SCN0588

Written evidence from Mr Ian Mitchell

 

Executive Summary

  1. Post-18 support has proved challenging.  Bringing together the organisations and allocating sufficient resources to centre on the person being supported are essential to achieve the greatest benefit throughout life.    
  2. I am the parent of young person with autism and epilepsy.  She is 21 as at 2018 so has been in the forefront of the changes to the system of assessments leading to turbulence. I am convinced that the extension of support from 18 to 25 is essential to enable better lives for individuals at a lower cost to Society through the decades.  I recommend that the administration especially budgets and performance indicators be designed to support this overall aim.

 

Considering the Terms of reference:

  1. The challenge to ensure that the right support is available to enable young people to access appropriate post-18 opportunities such as studying at FE colleges and undertaking apprenticeships is not being met.

 

  1. For those affected by Autism many recruitment practices such as interviews screen them out without finding what they could do.  The support through EHCP should identify skills and talents then guide them to roles that use these skills, with suitable support, such as mentors.

 

  1. Assessment of and support for children and young people with SEND: The transition from statements of special educational needs and Learning Disability Assessments to Education, Health and Care Plans has been turbulent.   Making support conditional on predictions of results can lead to a denial of support and loss of opportunity.  Aligning sufficient resources to deliver support for the  7 additional years across the 3 areas of education, health and social care  has not been effective leading to loss of momentum for individuals after 18, the traditional “cliff-edge” after schooling stops.  

 

  1. The level and distribution of funding for SEND provision tends to focus on the formal parts of Education rather than all the activities needed to develop the whole person. 

 

  1. The roles of and co-operation between education, health and social care sectors are problematic.  There is a tendency to work within the previous organisational silos.  The major challenges are to the non-academic areas particularly how to function independently in normal society and being safe when away from home or supervised activities.     

 

  1. Provision for 19-25-year olds including support for independent living; transition to adult services; and access to education, apprenticeships and work – these need to be better structured through the whole period up to age 25.  The funding schemes and barriers of silos lead to a piecemeal approach.

 

  1. It is essential to think through the whole time up to age 25, and work towards an achievable outcome rather than satisfy checklists each year. 

 

June 2018