Joe Fautley

29 Jan

Member of the GEC Circle of Influence

Bio:

Joe Fautley currently works full time as Project Coordinator in the Systems Improvement Team at the Council for Disabled Children (CDC), part of the National Children’s Bureau (NCB). He has been working in this role since April 2024 and originally started working full time at NCB from September 2021.

Outside of his day job, Joe has over 10 years of experience in a variety of advocacy and professional training work for Autism, neurodiversity and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Joe regularly contributes to various media as an Autistic and neurodivergent advocate, providing practical advice for professionals who support Autistic children and young people and adults using insights from his own personal lived experience.

Joe has an extensive collection of successful professional achievements over many years, including the following:

Joe is the co-chair (a voluntary role) of the Staff Disability and Neurodiversity Network, launched in January 2023, for colleagues at NCB, ensuring they are supported and their feedback can influence positive changes in the workplace. Joe successfully played a key role in organising specialist training for neurodiversity delivered by an independent organisation to all colleagues at NCB in 2024, through extensive feedback and consultation with members of the staff network.

Joe featured on an episode of the SENDcast in 2024, the #1 podcast for SEND hosted by Dale Pickles, in which he talks openly about his personal experiences of Autism and provides advice for professionals supporting Autistic children and young people in education.

Joe has written articles in several publications in the SEND and children and young people’s sector including NASEN Connect, SEN Magazine, Autism Eye, SecEd, and Children and Young People Now Magazine, and featured in a blog for the educational organisation SENsational Tutors.

Joe has delivered many presentations to various audiences including a webinar hosted by Phil Denton from the social enterprise organisation Opogo Education in 2024 titled ‘A Lived Experience: Practical Advice for Educators Supporting Autistic Children and Young People’.

In 2022, Joe was shortlisted for the NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs) Awards in the ‘Person of the Year’ category.

From 2019 to 2020, Joe successfully co-delivered a series of training sessions to hundreds of professionals across England.

Areas of specialism:

Autism, Dyspraxia, Neurodiversity, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), accessible communication, supporting children and young people with SEND in education