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Meeting of the Parliament 24 September 2013

24 Sep 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

New Learning Disabilities Strategy

Matheson, Michael SNP Falkirk West Watch on SPTV

The member has raised a very important point. I am aware of those concerns.

I was going to touch on the transition between services, particularly for those who receive care through education services and are moving into adulthood, and how we can improve that transition. A key part of that is ensuring that we translate the getting it right for every child principles much more effectively into managing the transition from children’s and young people’s services into adult services. The issue that the member raised can best be addressed through, for example, the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill, which is a mechanism that will allow us to ensure that we take a much more targeted approach and have a range of services in place to support young people and their families to make informed choices. We can therefore ensure that parents who feel that the system currently works against them will feel that it works more in their interests and in those of the young person so that they can make the right choice.

On transitions, I recognise that many people with learning disabilities need additional support when they leave school if they are to have meaningful education and employment. So that there is a smoother and clearer pathway into education and employment, “The keys to life” makes specific recommendations on how local authorities, further education, Skills Development Scotland and the transition forum can work more closely together to ensure that the GIRFEC framework better prepares young people with learning disabilities when they leave school.

We also need to ensure that young people get access to accessible information to support them to understand all the options that are open to them and are able to make the right choices from those that are available to them. There is an expectation that personal life plans will be an integral part of the commissioning plans, to inform the high-quality services that we expect to be provided to support individuals to achieve better outcomes for themselves.

Getting people into employment is a national priority. We know that most people with learning disabilities want to work in paid employment, so we need to provide them with more training and education. The Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability will work with Scotland’s Colleges and Skills Development Scotland to ensure that that happens. In addition, the national implementation group will work with local authorities, the national health service and the third sector to open up employment opportunities within those agencies for people with learning disabilities.

I am conscious that we have made significant progress in recent years by improving the way in which services are provided for those with a learning disability and by improving their life chances. However, there is still much to be done, and I commend the new strategy to Parliament.

I move,

That the Parliament welcomes the new learning disability strategy, The keys to life, which was launched on 13 June 2013 in partnership with COSLA; notes that the strategy highlights the health inequalities and barriers to social inclusion for people with learning disabilities but recognises that they are generally much more accepted and valued in their communities than they ever were before, and considers that Scotland can be proud of some of the changes in the quality of life for people with learning disabilities but accepts that there is still much to do.

14:40

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Meeting of the Parliament 24 September 2013

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