Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the opportunities provided to people with Down's syndrome after they leave full-time education.

The department wants to provide all young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with Down's syndrome, with good opportunities which allow them to transition from education into a fulfilling adult life.

On 2 March, we published the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan in response to the Green Paper published in March 2022. The Plan outlines the government’s mission for the SEND and AP system to fulfil children and young people’s potential, build parent’s trust, and provide financial sustainability.

We are developing good practice guidance to support consistent, timely, high-quality transitions for children and young people with SEND and in AP. This will look at transitions between all stages of education from early years and will focus initially on transitions into and out of post-16 settings. This includes transitions into higher education, employment, adult services, and for young people leaving AP at the end of key stage 4, building on learning from the recent Alternative Provision Transition Fund.

The government is committed to supporting pathways to employment for disabled learners, including through strengthening the Supported Internship programme. We are investing approximately £18 million until 2025 to build capacity in the Supported Internships Programme and support more young people with education, health and care (EHC) plans into employment. The Internships Work consortium has been appointed as the delivery partner for this investment. They will be working closely with local authorities to double the number of supported internships per year by 2025 and will engage with all partners in the system to level up the quality of internships across the country. Over 700 job coaches will be trained by 2025 to ensure interns receive high-quality support on their work placements.

In the Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced up to £3 million to pilot extending Supported Internships to young people with learning difficulties and disabilities, but without EHC plans.

To further help with preparation for adulthood, the department is supporting the Department for Work and Pensions to develop an Adjustments Passport that will help to smooth the transition into employment and support people changing jobs, including for people with Down’s syndrome and other forms of SEND. The Adjustments Passport will capture the in-work support needs of the individual and empower them to have confident discussions about adjustments with employers.