The Autistic Young Experts Panel

The Autism Education Trust (AET) is a partnership set up by two national charities - the National Autistic Society and Ambitious about Autism.

The AET’s aim is to improve the education of autistic children and young people.

The AET works across all ages and stages (nurseries, schools and colleges).

The AET is led by a Board of 12 people with relevant skills, knowledge and experience including those with lived experience of autism.

The Board is responsible for making decisions about the AET:

• Aims - what the AET wants to achieve
• Values - the principles that support the AET's work
• Activities – the AET's training programmes and other projects
• Plans - how the AET organises its activities
• Finances – how the AET raises and spends its money
• Director - who does the job of AET Director
• Partnerships - how the AET works with autistic young people and other organisations 
• Impact - whether the AET is achieving its aims
• Governance – who is a member of the Board and how the Board carries out its responsibilities.

The Director runs the AET on a day to day basis, supports the Board and reports to it.

The AET seeks to work in partnership with autistic young people in developing its plans and delivering its training.

The AET Board wants to hear the views of a wide range of autistic young people and to take their experiences, opinions and ideas into account in its decision making.

The AET has therefore commissioned an organisation to develop, support and facilitate a Young People’s Panel that is diverse and inclusive and a skilled facilitator has been appointed to carry out this role and ensure equality of access.

The role of the Young People’s Panel is to enable autistic young people to:

• share their experience and views
• contribute their ideas to the AET’s thinking, plans and projects
• take part in developing AET training
• contribute to evaluating the AET’s impact
• empower other autistic young people to input to the AET.

The Young People’s Panel may be asked to contribute in the following ways:

Sharing their experiences, views and ideas

Sharing their experiences of the challenges they face(d) in education.

Sharing their views on what would make/have made a difference.

Contributing their own insights and ideas about the AET's activities and plans.

Developing training

Working with the AET Director to:

• evaluate existing AET training products
• develop new AET products
• encourage co-delivery of training with autistic young people.

Evaluating impact

Working with the AET Director in evaluating the difference the AET’s training has made to autistic young people in education.

Empowering other Autistic Young People

Advising the Board and Director on how to engage with other autistic young people.

Working with the Director to gather information about:

• their experience of education
• their priorities for improvement.

The Young People’s Panel will comprise up to 12 members.

Panel members must be aged 16-25.

Members of the Young People’s Panel will be drawn from a variety of backgrounds and across a range of needs and educational settings.

Panel members will be appointed by the Director and Young People’s Panel Facilitator for a three year term.

Panel members may be reappointed for a further year provided that they remain under twenty five.

All members of the Young People’s Panel will be required to sign a volunteer agreement and support form and agree to be subject to our safeguarding policy.

The Young People’s Panel will meet at least once a month and may hold additional meetings if needed.

The agenda and papers will be co-produced by the Director and YPP and circulated a week in advance of meetings.

Meetings will take place on-line or face to face as appropriate.

Brief notes of the meeting will be circulated a week after each meeting.

The AET Director will attend the meetings of the Young People’s Panel to ensure that the Panel is kept informed about the AET’s activities and seek their input as set out above.

The Young People’s Panel Facilitator will facilitate meetings and provide support to Panel members between meetings to enable them to contribute in the way that best meets their needs.

It is important that Panel members attend regularly and send their apologies if they are unable to attend.

If a Panel member regularly misses meetings the YPP Facilitator will have a conversation about their role and how to support attendance going forward.

An annual report on the Young People’s Panel will be produced by the Director and YPP Facilitator with the Panel’s input.

A nominated member of the Board will provide a link to the AET Board and may attend YPP meetings. There will also be an opportunity for YPP members to meet informally with AET Board members at least once a year to discuss the work of the Young People’s Panel.