My name is Lee Barnard and I am a member of Hampshire Constabulary within ACRO Criminal Records Office. I have been working as part of the Force from September 2010, and received an autism diagnosis in November 2015.
Since then ACRO have utilised my differences to test new software, create and review process guides as well as being a single point of contact for specific tasks.
They have worked with me to provide reasonable adjustments such as factoring regular breaks into my working day to ensure I do not become overwhelmed, to providing a trained person to come in through access to work for guided self-help and learning.
As well as the above, I had authorisation to go on an Autism Ambassadors course, raising awareness for my condition. As part of this I have delivered eight presentations, drawing on my own life experiences to raise understanding and acceptance within the Constabulary.
As part of the National Inclusion Week in 2019, I attended a panel discussion with a Chief Inspector, Police Officer and Volunteer Chaplain talking about our individual life experiences and taking questions from the audience. I also delivered an awareness session and a presentation to staff who had an interest in learning more. These have been well received to date and received some very thoughtful feedback.
The Equality & Inclusion Team at Hampshire Constabulary would like to thank Lee and other Autism Ambassadors for all their hard work in raising awareness for autism across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We recognise they continuously look at ways to improve and better internal working conditions and external services to the public.
The following blog has been written for us as part of World Autism Awareness Week by a member of our coordinator team
A phrase parents of autistic children often hear is that the education system doesn’t always work for those on the autistic spectrum. It’s like pushing a square peg into a round hole: pushing a young person in a particular way to conform with what is expected, to learn in a particular way, rather than look at how an individual can thrive, even if it means doing things differently by means of a reasonable adjustment.
One thing which needs to be kept in mind – and I feel it’s something that can be lost sight of – is that autistic kids grow into adults and these issues don’t go away, especially in the world of work.
You don’t grow out of autism You don’t reach the age of 21 and suddenly lose autistic traits. Many autistic people find they need to ‘mask’ or ‘camouflage’ their autistic traits to ‘fit in’. This can impact massively on individuals and can lead to issues relating to their mental health, resulting in burnout and/or breakdowns. This is something everyone needs to understand, be aware of, and learn how autistic colleagues can be supported. Autistic people may think, behave and act in different ways from non-autistic colleagues (neurotypical, NT) and employers need to accept this. Each autistic person is an individual. The difficulty is that recruiters often look for people similar to themselves, which may make it more difficult for autistic people to get into the workplace.
For those autistic people who do find work, they may not feel comfortable in sharing their diagnosis through fear of being treated unfavourably. They may feel different to colleagues and find communication a struggle, as the world can be full of unwritten rules which they may feel they never received the briefing note.
Line managers and colleagues have an important role to play in ensuring colleagues are able to perform their role to the best of their abilities, so be supportive. If a colleague has told you they find sitting in a particular location is difficult then work out what the problem may be and see if a solution can be found. For example, if a ticking clock is highly distracting to that individual then can it be replaced with a battery operated digital one?
Workplace adjustments need to fair to the individual and look at their particular set of circumstances. If you were a parent and one of your children wanted a games console for Christmas and the other wanted a mobile phone, would you buy both of them a phone? Look at the needs of the individual, not what’s easiest for you.
Some people need to have a clear distinction between work and home Not everyone is comfortable in large social gatherings, so don’t be offended or upset if you have colleagues who don’t go to pubs or restaurants after work.
Don’t make people feel uncomfortable for not ‘joining in’. Respect those who don’t participate in Christmas jumper day and definitely don’t send emails to those who don’t get involved saying they are spoiling it for others.
Remember, not everyone would want to go abseiling! So why should people be made to feel they have to join in an activity which can cause unnecessary stress and anxiety? Just because it’s an activity you enjoy, not everyone else will.
For further reading, see the Business Disability Forum’s report on autism in the workplace, Square Holes for Square Pegs
How we should treat people with neurodivergent conditions in police custody
by John Nelson Chair | National Police Autism Association
Back in October 2017, the government launched a consultation on the Codes of Practice relating to detaining people in police custody in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), the wide-ranging piece of legislation that governs the fundamental powers and procedures under which the police service operates. The consultation was of particular interest to the NPAA and the autistic community as it included an update to the rules in PACE Code C concerning when a detainee would be provided an appropriate adult (AA), and how autism fitted in with PACE as a condition that might require an AA.
Before we look into the changes made following the consultation, a few words about appropriate adults. When a person is booked into police custody, they are entitled under certain circumstances to be accompanied and represented by another person of adult age. These circumstances are based on vulnerability, most commonly due to age – PACE states that all juvenile detainees (i.e. under the age of 18*) must have an AA in custody. The AA’s role is to facilitate communication with the detainee and ensure that their best interests are represented; they do not have to remain with the detainee during their entire stay in custody, however the AA must be present at certain key times, including the detainee being read their legal rights after being booked in, during a strip search (usually required if the detainee is believed to be concealing drugs), and when the detainee is interviewed. An AA is usually a parent or carer for a child detainee, or a friend or other family member not connected with the matter being investigated – they may also be a social work professional or a trained volunteer.
Prior to July 2018 when the revised Codes of Practice took effect, PACE Code C referred to detainees who were ‘mentally disordered’ or otherwise ‘mentally vulnerable’ as requiring an AA. The term ‘mental disorder’ seems like a throwback to a less enlightened age, and it’s a reflection of how far our understanding of mental illness and neurological conditions has come in the last 30 years that it now seems so archaic and out of place. But language aside, the obvious problem with these terms is how they accommodate neurodiverse conditions such as autism.
Most autistic people would rightly feel that a condition which is part of their identity is not a mental disorder, and would probably hesitate to describe themselves as ‘mentally vulnerable’. And yet, there are sound practical reasons why an autistic person of any standing in life would need an AA in police custody. No matter how intelligent, independent or successful an autistic individual may be, or how well-trained the officers dealing with them, the difficulties with social communication inherent in the condition may lead to a detainee missing the nuance of a question, or feeling obliged to make disclosures which could have far-reaching consequences. For this reason, the NPAA’s position is that all autistic people brought into police custody should be routinely offered an AA.
Following representations made by stakeholders and members of public, the revised Codes of Practice introduced a new description of ‘vulnerable’, linking into the Mental Health Act which in turn lists conditions including autism which may cause a person to require support in a custody setting. Although the term ‘mental disorder’ still exists within the PACE Code C to distinguish from mental health conditions, the new Codes of Practice acknowledge that there are many reasons outside of diagnosed conditions or illnesses that may require a person in custody to have an AA – for example:
The behaviour of the detainee
The mental health and capacity of the detainee
What the detainee says about themselves
Information from relatives and friends of the detainee
Information from police officers and staff and from police records
Information from health and social care, including liaison and diversion services, and other professionals who know or have had previous contact with the individual
Ultimately the decision on whether to provide an AA for a detainee lies with the custody sergeant, and this is where autism-specific training as advocated by the NPAA can help our colleagues to make the right decision every time. The good news is that in addition to providing training to custody staff, several Forces such as Avon & Somerset Police now explicitly ask detainees whether they are on the autism spectrum as part of the booking-in process. These measures will help to ensure that all autistic people held in police custody are treated fairly and given the support they need. ∎
*The requirement for an appropriate adult for juvenile detainees formerly applied to children below the age of 17 – this was raised to 18 in 2013
