attempts to understand and share a common purpose. Engaging with those who have different views and experiences can lie outside our comfort zones and this was a learning process. As Lynda Morgan points out in her comments, the different groups each have a different vocabulary and a different culture – but a real desire to make progress toward a common goal – that of improvements in people’s lives. There was a sense that we were trying to find a ‘bridge language’ (what is called a lingua franca) so we could communicate with each other to achieve a common level of understanding amongst the difference.
One thing I want to know more about is …?
At the end of Day 1 at the Newcastle and Cardiff Public Services seminars, we set everybody the task of completing the sentence, “One thing I want to know more about is…..?” Read people’s responses here.
Reflections on the Public Services seminar - Cardiff
Photo: Cardiff Speakers including Lisa Hurt, Jules Akers, Bev Winn, Anne Marie McKigney and Jill Grange
Jules Akers, an autistic adult participant at the Cardiff seminar, described his experience of the seminar in his in Reflections on the Public Services Seminar. Jules gave a presentation in the session called Consulting young adults about Services in which he offered some important insights from his own life as advice for future autism services. Another Cardiff presenter, Alex Lowery, shares Jules Akers’ story in his blog Alex Lowery Speaks About Autism. You can also read Alex’s own story and his other recent articles about autism here.
Co-host of the Cardiff Seminar and the mother of a young adult on the autism spectrum, Lynda Morgan, gives her thoughts on the seminar in Reflections of a Cardiff Co-host.
Public Services Seminar Outcomes: Small Group Discussions
We asked groups of ten people who were from different backgrounds (researchers, autistic individuals, parents and professionals from health, government or charity sectors) to discuss these questions;
- What new partnerships and ways of working are needed to undertake high quality public services research? (Newcastle)
- How can we reduce disparities in access and entitlement to adult services? (Cardiff)
- How can we ensure that evidence-based services are being provided for children and their families? (Cardiff)
Here is an example of the themes that emerged from one of these questions (Cardiff).
Public Services slides - Cardiff seminars
You can download slides from most speakers at the Cardiff seminar here:
- Sue Leekam, Jeremy Parr, Lynda Morgan: Welcome
- Patricia Howlin: Outcome for adults - How can the future be improved?
- Dami Benbow: Ambitious about autism - MyVoice
- Alex Lowery: Support for people with autism
- Sarah Bunce: Diagnosis, navigating university, entering motherhood
- Bruce Etherington: Research impact and public services
- Ian Jones: National Centre Mental Health
- Jo Manikiza: Welsh Government Strategy and Resources
- Angela Martin: Involving and engaging the public
- Barbara Moore: Engagement in research
- Lisa Hurt and Kate Langley: Care pathways
- Catherine Jones: What new directions for autism research?
- Bev Winn: Relationships
- Sarah Barrett: Imagination and repetitive behaviour
- Georgie Powell: Attention
How did the Cardiff seminar fare?
Feedback from participants who attended the Public Services seminar in Cardiff.
NB: In each case the maximum possible score is 5. Higher scores indicate more positive ratings. Ratings reported only for delegates who were unconnected with the seminar organisation and the Wales Autism Research Centre.