Equality of Opportunity Committee

Review of Service Provision for Disabled Young People

Scope of the Review

The rationale for the themes and the eight key areas are set out below:

Education, training and employment

Reason for inclusion:

• Research suggests that disabled young people feel that they are discriminated against, discouraged and in some cases bullied at school.
• Lack of opportunities can prevent access to further and higher education and ultimately employment.
• Low expectations of teachers and others, affects the self-esteem of young people themselves and frequently reduces life chances.

The Education and Lifelong Learning Committee is currently conducting a review of Special Education Needs provision and it is important not to duplicate this work. This review will focus on wider issues in schools and higher education, for example:

• Access to the whole school experience - statements only relate to the educational experience
• Disabled young people's experiences of accessing higher education and training
• Preparation for employment - access to a range of good quality work experience, careers advice and advice on rights under the Disability Discrimination Act
• The right to the same range of options as other young people

Leisure

Reason for inclusion:

• There are significant barriers to young disabled people’s participation in leisure activities including gaps in suitable provision, lack of choice over activities available, difficulties in going on visits and holidays, lower participation in sports.
• Respite care and short breaks are intended to provide a break for parents, but this means that the focus is not, necessarily, on how to make the break enjoyable for the child. (This is a particular problem where local authorities may only have a limited number of options available).

Housing

Reason for inclusion:·

• The ability to move into your own home is one of the key steps to achieve independence
• Disabled young people have a wide range of housing requirements and it can be difficult to offer genuine choice of provision in many of the rural parts of Wales.
• For all groups there is a lack of suitable housing.
• It can be difficult for disabled young people to access local authority provision via the points system, and private provision is often not accessible.
• The limited range of suitable social housing provision available can lead to feelings of segregation.
• The cost of housing and care packages is seen as a barrier to access.

Transport

Reason for inclusion:

• Hugely significant issue because accessible transport provides independence.
• Problems in accessing public transport, or a lack of flexibility in provision, lead to difficulties in participation in education, employment and a social life.

Equipment

Reason for inclusion:

• Often delays in providing appropriate equipment (such as wheelchairs) for young disabled people.

Access to Information

Reason for inclusion:

• There are problems with access to information for young disabled people, their supporters and professionals that may affect their decision-making. Young disabled people from black and minority ethnic communities may be doubly disadvantaged in this area.
• Disabled young people are often given the information people think they need rather than the information they might want.
• Information may not be in an accessible format.

Transition into adulthood

Reason for inclusion:

• Often a lack of co-ordination and planning between education and social services.
• Replacing caring support provided free of charge by parents with local authority services for which there is a charge leads to a cut in income.

Poverty

Reason for inclusion:

• Parents of disabled children are likely to be poorer than those of non-disabled children, for example because caring responsibilities mean they are much less likely to be in full-time work.
• Poverty of young people themselves, not just child poverty and family poverty, will be examined, as this affects young people's ability to afford independent living.