Tom’s campaign blog week 2: Relationships

This Wednesday evening I had the pleasure of visiting the AGM of our NAS branch in Hertfordshire to talk to them about the Push for Action campaign. The AGM also marked the end of an era, as Laurence Griffin, the long-serving Branch Officer, and his wife Ann were stepping down from their formal roles at the branch.

We spent some time at the meeting reflecting on what they have achieved in their time in charge of the branch, and quite simply it has been remarkable. As well as their numerous other achievements, their campaigning – working alongside the council – over the past eight years has led to incredible changes that will lead to real differences in the support people with autism and their families receive locally.

To name but two (of many) breakthroughs, Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) have recently announced a new specialist Asperger’s team for adults in the area. And at the end of the year, the Council have agreed to thoroughly scrutinising their provision for people with autism in the area. These steps both represent excellent progress and are a credit to the council as well as the branch.

And the key to these breakthroughs? Relationships.

Laurence, Ann and many others at the branch spent years building strong, positive relationships with the relevant people at the council and with numerous other partners. They have no doubt been helped by having some committed, proactive professionals within HCC to work with. But by remaining solution-focused, pragmatic, rational, polite, patient and – yes – persistent, they became people who the council wanted to engage with. They didn’t need to shout to get listened to, because the decision-makers wanted their valuable input. And they had built the partnerships to ensure that people across the county were working together towards a common end.

From the outside, ‘campaigning’ is often viewed as aggressive and intrusive – placards and loudspeakers, pitchforks and torches. And yes, sometimes ‘noise’ works and can be effective when the circumstances demand it. But Laurence, Ann and the rest of the branch should be proud to role-models for the quieter, less ‘showy’ but ultimately more effective brand of campaigning. The results speak for themselves.

If you’d like someone from The NAS to come and speak to you about Push for Action and how you can get involved, please email campaign@nas.org.uk. Our local authority guide should also be helpful to those of you wanting to take further action locally.

Tom Madders,
Head of Campaigns