Richard Hogan: How can Camhs claim to be inclusive when they won't work with autistic kids?

"There is nothing more disabling than the views people hold about disability. Which brings me to why I am writing this column."

Richard Hogan. Photograph Moya Nolan

I have just finished a six-year piece of research on inclusion. At the end of that long process, I find myself a little more hopeful about inclusion than I was starting out. Inclusion is a very sexy word these days. Nearly all organisations have a DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policy.

But in my experience, it can often be a box-ticking exercise. The DEI department doesn’t talk with the HR department, who doesn’t talk with the wellbeing department, so what you get is disconnected policies on inclusion. This type of set-up ensures inclusion remains aspirational. Because true inclusion is an environmental shift.