Our Solutions and Aims

At FLANC we believe that listening to neurodivergent people, better education and awareness and often very simple practical steps can revolutionise a neurodivergent person’s access to justice and ensure that the best outcomes are being achieved for neurodivergent children, adults and families. Therefore, our core aims aims are:

Better Training and guidance for family justice professionals

Change and better outcomes depend on increased awareness. There is currently no requirement for family justice or child protection professionals to undertake any training in relation to neurodivergence. We would like to see:

  • Ongoing development of tools and resources to assist the family justice system to meet the needs of neurodivergent children, adults and families.
 
  • Training for professionals to increase awareness and to empower them to recognise and respond to issues of neurodivergence and to make best use of the resources, tools and guidance which are now being published.
 
  • Family justice professionals being required to undertake one hour of compulsory training similar to the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism which has been rolled out across the NHS.
 
  • Training for professionals working directly with neurodivergent children in alternative communication methods for instance, PECS, Makaton, Communication Boards, assistive technology and Social Stories, to ensure that children and young people’s voices are heard clearly.
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Procedural Changes

Change and better outcomes depend on increased awareness. There is currently no requirement for family justice or child protection professionals to undertake any training in relation to neurodivergence. We would like to see:

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  • Reasonable adjustments being made whenever necessary to ensure access to justice.
 
  • Changes to court forms, including digital court forms, so that needs arising out of neurodivergence are identified at the outset of court proceedings and kept under review during the proceedings.
 
  • The use of standard documents so that needs can be readily understood, for instance All About Me documents and Behaviour Passports.
 
  • Better communication between the family justice system, the rest of the justice system and the other key sectors involved in delivering services to neurodivergent people for instance, health and education.