By Dr Georgia Pavlopoulou
It’s now been 16 days since the National Autism Trainer Programme (NATP) — commissioned by NHS England and delivered by Anna Freud in partnership with AT-Autism — came to a close.
NATP was a groundbreaking initiative launched in 2022 to upskill the NHS workforce and transform the care autistic people receive in inpatient and other mental health settings. The programme was designed and developed with 110 autistic people and has now completed its commissioned phase — reaching over 5,000 delegates across England.
Using a train-the-trainer model, each delegate is now equipped to deliver the NATP course within their own trusts and services, alongside an autistic Expert by Experience (EbE). These 5,000 delegates are already driving ripple effects — extending training, fostering culture change, and embedding more experience-sensitive practice in everyday service delivery.
I had the honour of serving as Director of the Programme at Anna Freud and Co-Strategic Lead, working closely with our brilliant partner and AT-Autism Director, Dr Ruth Moyse.
What Stayed With Me
One of the core lessons that has stayed with me — after engaging with thousands of people in NATP community of practice sessions, bespoke 1:1s, and our specialist training days — is this:
👉 Safety is not just about managing risk. It’s about building trust.
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Listening is a form of care.
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Communication is more than speech.
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And genuine inclusion is based on simple principles — but that doesn’t make it easy.
NATP was created to embed these values at the heart of mental health services — and it’s working, as shown by the Impact Case Studies recently published.
We’ve seen time and again that fewer incidents and shorter admissions are possible when autistic people feel heard, understood, and supported to live with dignity.
That’s the kind of transformation NATP is cultivating — not through tick-boxes, but through relationships.
The Work Ahead
But training alone isn’t enough. Sustaining this kind of change means:
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Organisational commitment
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Co-production at every level
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Structures that embed autistic voices in leadership, not just consultation
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Systems that see neurodivergent people as experts in their own lives.
We have written about the latter- see link below
An Experience Sensitive Approach to Care With and for Autistic Children and Young People in Clinical Services🔗 https://lnkd.in/eyszNV6D
And although our paper focuses on child/ young people services, the ideas in this work are applicable across the lifespan. This is about creating systems of care that work for everyone — through respect, understanding, and partnership. Because in the end, experience-sensitive care isn’t just good autism practice — it’s good human practice.
The NATP is a promising beginning — a glimpse of what’s possible when mental health care shifts from doing to people, to working with them. Its success offers a powerful vision for what care can become when we listen with intention, partner with humility, and act with courage.
Though NATP has completed its commissioned phase, the values, connections, and momentum it sparked are far from over. Across England, people are continuing the work — embedding change in teams, in policies, in day-to-day interactions.
The movement is growing.
Here’s to the relationships, the listening, and the transformation that’s still to come.
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It has been one of the most highlights of me learning and understanding the many different autistic voices that don’t get heard or should I say get covered in the news with follow ups. Thank you to Dr Georgia Pavlopoulou and all for breaking the glass ceiling and for these programs to be continued.
Here’s to listening and to being part of making positive changes.