Sense – Written evidence (YDP0037)
Sense response: The transition from education to employment for young disabled people
Sense is a national disability charity that supports people with complex disabilities to be understood, connected and valued. Sense supports children, young people and adults in their home and in the community. Sense campaigns passionately for the rights of the people it serves, and offers practical help and support to families and carers, including information and advice, short breaks and family events.
We support people with complex disabilities. A person has complex disabilities if they have two or more of the following conditions and they report that their life is impacted by their disabilities:
These needs may be with a person from birth, or following illness or injury, or they may develop with age. People with complex disabilities may require high level support in their daily lives.
Our research shows that there are 1.6 million people with complex disabilities in the UK. [1]
Sense Specialist Services for Children and Young People support around 1400 children and young people with multi-sensory impairment (MSI), and those with single sensory impairment and complex disabilities. Our staff support young people and their families through a range of areas, including education and social care during transition periods
Sense provides bespoke, tailored further education packages for around 120 young people with complex disabilities aged 16-25, through our Sense College provision. We support students to transition into adulthood and get the support they need. Sense College focusses on a total communication approach, supporting every young person to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Sense also provides an employment service helping disabled people to:
We offer virtual employment support to anyone with disabilities in the UK. We also offer in-person support at our centres in in Midlands: Touchbase Pears in Birmingham and Sense Hub Loughborough.
Our insight as a both a service provider and an organisation representing people with complex disabilities lies at the heart of all the policy proposals in this response.
Everyone should have high aspirations for the future. And when it comes to young disabled people, the whole system – including health, social care, education and employment support – should help them to achieve those aspirations, giving them the specialist support they need to overcome the barriers they face.
Sense's family engagement survey in 2021 found that nearly two thirds (61%) of parents do not feel positive about the future for their disabled child. Fewer than 1 in 10 parents (8%), meanwhile, believe their child will have access to the specialist support they need in the future to achieve their aspirations.
As a result of the system’s low aspirations, young disabled people can end up without the support they need to lead the life they choose.
To help young disabled people achieve their aspirations, it is vital that all parts of the system work together to ensure a timely and coordinated transitions.
While Education, Health and Care plans (EHC plans) are meant to prepare young disabled people for the transition out of education, discussions about someone’s future are often left to the last minute.
Sense have found that many families of children with complex disabilities are not supported through transition and are often left struggling to find the right future for them.
One SEND practitioner Sense interviewed in 2023 told us:
“I've had so many young people on my caseload that have come to me and said you know my child is 17 or 20 or and nothing's happened yet and he's leaving school or college.”
This kind of situation is one we have encountered time and time again. As a result of this poor planning for transition, young disabled people’s aspirations are often secondary to the practicalities of arranging appropriate support at short notice.
While work is not the most appropriate outcome for every disabled person, many young disabled people’s aspirations for the future include entering employment.
Disabled people of all ages are less likely to be in employment, with 31% of disabled people in full-time work, compared to 58% of non-disabled people.[2]
Young disabled people face particularly high barriers while looking for work. Disabled people between the age of 18 and 24 are over three times less likely to be in education employment or training than non-disabled people of the same age. [3]
To help them overcome the unique barriers they face, young disabled people should be able to access specialist support and advice.
Yet young disabled people often struggle to access employment support and advice that is tailored to the unique challenges they face.
Our polling has found that less than half of 18-24 year olds with complex disabilities have the support and equipment they need to look for work. For 25–34-year-olds with complex disabilities, the figure was 61%.[4]
Our polling found that young people with complex disabilities who have recently left secondary education also tend to be less aware of their rights and the support available to them.
For example, while almost three quarters of people with complex disabilities between the ages of 25 and 34 said they were aware of their rights as a disabled person under the Equality Act, only 60% of people with complex disabilities between the ages of 18 and 24 said the same.[5]
This suggests that many young people are learning about their rights and the support available to them through the experience of looking for work, rather than being properly prepared for the transition from education into employment.
The education system and the Department for Work and Pensions should work together to make sure that young disabled people still in education are properly prepared for the transition to employment. This should include making sure that young disabled people know about their rights and the support that is available to them.
We are disappointed that the inquiry decided not to look directly at the experiences of young people with EHC plans.
Sense feels strongly that the inquiry or any subsequent consultations should look directly into the experiences of transition that people with people with complex disabilities including those with EHC plans go through, to truly understand the barriers they face for a successful transition.
Transition planning is crucial for children and families of children with EHC plans. Transition is not a single event, but instead a gradual process of supporting a disabled young person and their family through their teenage years and into adulthood, building up their confidence and ability to manage the care and support they need.
There is legislation already in place for children with an EHC plan to discuss transition and potential future employment. The Children and Families Act 2014, provides a framework for how these discussions with young people should take place. Alongside this, one of the Preparing for Adulthood outcomes in the Government’s SEND Code of Practice 2015 is based on planning for higher education and potential employment.
According to legislation, long-term planning for employment as part of an EHC plan should include skills development, vocational profiles and support to identify opportunities such as work experience, supported internships, apprenticeships and volunteering.
There are also number of legally required review points for children with EHC plans to discuss and plan for transitions:
So, the system is currently set up for transitions conversations to happen for children with EHC plans, and there is a deadline for changes to be made, however in reality it can often be left to the last minute or not happen at all.
Sadly, Sense education staff have told us that many children with complex disabilities they support, once they reach 16 or 18 do not have the right support in place to prepare them for adulthood, conversations about future planning hasn’t taken place and they are often left in limbo, unsure about the future. The inquiry should look into why these conversations aren’t taking place and how the real-life experience of transition is for children with EHC plans.
Sense would also like to see a more holistic approach to transition that doesn't just move children with EHC plans to adult services but also looks at the wider system of support, including support for employment.
Consistent, well-planned transitions for young people with EHC plans into adulthood can make a huge impact on the child’s future. A well-planned transition should include:
It is crucial that the inquiry should consider looking directly into the experiences of children with EHC plans, to make sure that transition to adulthood is as smooth and well planned as possible to give disabled children the best start in life.
Good careers advice and transition guidance can make a huge difference to the lives of children with complex disabilities, including those who are deafblind.
There is legislation already in place for children with SEND to discuss transition and potential future employment. The Children and Families Act 2014, provides a framework for how these discussions with young people should take place. Alongside this, one of the Preparing for Adulthood outcomes in the Government’s SEND Code of Practice 2015 is based on planning for higher education and potential employment.
According to legislation, long-term planning for employment as part of an EHC plan should include skills development, vocational profiles and support to identify opportunities such as work experience, supported internships, apprenticeships and volunteering.
However, Sense research shows sadly that whilst there is legislation in place, these conversations are not happening as often as they should be.
Polling carried out by Sense earlier this year found that only 27% of people with complex disabilities between the ages of 18 and 25 have been given the opportunity to engage with work experience of voluntary work.[6]
Families tell us they feel that they have to “fight” to get the support they need. This feeling of struggle is often reflected through the EHC plan process, where instead of providing tailored support, it is focused on what is available rather than what is needed.
This is the same when it comes to transition planning. Sense education staff have told us that many children with complex disabilities they support, once they reach 16 or 18 do not have the right support in place to prepare them for adulthood, conversations about future planning hasn’t taken place and they are often left in limbo, unsure about the future.
What careers guidance and preparing for adulthood should look like
There are important factors that must be taken into account when preparing young people with special educational needs and or disabilities for the future:
Young disabled people need to be given autonomy and be empowered to make choices, but they also need support to help tackle the systematic and structural barriers that serve to exclude them and deny them opportunities.
Consistent, well-planned transitions for young people into adulthood can make a huge impact on the disabled child’s future. A well-planned transition should include:
A jobseeker’s main contact at their jobcentre is their Work Coach. But disabled people often do not get the support they need from Work Coaches.
Sense research carried out this year found that a third of 18-25 year olds with complex disabilities did not feel supported by Work Coaches.[7]
Given that our research has also found that the initial training course for Work Coaches does not even seem to include disability equality training focused on disabled people, this response is hardly surprising.
People with complex disabilities have told us explicitly that jobcentre staff needed to be better trained. In our polling, 30% of people with complex disabilities between the ages of 18 and 24 said that they’d be better supported in their employment search if jobcentre staff were more aware of the unique barriers they faced as a disabled person.
Work Coaches can refer disabled jobseekers to Disability Employment Advisors, who should be able to offer more specialist support. While we’ve heard some positive stories about Disability Employment Advisors, our polling found that a third of 18–24-year-olds with complex disabilities did not feel supported by them. [8]
While Disability Employment Advisors do receive training that covers disability employment, our research revealed clear gaps in what they’re taught. They do not, for example, receive any specific training on assistive technology.[9]
All Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisors should receive specific training on the barriers to employment faced by disabled people, including those with complex disabilities. This should be designed and led by disabled people.
Jobcentres should be places where disabled people can access everything they need to look for work. But our research has found that no jobcentres are equipped with specialist assistive technology. [10]
As a result, some disabled people cannot use the computers at jobcentres to look for work. And given the cost of some types of assistive technology, many disabled people do not own all the equipment and software they need to use their computers effectively.
With most of the recruitment process being online, this makes it harder for disabled people to look and apply for work.
The Department for Work and Pensions should introduce a £5 million Jobcentre Assistive Technology Fund.
This fund would cover:
– Additional software for every jobcentre including screen readers, specialist screen magnification software and speech-to-text software.
– Assistive hardware for every jobcentre including refreshable braille display and headphones.
– A £1.1 million support fund for jobcentres to access if they need any additional pieces of assistive technology they need.
Access to Work is a vital means of ensuring that disabled people get the support they need to enter and stay in work.
But not enough people with complex disabilities know about Access to Work. Our polling found that 45% of 18-24 year olds with complex disabilities were not aware of the scheme.[11]
The Department for Work and Pensions’ proposals to introduce Reasonable Adjustments Passports could make young disabled people more aware of the support available to them in the workplace. However, it is vital that the education system, the social care system and the Department for Work and Pensions all do more to inform young disabled people of support schemes like Access to Work.
Even for those who know about it, the bureaucratic and time-consuming nature of the application form and claims management form can be off-putting to those who could benefit from it.
The Department of Work and Pensions should:
While specialist support from jobcentres is a vital part of supporting disabled jobseekers into work, the opportunity to build relationships with disabled people already in work can also be invaluable. This is something that the Department for Work and Pensions should facilitate.
Our research has found that a quarter of 18-24 year olds with complex disabilities would like opportunities to be mentored by disabled peers.[12]
The Department for Work and Pensions should pilot and fund a mentoring programme for disabled people looking for work.
While some people with complex disabilities would be able to work if they were given the right support, work is not always an appropriate outcome for other people with complex disabilities. Yet the transition process often does not take this into account.
Someone expected to enter work or go to university would usually receive opportunities to familiarise themselves with this new environment beforehand, such as through work experience or open days.
Yet people with complex disabilities not expected to enter employment or go to university rarely get opportunities to visit day centres or supported living as part of their preparations for their transition out of education.
This is despite the fact that many people with complex disabilities with high levels of support needs would need more time to prepare them for a significant change. Instead, they often receive less.
Disability Confident is a voluntary government initiative designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions.
There are three levels to the scheme:
Some disabled people we support tell us that they found Disability Confident scheme to be no more than a box-ticking exercise, with some even saying that they still faced disability discrimination while working for a Disability Confident employer.
Given the experiences of the people we support, we do not believe that the Disability Confident scheme is as robust as it should be.
This could be done by introducing independent auditing for all levels of these scheme. This should take into account the experience of disabled employees replacing the current system self-assessment. Disabled people and the organisations that represent them need to be involved in this process of reform.
[1] https://www.sense.org.uk/about-us/statistics/complex-disabilities-overview/
[2] https://www.sense.org.uk/about-us/statistics/complex-disabilities-cost-of-living-sense-natcen-research-briefing/
[3] https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/adhocs/15006youngpeoplenotineducationemploymentortrainingneetbydisabilitystatusuk2018to2021
[4] Unpublished Sense polling of people with complex disabilities carried out in 2023.
[5] Unpublished Sense polling carried out in 2023.
[6] Unpublished Sense polling of people with complex disabilities carried out in 2023.
[7] https://www.sense.org.uk/information-and-advice/for-professionals/policy-public-affairs-and-research/employment-support-for-people-with-complex-disabilities/full-research-report/
[8] Unpublished Sense polling of people with complex disabilities carried out in 2023.
[9] https://www.sense.org.uk/information-and-advice/for-professionals/policy-public-affairs-and-research/employment-support-for-people-with-complex-disabilities/full-research-report/
[10] https://www.sense.org.uk/information-and-advice/for-professionals/policy-public-affairs-and-research/employment-support-for-people-with-complex-disabilities/full-research-report/
[11] Unpublished Sense polling of people with complex disabilities carried out in 2023.
[12] Unpublished Sense polling of people with complex disabilities carried out in 2023.