by Richmal Maybank
Employment Lead
On Tuesday, the Government published its Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. It sets out changes to welfare and employment support. Some proposals may help, but others raise serious concerns, particularly for autistic people.
One major worry is the proposal to change Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The Government plans to tighten eligibility, limiting it to people with the most “severe” disabilities. Many autistic people who currently receive PIP could lose this vital support, affecting their independence, wellbeing, and ability to meet essential costs.
We recognise this will be deeply upsetting and worrying for many autistic people and families. These changes could have a serious impact on daily life. We are committed to working alongside autistic people to ensure their views are heard and rights protected.
The Green Paper also focuses on employment support, with proposals for:
- Tailored one-to-one support.
- Longer-term skills programmes.
- New ‘support conversations’ to better connect people to services.
At Autism Action, we welcome recognition that employment support needs improving. However, we are concerned these plans may not go far enough for autistic people. Without proper investment in specialist, autism-specific services, existing gaps will remain.
We know these gaps well. In January, we brought together members of our Autism Employment Network (AEN) and Lord Touhig, Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Autism, to explore barriers autistic people face when looking for work, and the challenges employers and services encounter.
Our focus group and survey consistently highlighted:
- Delays and poor understanding within Access to Work assessments.
- Employers lacking confidence and clear guidance.
- Little long-term support to help autistic people not only get into work, but progress.
- Ongoing funding challenges preventing tailored, sustained employment support.
Our network made clear that improving employment outcomes requires more than expanding existing schemes. It requires co-production, meaningful involvement of autistic people, and real investment in specialist support and inclusive workplaces.
What’s next
The Government will soon open a consultation. We will focus our response on how employment support can genuinely meet autistic people’s needs.
If you want to help shape this work, join our Community Advisory Panel. You’ll receive updates, opportunities to share your views, and ways to take action.
