According to the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE), employing people with disabilities can enhance a company's reputation, lead to innovation in products and services and can be a great way to demonstrate corporate social responsibility in employment. This growing body of evidence showing that there is a strong business case for…

This report highlights how more that a million of people with learning disabilities have become invisible in national dementia policy. People with a learning disability are three times more likely to develop dementia than the rest of the population. But a review of current government strategy has revealed that their needs are barely mentioned. It…

Health Education England working across Kent, Surrey and Sussex (HEE KSS) have been developing a project over the last few years with the single aim to create a sustainable and secure workforce supply, for people that have intellectual disabilities who require support from and/ or access to services across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Their report,…

The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme aims to provide equitable access to NICE-recommended psychological therapies to people from all sectors of the community. There is evidence that people with mild to moderate learning disabilities can benefit from the therapies offered by IAPT services, especially when reasonable…

Across the UK, fewer than 5.8% of people with a learning disability have a job, and many of those who are employed only work part-time. Yet most people indicate that they want to work. Many miss out on the basic right to aspire to a career, the wider social networks, the better emotional and physical health, and the independence that come from…

This guide has been produced to help teachers of children with Special Educational Needs make the transition from primary to secondary education as simple as possible, through careful planning and effective liaison between both schools. The guide provides quick tips and additional strategies that require more planning on the following topics: (1)…

The increasing life expectancy of people with learning disabilities makes it imperative that families plan for the future. The number of people with learning disabilities over the age of 65 is predicted to double over the next two decades. The greatest increase in life expectancy will be amongst people with mild learning disabilities who will have…

This update of the Framework for Action highlights the continuing relevance of its message as well as those raised by Valuing People Now. People with learning difficulties and their families from Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities have been highlighted as a priority group by Valuing People since 2001 and remain a priority for better…

"Valuing People Now" is for all adults with learning disabilities and their families. This means it should be fair for everyone: (1) young people and older people; (2) people of any race or culture; (3) people of any religion or belief; (4) gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual and transgender people; (5) men and women; (6) people with…

People with higher support needs have been the last to benefit from the transformation of services for people with learning disabilities in the last few years. Despite often requiring expensive packages of support, this group are frequently offered services which are outdated and delivered in congregate, buildings-based and segregated settings. We…

Life in the Community is an action research project with three objectives: (1) To work with four organisations from the third sector to improve the daytime opportunities for up to 40 people with higher support needs and help them to be more included in the life of a community; (2) To develop the capacity of organisations in the not-for-profit…

The "Recognising Fathers" research began in 2005 in response to hearing from mothers and fathers that fathers often felt marginalised in the process of arranging care and support for their children with learning disabilities. At the same time it was apparent that national family policy was indicating a growing recognition of the…

In the past few decades there has been an increasing interest in the role of fathers within families and a growing understanding of the substantial benefits to children, as well as mothers, of their involvement. This briefing focuses on the experiences of fathers who have children with learning disabilities and the approaches that could make it…

There is strong evidence that children benefit from the involvement of their fathers. Including fathers in appointments and meetings about their children with learning disabilities can give fathers a sense of being valued in their caring role and gives them a chance to contribute their ideas, which may be different from their partner's. It also…

This booklet is for young people and their families, friends and supporters to read and talk about together. It is based on the stories of four young people. Big changes happened for some of them; others are still waiting for things to change. The goal of the booklet is to give students ideas about how they may want to plan or change things when…