Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that those with an identified special educational need receive careers guidance, from the point of identification, that explains how to access government-provided workplace support for those special educational needs and disabilities throughout their adult working lives.

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

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

The department committed to 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.

We are also supporting the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to develop and pilot 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 the pilots will establish whether the passport can reduce the need for assessments where needs remain the same. This will empower the passport holder to have a more confident conversation with potential employers about workplace adjustments.

Schools and colleges are expected to develop and improve their careers provision for young people in line with the world-class Gatsby Benchmarks, addressing the individual needs of each pupil, and seeking to raise the career aspirations of students with SEND. A new £2.6 million careers programme will deliver targeted, age-appropriate careers support in over 2,200 primary schools, to encourage children to think about future jobs, raise aspirations and challenge stereotypes, including those about people with disabilities.

To ensure children and young people with SEND are aware of their options, careers guidance for pupils with SEND should take account of the full range of relevant education, training and employment opportunities, such as traineeships and apprenticeships, supported internships or routes into higher education.

For those with an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan, there must be a specific focus from Year 9 onwards on preparing the young person for adulthood, including employment, as part of their EHC plan’s annual review. Planning for the transition to adulthood should result in clear outcomes being agreed that are ambitious and stretching, and which are tailored to the needs and interests of the young person.

The National Careers Service offers free, up-to-date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills, and the labour market in England. It helps people realise their full potential and supports social mobility by working with individuals to motivate them and develop their understanding of the full range of options open to them, whatever their background or circumstances. There's more information available at: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/.

DWP is running a series of programmes to support learning disabled people into employment, including the Work and Health Programme, Intensive Personalised Employment Support and Local Supported Employment. They are also working with employers via Disability Confident to increase their capacity to recruit, retain and support learning disabled employees.

Furthermore, Access to Work is a demand led, discretionary DWP grant that supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in sustainable, paid employment.

The grant provides personalised support, including workplace assessments, travel to and in work, support workers, specialist aids and equipment including vehicle adaptations to enable disabled people and those with a health condition, to move into or retain employment. AtW can fund up to £66,000 worth of flexible, personalised support per person per year.