Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to ensure that people identified as having a special educational need in the education system can access the appropriate support when looking for employment in adult life.

The department wants to provide all young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) with good opportunities which allow them to transition from education into a fulfilling adult life.

On 2 March 2023, we published the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, in response to the Green Paper published in March 2022. This outlines the department’s mission for the SEND and AP system to fulfil children and young people’s potential, build parent’s trust and provide financial sustainability.

The department is developing good practice guidance to support consistent, timely, high-quality transitions for children and young people with SEND and in AP. This will ultimately look at transitions between all stages of education from early years and will focus initially on transitions into and out of post-16 settings, including into employment.

The department is also 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. The Adjustments Passport will capture the in-work support needs of the individual and empower them to have confident discussions about adjustments with employers.

The government is committed to supporting pathways to employment for disabled learners, including through strengthening the Supported Internships Programme. We are investing approximately £18 million until 2025 to build capacity in the Supported Internships Programme and level up the quality of internships across the country. As part of this investment, 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 the Supported Internships Programme to young people with learning difficulties and disabilities, but without Education, Health and Care plans.