In late November last year, Fórsa tabled a claim seeking a local government-wide neurodiversity policy at a meeting of the Local Authority National Council (LANC).  

Head of the Local Government and Local Services and the Municipal Employees’ divisions, Richy Carrothers, tabled the claim following a motion passed at divisional conference last May. 

Speaking at an extended divisional council in Portlaoise earlier this week, Richy updated branch officers on the ongoing claim, underlining the need to build awareness. 

Richy said: “If there’s a barrier we’re coming up against, it’s a lack of understanding. We’re not just negotiating; we’re having to educate as we go too.” 

The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) has proposed to include neurodiversity as part of a broader disabilities policy. Richy has rejected the move, saying: “We’re not going to do that. A one-size-fits-all policy is not enough. Our neurodivergent members are saying they need a separate policy, and we’re going to back up what they say they need to the very end,” he continued. 

Secretary of the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Local Government branch, Róisín Cronin, said that the branch brought forward the motion on this issue to divisional conference to “ensure that our neurodiverse colleagues are supported and valued”, and to put in place a policy that “acknowledges that it can be a really positive thing that there are so many differences between all of us.” 

Róisín emphasised the need for a policy that specifically addresses the unique challenges and opportunities faced by neurodivergent people. 

She said: “While some neurodiverse people may choose to identify as disabled, the idea that employers would force people into a pathway of disability perfectly highlights the difficulties and lack of understanding faced in the workplace by our neurodiverse colleagues.” 

“We are very clear on this – employers have a responsibility to ensure that our neurodiverse colleagues do not face barriers that prevent them from maximising their contribution in the workplace,” she continued. 

As part of a wider move to improve support and understanding for neurodivergent workers in the local government sector, the autism charity AsIAm was invited to the extended divisional council. 

AsIAm training officer Ciara Dalton delivered a presentation explaining neurodiversity, educating members on how to support neurodivergent colleagues, and discussing what neurodiversity policies might look like. 

Ciara emphasised that neurodivergence covers a wide array of conditions, and even among conditions, there can be a lot of variety, which makes it important to ask neurodivergent people what they need. 

She said, “Neurodivergent people are best placed to decide what will benefit them; they have the lived experience to know what they do and don’t need. Nothing about us without us.” 

Richy said: “We were so happy to invite AsIAm today. I think we learned a lot, and I hope it will be the first of many engagements.” 

“This is that space we need to be in. We need to create an environment where everyone can thrive, that includes workplaces and Fórsa,” he concluded. 

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