Hansard

We welcome the debate on the new learning disabilities strategy. We agree with and will be supporting the Government motion. I quote part of it:

“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.”

We commend that honest appraisal of where we are in terms of help and support for people with learning disabilities. I thank the Government for supporting our amendment, which was put forward in a constructive manner. I also welcome the minister’s focus on general health as well as learning disabilities.

In the first parliamentary session, I, along with many others, warmly welcomed the publication “The same as you?” In fact, it has been quoted several times in the chamber over the years, so it is welcome that we appraise where we are and consider what has been achieved and what still needs to be done. In the past 14 years, I think that I have said a few times that there is no doubt that of all the Scottish Executive glossy documents in the first eight years, “The same as you?” was definitely the best.

In preparation for the debate, I got out a copy of “The same as you?” and then started reading “The keys to life”, as well as all the other briefings that members receive in advance of such debates. Before long, I found several strands of work by the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability and several others. Although a significant amount of work came out of the strategy, I found it difficult to get an overview of exactly where we were.

Then I thought about Bunty MacDonald, who has given permission for her name to be used. Bunty MacDonald from Carrbridge has been caring for her son Craig, who has profound and complex learning disabilities, for more than 20 years. As Fergus Ewing also knows, Bunty is a prolific campaigner and, in her own words, has had to

“fight every inch of the way”

to get appropriate help, support and respite for Craig. I am very pleased to tell the minister that Bunty also agrees with the Government motion. However, she asked me to highlight the three areas that are stated in my amendment, which I hope will be supported across the chamber.

As Neil Bibby said, about 16,000 schoolchildren and young people in Scotland have learning disabilities, and there are about 26,000 adults with learning disabilities who need support. According to Inclusion Scotland, the proportion of learning disabled people in employment has fallen significantly in recent years. By 2010-11, only one in 15 adults with learning disabilities was reported to be in some form of paid employment, yet two out of three learning disabled people want to work.

A recent report on modern apprentices in Scotland revealed that, of the 26,500 people who started a modern apprenticeship in 2011-12, only 74—0.3 per cent—were disabled or had learning difficulties. That area could be focused on, prioritised and improved.

The minister mentioned the transition from child to adult services, which I understand should take place when someone is aged 14. Bunty MacDonald and others tell me that the change leaves parents with considerable uncertainty and much worry about their child’s future. That is bad enough, but the process of finding something when someone leaves school at 19 is fraught with uncertainty.

At that stage, a young person should be allocated a young adult social worker, who works with the parents and the person with learning disabilities to look into and discuss with the family what is available and appropriate, so that there is a transition and a plan to move forward after school. I am aware that many social enterprises and charities are doing excellent work to employ and train people with disabilities in secure employment. The Shetland Soap Company is an excellent example of such a company.

The strategy that we are discussing says:

“We want to help young people with disabilities plan for leaving school ... We will”

work with local authorities, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish transitions forum. I look forward to better joint working to improve the transition phase.

Last week, Malcolm Chisholm—I see him in the chamber—chaired a meeting of the cross-party group on mental health about bipolar disorder. We heard from many people about the years that it took them to get a diagnosis. If people are given a diagnosis as early as possible and if they get support and treatment as early as possible, that helps them not only to remain in work but to find work in the future.

Recommendation 3 in “The same as you?” was:

“Everyone with a learning disability who wants to, should be able to have a ‘personal life plan’.”

According to Bunty MacDonald, her son has never had one. The personal life plan is essential in setting out not only a person’s assessed care needs but their general health needs.

“The same as you?” also recommended an annual review for people with more complex needs who live at home but, of the 42,000 people in Scotland with a learning disability, only about 13,000 had a personal life plan in 2011. Some might have chosen not to have one, but that is about 30 per cent, and I ask for that figure to be improved.

Recommendation 26 in “The same as you?” was:

“Life plans for people with learning disabilities who live with their parents should include plans for a time when parents may no longer be able to provide care.”

In the report “How is it Going?”, which concerned a survey of 21 to 64-year-olds, Enable Scotland found that by far the biggest worry for the future among people with learning disabilities and their parents was the parents’ death. We do not like to talk about that but it is an important issue for personal life plans.

The third area in my amendment is legal guardianship. I understand that it can take up to two years to achieve legal guardianship and I have heard that, for some people, it can take even longer than two years. I have not had time to look into why there is such a delay or why it is such a protracted process, so I am really not sure whether there are legal obstacles. However, for many people, things have to be put on hold until they get legal guardianship, and two years seems quite a long time. I hope that the Government will look into the issue to see what can be done to reduce that long wait.

Not surprisingly, we will not support the Labour amendment today.

I move amendment S4M-07787.1, to insert at end:

“; considers that particular attention should be paid to the transition between child and adult services and adult services and the next step; recognises the need to ensure that all learning disabled people receive a personal life plan, and believes that more needs to be done to reduce the time taken to acquire legal guardianship.”