Information about 'Autism Card'

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.20.015879

I note you seek access to the following information:

1. Does your force currently have any type of 'Autism Card' scheme in which those who have an acive diagnosis of Autism within the area can be provided with a card or some form of identification which makes officers or police personnel aware of their condition should they ever come into contact witn law enforcement.

2. If so, please can you provide information on the application process and provide a disclosure of any application forms, policy and/or guidance documents and also a downloadable version of the card (if available for the general public); AND

3. Please provide a disclosure of the number of applications recieved for the issue of such a card under that or a similar scheme in a) the past year and b) in the past three years.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please see the below information pursuant to your request above.

Q1 - Does your force currently have any type of 'Autism Card' scheme in which those who have an active diagnosis of Autism within the area can be provided with a card or some form of identification which makes officers or police personnel aware of their condition should they ever come into contact with law enforcement?

We have the autism passport and card. This is a tri force passport/card for use in London and was developed by the MPS, City of London and BTP.

Q2 - If so, please can you provide information on the application process and provide a disclosure of any application forms, policy and/or guidance documents and also a downloadable version of the card (if available for the general public); AND

Any person who requires a passport/card emails [email protected] to request a copy which is posted out to the applicant. We do not hold any personal data. Our scheme involves a small credit sized card which the person has to hand and can be immediately retrieved. This alerts officers that the person may have communication issues. The person carries the small A5 sized passport in a bag/rucksack which goes into more detail about how the officer needs to communicate with the person, including how to help the person and any relevant information.

We do not hold a downloadable version of the card available to the public.

Q3 - Please provide a disclosure of the number of applications received for the issue of such a card under that or a similar scheme in a) the past year and b) in the past three years.

The scheme has been running since July 2019 and we have sent out over 10,300 cards.