Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information is shared between NHS trusts, clinical commissioning groups, education providers and local education authorities after a diagnosis of autism for a child of school age.

Under the Children and Families Act (2014), local partners of a local authority include clinical commissioning groups, National Health Service trusts, NHS foundation trusts and local education providers. They must co-operate with the local authority in supporting children with a special educational need, such as autism, which would include the sharing of relevant information. The specific information to be shared is for partners to agree. The statutory guidance Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years provides advice on how the partners can work together and share information in their statutory roles.

Clinical commissioning groups and local authorities must make joint commissioning arrangements for the education, health and care provision reasonably required by children with special educational needs. They must agree what education, health and care provision is to be secured, and by whom, and agree details of what advice and information is to be provided about education, health and care provision.