The same as you? 2000-2012: Consultation Report

Summary of future priorities

These are the priorities for future action that have been identified from the evaluation of The same as you? After the consultation process is complete, they will be used as the basis of developing recommendations for the new strategy.

Almost all of the priorities identified in this table relate to promoting, protecting, respecting and fulfilling the human rights and equality of people with learning disabilities. Public authorities are bound by the requirements of the Human Rights Act 1998, which incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights into UK and Scottish Law, and are obliged not to act in a way which is incompatible with the human rights in the Act. Public bodies are also bound by the Equality Act 2010, which seeks to ensure that people do not experience direct or indirect discrimination on the basis of age, gender or gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or civil partnership status. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities sets out international human rights standards for disabled people.

Priority themes and actions

Human rights and equality

• Public authorities to continue their work to ensure compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998, Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty. Equality and human rights legislation to be used to prevent inequality and discrimination.
• Ensure that people with learning disabilities have accurate, good-quality accessible information, combined with support to understand this. Ensure that people with learning disabilities have appropriate communication support. View the provision of accessible information and communication support as an equality and human rights issue.
• Ensure that there are more Changing Places toilets available throughout Scotland to enable the inclusion of people who need these. Consult with disabled people about where to locate these.
• Transport providers both locally and nationally to work with people with learning disabilities to ensure that their services are accessible.

Hate crime and harassment

• Ensure that agencies recognise the risk of hate crime and harassment towards people with learning disabilities and consider the possibility of hate crime when people with learning disabilities report crime.
• Agencies to share information where they think hate crime may be an issue to prompt further investigation.
• Encourage people with learning disabilities to report hate crime through accessible information, third party reporting mechanisms, robust responses and the implementation of appropriate support.
• Ensure that adult support and protection legislation is working effectively and appropriately.

Criminal justice

• Continue work set in motion by government, criminal justice and social work agencies to ensure that people with learning disabilities do not experience discrimination in the criminal justice system and that appropriate support is in place on leaving the criminal justice system.
• Easy read information and support to be available throughout the criminal justice system.
• Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to work together to reassure people with learning disabilities that crimes against them are taken seriously and will be investigated fully.

Children and young people

• Joint working is needed to ensure that children and young people with learning disabilities can expect to access the opportunities open to all children.

Early years

• Ensure parents are not being given negative messages by health and social care professionals on the birth of a disabled child. It is important that parents receive a positive reaction to the birth of their child and are offered the right information and support.

Education

• Review the impact of the Curriculum for Excellence in achieving better educational outcomes for children with learning disabilities.
• Continue work to develop the differentiated curriculum.
• Improve access to sporting opportunities for children and adults with learning disabilities in education.
• Address the needs for peer support throughout education experience e.g. circles of friends.
• Engage with Doran Review, Opportunities for All and maintain links with Lifelong Learning and Skills Development Scotland.

Transitions from education

• Ensure positive post school education and employment outcomes.
• Ensure young people with learning disabilities leaving school and college have accessible information about their options, time to plan properly and the offer of further training or employment.
• Build on the work of the Transitions Forum to improve joint working and provide choices for individuals.
• Improve the evidence base in this area by monitoring post school destinations for young people with learning disabilities to inform policy making.

Work

• Ensure a significant improvement in the numbers of people with learning disabilities in meaningful paid employment.
• Promote supported employment and access to work benefits to increase numbers of people with learning disabilities in paid employment.
• Develop individualised support to access and maintain employment.
• Address eligibility criteria for access to employability support that exclude some people with learning disabilities.
• Review and address impact of welfare benefit changes on employment chances of people with learning disabilities.
• Adopt a joined-up approach to enabling employment across social care, health, education, employability and welfare strategies.
• Promote good practice models, including Project SEARCH.
• Public sector employers to employ more people with learning disabilities in meaningful roles.

Choice and control

• Complete the work of The same as you? so no-one's home is a hospital.
• Ensure people with learning disabilities have greater choice and control in their lives, including through using self-directed support to choose their own staff and outcomes and activities which are meaningful to them.
• Ensure continued progress towards support for independent living.
• Ensure support to people with learning disabilities and their families to increase their capacity to take more control over their services and support.
• Develop methods and skills to support the participation of people with communication difficulties and profound learning and multiple disabilities.
• Develop skills in the workforce in outcome-based planning with the active participation of people with learning disabilities.
• Ensure the meaningful engagement of people with learning disabilities and family carers in service design and delivery.
• Fully involve people with learning disabilities and family carers in the development and implementation of self-directed support.

Information and communication

• Increase access to information and advice through third sector, Local Area Co-ordinators and others.
• Improve investment in communication support.
• Implement standards for accessible information and inclusive communication across agencies.
• Ensure accessible health information available on NHS Inform and locally.

Support for families and carers

• Invest in timely information and support for families, including respite and short breaks, to enable them to plan for the future.
• Offer capacity building support for families to meet challenges.
• Improve information access especially at times of transition including knowledge of the Adults with Incapacity Act (Scotland) 2000.
• Recognise lifelong responsibilities of carers and ensure support to plan at key stages.
• Target support for siblings and other family members who are carers (e.g. grandparents)
• Ensure carer involvement in local service redesign.

Ageing and dementia

• Ensure that the implementation of the Dementia Strategy addresses the needs of adults with learning disabilities.
• Introduce dementia champions for people with learning disabilities.
• Plan for the increased numbers of older adults with learning disabilities.

Parents with learning disabilities

• Parents with learning disabilities and their children should receive appropriate support and information so their families can thrive.

Reduce health inequalities

• Primary care services should provide accessible health information for people with learning disabilities.
• Health improvement services must address the specific needs of people with learning disabilities.
• Ensure that support services build people's capacity to live healthy lives.
• Implementation of the NHS Quality Strategy to ensure person-centred approaches to people with learning disabilities and ensure people with learning disabilities are included in all health services.
• Develop any targeted responses as necessary.
• Ensure standards for end-of-life care so that people with learning disabilities have equal access to this support.

Public attitudes

• Continue to support people to participate in community life in order to improve awareness and public understanding through greater interaction.

Poverty

• Monitor the impact of welfare benefit changes on people with learning disabilities and their families.

Planning

• Ensure joint planning for prevention and invest to save. Adopt whole life-planning for individuals and families.
• Ensure people with learning disabilities are included in other joint planning and invest to save strategies.
• National planning to ensure local provision for mental health problems.
• Capacity planning for future needs, including increasing numbers of young people with complex needs and older people with increased health needs, e.g. dementia.
• Joint commissioning of appropriate local support to improve outcomes for people with learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges services.
• People with learning disabilities should be involved from the beginning in service planning, design and delivery.

Outcomes and evaluation

• Establish a clear monitoring framework for the next phase of SAY based on outcomes and align data requirements accordingly.
• National data set to include outcomes and develop national agreement with system suppliers.
• Data sharing agreements to enable monitoring of outcomes across agencies.
• Refocus SAY National Implementation Group with clear remit, coproduction approach and cross agency membership that can be accountable for progress.