ESRC Research Seminar Series : Researching the lives of disabled Social Policy and Disabled Children in Wales Keith Bowen Contact a Family Wales.

ESRC Research Seminar Series :Researching the lives of disabled

Social Policy and Disabled Children in Wales

Keith Bowen Contact a Family Wales

• Approx. 3 million people live in Wales

• Child poverty and people “lacking but wanting work” persistent problems

• Poor figures but approx. 43,000 disabled children 8,000 severely disabled children

• Increased powers since 2006

Key Themes

• Social policy for disabled children and young people in Wales since devolution

• Involving disabled young people in policy development

• Wales based research

Social Policy in Wales

Main Phases

• Evidence gathering• Developing a

distinctive Wales policy agenda

• Monitoring of implementation

• Evaluation of impact

Social Policy in Wales

Evidence gathering• Numerous Assembly

Committees since 1999Health and Social Services Committee 3 Education CommitteesEquality of Opportunity Committee Health, Wellbeing and Local Government Committee

• Government response• Evidence from disabled

young people and parents

Social Policy in Wales

Welsh Assembly Government policy and legislation

• A distinct body of Welsh social policy, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

• 7 Core aims for children

Social Policy in Wales

• Children First (2000)• Children’s NSF (2005)

• Children and Young People Specialised Services Project (2008)

• We are on our way (2008)

• The Future of Statementing

? Distinctive and progressive

OutcomesMonitoring and evaluation

• Children’s NSF Self Audit Tool Reports consistently put disabled children as the weakest area of service delivery

• Very useful data but not fully utilised and followed up with more detailed research

OutcomesMonitoring and evaluation

• Children and Young People’s Plans – all 22 local authorities required to produce 3 year plans

• A number of key areas specific to disabled children and young people, but limited detailed information

Involving disabled children and young people

• 'Rights into Action'the first International Congress for Young Disabled People held in Swansea in 2003

• Equality of Opportunity Committee Inquiry into Service Provision for Disabled Young People

• Children’s NSF reports

Involving disabled children and young people

• Children In Wales Young Disabled Persons’ Network

• Mencap Cymru Partners in Politics

• Barnardo’s Cymru Participation unit

Wales research

Limited research • Contact a Family Wales

Wheelchair services, Continence Supplies,Disabled Facilities Grants Independent living

• Children’s Commissioner for Wales Inclusive play

• National Childminding Association Child care

Wales research • Lack of robust research

data on the lives of disabled children and young people

• Limited research on the delivery and impact of social policy initiatives

• Difficulty determining effectiveness of policy and spending

• Disabled children not represented in existing research networks

• Despite desire to develop a distinctly Welsh approach, policy agenda broadly similar to other UK countries

• Basic model not altered substantially since 1980s

• Lack of systematic, robust research data reflects failure to focus on delivery and impact of social policy

Opportunities• Engage LDAN and

Children’s Research Networks in developing a programme of research focussed specifically on disabled children and the outcomes of social policy in Wales

• Comparative research on the outcomes of differing social policy in the four nations

Thank you for listening

Keith BowenContact a Family Wales

02920 [email protected]/wales