Thousands of disabled youngsters being ‘failed’ as they become adults, MSPs told

Thousands of young disabled people are being “failed” every year because they do not get the support they need as the move into adulthood, the MSP pushing to change the law has insisted.

Labour’s Pam Duncan-Glancy has introduced a member’s bill at Holyrood that if approved would require councils to put plans in place for every disabled young person as they become an adult.

The Scottish Government would also have to appoint a minister who would be in charge of improving opportunities for disabled children and young people in this phase of their lives.

Speaking about her Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill, Ms Duncan-Glancy said: “We do need this in legislation, we can’t just leave it as manifesto commitments that may or may not be enacted.

“We also need an opportunity for people to be able to hold ministers to account for this, and that is what this Bill does.”

The proposals already have the backing of groups such as the National Autistic Society Scotland and the children’s charity Aberlour, and Bruce Adamson, the Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland.

She told MSPs on the Education, Children and Young People Committee that there is a problem with a lack of support for disabled youngsters leaving school.

“Thousands of young people a year are being failed,” the Labour MSP said.

“We know that disabled people are three times more likely to not be in education, employment or training, and this hasn’t changed since 2008.

”Perhaps the hardest thing to hear is, at 16, young disabled people have the same aspirations as everyone else. But by the age of 26 they believe nothing they can do can change their lives.

“At a time when they should be excited about their future, thinking about what they want to be and who they want to be, we are stripping them of hope.

“If we are serious about the rights of young disabled people, the move to adulthood can’t be left to chance. This is a matter of equality, human rights and justice.”

Similarly, Bill Scott from the charity Inclusion Scotland said that too many disabled young people were “being abandoned”.

Speaking about the Bill, he said: “This is the only plan that actually guarantees support after the young person has left school, that is why it is important.”

He said that some 1,780 disabled youngsters had left school in Scotland last year – but that only a small number of this group had had a coordinated support plan in place under the existing systems.

Mr Scott told the committee: “If we’re lucky, between 1% and 2% of them received a coordinated support plan, which is what? Thirty-odd. One per local authority.

“That is a huge, huge failure.”

With councils coming under increasing financial pressure, he argued changes would not be made unless there was a requirement in law, saying “dedicated” cash must be given to local authorities.

Mr Scott said: “This Bill says resources are needed to do this. What we are talking about is somewhere between £10 million and £15 million.

“Is that investment in the future of tens of thousands of disabled school leavers worthwhile? I would argue very definitely that it is.

“But if we want it to happen, we have to give the dedicated resources to local authorities to do it.”