We the undersigned note the dramatic increase in the use in the UK by professionals such as Social Workers, Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, staff in education services, of allegations of Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) against parents of children with autism.  It is the experience of several supporter organisations and individuals that these allegations are used to bully, coerce, victimise and control families.

We note that allegations that are yet to be proven are often used to put children with autism on unnecessary Child Protection Plans or to force parents to comply with educational placements that are against their wishes and not in the best interests of their child.  We note that such placements are cheaper for services.

We call on the NAS to take immediate action to:

1. Establish the incidence of allegations of FII being made against parents of children with autism

2. Establish what percentage of these allegations are proven

3. If appropriate in the light of what emerges, instigate a public awareness campaign to bring this issue to the attention of the public, the government, local authorities and professional bodies.