ARC Scotland Scottish Transitions Forum – Written evidence (YDP0023)

Who we are.

This evidence exploring the transition from education to employment for young disabled people is from the Scottish Transitions Forum.

We are a forum with over 1000 members in Scotland. representing a wide range of professionals, young people, parents and carers. Membership is free and is open to anyone who is committed to improving transitions for young people with additional support needs.

Our aim is to improve the experience of children and young adults (14 to 25 years) as they make the transition to adult life. We refer to this population throughout this document as ‘young people.’

Our three objectives are:

• To guide and inform improved approaches to transitions across Scotland.
• To support people to work collaboratively, share learning, identify gaps in provision and generate solutions.
• To involve young people with additional support needs, their parents, and carers in our work

The Scottish Transitions Forum is supported by the Association for Real Change (ARC Scotland). We are a charity that promotes the development of high-quality, person- centred support for people with a learning disability or other support need. We pride ourselves on our effective and extensive partnerships with provider organisations, local authorities, the Scottish Government, people who use services and their parents and carers across the whole of Scotland.

Although education is a reserved matter in Scotland, we hope insights based on our work will inform your enquiry. We have answered the questions we are most able to address from our perspective.

Questions:

General

1) What barriers do young disabled people face when leaving education and entering the job market and workplace? Does this differ between different conditions or disabilities, and if so, how?

a) How far do barriers to young disabled people accessing other public services, such as health and care services, present a barrier to young disabled people accessing the workplace?

Answer

Young people with additional support needs of all kinds face very similar barriers to moving into young adult life. The stigma faced by disabled and/or autistic people is one of the major hurdles to employment.

However, transitions is more than just a move into education and employment: it is a whole life change. ARC Scotland's definition of transition is “the period when young people develop from children to young adults. This is not a single event, such as leaving school, but a growing-up process that unfolds over several years and involves significant emotional, physical, intellectual, and physiological changes. During this period young people progressively assume greater autonomy in many different areas of their lives and are required to adjust to different experiences, expectations, processes, places, and routines. Transitions also impact on the family or on those who care for the child or young person”. We feel embedding a greater focus on wellbeing within transition is important to ensure no one gets left behind in the process.

To achieve their full potential, young people often require support in different areas of their lives. There are professional considerations associated with the move from school or college or the transfer from child to adult health and social care services and other services in the third sector. These may include identifying and achieving positive destinations in employment, education, or training, managing welfare and housing changes, reviewing healthcare needs, providing information and advocacy, assessing capacity and managing risk. These processes should have the young person’s personal outcomes, aspirations, and wellbeing at the centre. When their wellbeing is fully supported, they will be better able to achieve their full potential.

Scope of the inquiry

2) We have not focused this inquiry specifically on the experiences of young people with an Education, Health, and Care plan when they leave education and enter employment. What are your thoughts on this approach, and are there particular benefits or drawbacks to it? What other focused approaches could the inquiry take?

Answer

We know good planning helps the transitions process. However, even with a fantastic plan we know young disabled and autistic people still face barriers to employment and training because of a lack of resources – this includes access to support, benefits that work and do not negatively impact on getting a job, housing options, transport options (especially if they are in rural areas), the correct support within work or education and support staff who work alongside these young people. All these factors significantly impact their ability to find, and keep, employment. I would suggest including young people with a plan as part of your enquiry to see if their outcomes are any better, the same or worse.

5) What are young disabled people’s experiences of the transition from education-based support to employment-related support? Do young disabled people face barriers to accessing support during this transition? Could these services be better linked, and if so, how?

Answer

We know that many young people with additional support needs and their parents and carers find the transition to young adult life particularly challenging.

These challenges are exacerbated by:

• Organisational processes taking priority over individual needs
• Lack of support for carers and families
• Insufficient planning
• Unclear transitions pathways
• Limited options
• Lack of clarity about accountability

There is a considerable amount of evidence that has explored these challenges in detail and the benefits of addressing them, for example the Doran Review. The literature shows well supported transitions can lead to positive outcomes, inclusion, and a potential reduction in the long-term use of health and social care services and more successful and positive employment opportunities.

We know that these services can be improved by implementing Principles into Practice, our framework designed to help embed the 7 principles of good transition into practice. The principles are listed below, and you can find more out about the framework, and the digital tools we have created to support this, at www.pn2p.scot.

We know the following seven solution focused transitions principles work when it comes to solving the transition puzzle. You will see these reflected in the NICE guidelines in the NHS. You can click through each link to read more.

Principle 1.

Planning and decision making should be carried out in a person-centred way

This means:

• Young people should be at the centre of their transition planning
• A shared understanding and commitment to person-centred approaches across all services
• Young people should have a single plan

Principle 2.

Support should be co-ordinated across all services

This means:

• There should be a co-ordinated approach to transitions in each local authority 
• Learning and development opportunities should include an understanding of all aspects of transition.
• Transitions should be evaluated.

Principle 3.

Planning should start early and continue up to age 25

This means:

• Planning must be available from age 14 and be proportionate to need.
• Children’s plans and assessments should be adopted by adult services.
• Transition planning and support should continue to age 25

Principle 4.

Young people should get the support they need

This means:

• Eligibility criteria should be applied equitably across Scotland
• Support should be available for those who do not meet eligibility criteria 
• An improved understanding of the number of young people who require support and levels of unmet need
• Planning and decision-making for services should be done in partnership with young people and their carers

Principle 5.

Young people, parents and carers must have access to the information they need

This means information should:

• Clearly state what young people are entitled to during transitions
• Show what support is available
• Be inclusive of different communication needs
• Use common and agreed language 

Principle 6.

Families and carers need support

This means:

• Family well-being needs to be supported
• Advocacy should be available at the start and throughout transitions

Principle 7.

A continued focus on transitions across Scotland

This means:

• The Scottish Transitions Forum working collectively to promote the Principles of Good Transitions and improve practice across Scotland
• A continued focus on transitions within policy and legislative developments
• Learning good practice from project-funded work and embedding this into sustainable longer-term strategies

These seven clear principles can be used by professionals from all sectors, Government and national bodies. This includes those responsible for planning and delivering support for children and young people with additional support needs within:

• Paediatric and adult health
• Child and adult social work and social care
• Education – secondary, further and higher
• Employment and training
• Third sector
• Public sector services (such as housing and welfare)
• Government, Parliamentary committee, and strategy groups

These Principles of Good Transitions have been informed by:

• Communication with members of the Scottish Transitions Forum across Scotland.
• Consultation with young people and families in urban and rural areas.
• Learning from health and social care partnerships who are developing strategic approaches to transitions.
• An external evaluation of the Scottish Transitions Forum and ongoing work on the Scotland wide Transitions Strategy.
• Legislative developments and consideration from relevant Scottish Government policy teams
• Legal input to align the solutions across the different professional duties and other considerations involved in transitions.

Enforcement of the rights of disabled people in the workplace

8) How effectively are the rights of disabled people upheld and enforced in the workplace? What barriers do young disabled people face in accessing the support (including legal support) that they need and are entitled to? How could enforcement mechanisms be improved?

Children’s rights and transitions

Support for transitions should be firmly rooted in children’s rights. This is achieved by placing the young person at the centre, recognising them as rights-holders, and acting in their best interests while taking their views into account.

‘Evolving capacities’ are referred to in the UNCRC (articles 5 and 14). Parents’ rights have to be used in a way that takes account of the young person’s maturity and understanding, especially as their capacity evolves. These approaches should be embedded within transitions; meaning with increasing age, maturity, understanding and experience, a young person can progressively assume greater autonomy.

In Scotland, there is growing awareness of children’s rights across public policy, public services, and society. This is indicated by the recent inclusion in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 of a range of duties on Scottish Ministers and public authorities relating to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

The principles of transition closely align with the articles contained in the UNCRC, particularly:

• 2 (non-discrimination)
• 3 (best interests of the child)
• 4 (protection of rights)
• 12 (views of the child)
• 23 (children with disabilities)
• 24 (right to health)
• 25 (review of treatment in care) • 27 (adequate standard of living) • 28 (right to education)
• 31 (right to play)

Additionally, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNRPD) reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all fundamental human rights and includes specific protections for the rights of disabled people.

September 2023