To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning what statutory obligations exist to support young people with learning disabilities to transition (i) into further education: and (ii) from further education into employment.

Whilst there are no direct statutory obligations placed on my Department to support such transitions, there are related statutory obligations placed upon further education (FE) colleges under the Further Education Order (Northern Ireland) 1997 (FE Order) and the Special Educational Needs and Disability (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (SENDO).

The FE Order requires colleges to ‘have regard to the requirements of persons over compulsory school leaving age who have learning difficulties’ while SENDO makes it unlawful for institutions of further and higher education to treat students with disabilities less favourably, without justification, for a reason which relates to their disability. It also places a duty on institutions to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that people who have a disability are not put at a substantial disadvantage (compared to people who do not have a disability) in accessing further education. My Department assists FE colleges fulfil these statutory obligations by providing £4.5 million per annum in ring-fenced funding through the Additional Support Fund to provide additional support to students with learning difficulties or disabilities to help meet their goals in education, progression to employment or towards independent living.

In addition to direct support within further education, my Department also provides support to those with learning difficulties or disabilities with transition into FE and from FE into employment, through the Careers Service and the Disability Employment Service.

Careers Service Support

As part of Partnership Agreements between the Careers Service and post-primary schools, including Special Schools, to support the schools’ careers education programme, careers advisers are invited to attend Transition Plan Meetings of Year 10 pupils and their subsequent Annual Reviews. This allows young people and their parents/guardians to make informed decisions about the range of educational, training and employment opportunities available to them.

Disability Employment Service Support and Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities

In 2012, my Department established a pilot project with three FE colleges and the Department’s Disability Employment Service (DES) to enhance the transition between the colleges’ vocational programmes, delivered through discrete provision for students with learning difficulties or disabilities. It is anticipated that the success of the pilot will be built upon through the forthcoming Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities and through improved partnership work between the Careers Service, disability employment organisations, and the FE college staff and students. Further information on the Employment and Skills Strategy consultation is available from: https://www.delni.gov.uk/consultations/employment-strategy-people-disabilities-consultation

Transitions Action Plan

My Department also chairs a cross-departmental group which has been considering current gaps in provision and opportunities for making improvement to services for young people with severe learning difficulties or disabilities making the transition from school into adult services, and an action plan was published in November 2015.

Its aim is to assist young people with severe learning difficulties who are making the transition from school into adult services and sets out a range of actions across government that aim to deliver improved support for this group of young people throughout Northern Ireland. Progress on the action plan will be monitored on an ongoing basis by the Inter Ministerial Group on Mental Health and Learning Disability, with my Department being responsible for collating information and updates from relevant lead departments. Further information on the Transitions Action Plan is available from: https://www.delni.gov.uk/publications/transitions-action-plan