Autism Association 2024 Annual Report

Chief Executive Officer’s Report

2023/2024 was a year of many challenges and opportunities in a fast-changing operating environment. However, we continued on our path of strategic development, remaining focused on our mission to Autistic people and their families. We delivered on our strategic objectives by providing high quality services to people with Autism across a wide range of services from early childhood to adulthood. We consolidated therapy services in Early Intervention, School Age, Young Adults, and Positive Behaviour Support. Furthermore, we expanded a number of services including Community Support, Community Living, Employment, and Diagnostic Services. In addition, we commenced work on a number of new projects to increase access and inclusion for people with Autism and their families in Western Australia.

We provided support to 7,768 individuals, of which 2,534 accessed our Early Intervention, School Age, and Adult Therapy services. We undertook 4,000 consultancies and supported individuals in the community and in employment. We provided support to 12 regional areas, delivered high quality diagnostic services, and supported 85 Community Living homes. We continued work on our five-year housing strategy to expand Community Living options for individuals requiring support in this area. We also continued our work on our Systemic Health Advocacy project to improve health outcomes for people with Autism and other disability cohorts with complex communication needs. We promoted and facilitated best practice across all areas and engaged in high-level clinical networks, including training with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) and the West Australian Police Force. Additionally, we established our Provisional Psychology Academy this year. The academy provides Provisional Psychologists with access to

an integrated program of Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) board-approved supervision, tailored training, and professional development aligned with AHPRA core competencies. We continued our statewide, national, and international collaboration promoting evidence-based practice to support Autistic individuals. As part of our overseas work, we were pleased to welcome a Delegation from Indonesia, and the Singapore Government, to explore our services and specialist programs for Autistic children and adults. Our digital transformation program has seen significant developments over the past year. This has included strengthening our cyber and information security, as well as significant infrastructure and network development to increase efficiency and mobility across all service areas. This work plays a significant role in increasing our capacity to expand services to children and adults with Autism. In November 2025, we look forward to hosting the first Asia Pacific Autism Conference (APAC) in 6 years. APAC 2025 will welcome

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