A study found that more than a third of children aged under 17 issued with anti-social behaviour orders had a diagnosed mental illness or learning difficulty.
Source: Press release 2 November 2005, British Institute for Brain Injured Children (01278 684060)
Links: BIBIC press release
Date: 2005-Nov
The government published a third annual report on learning disability issues.
Source: The Government s Annual Report on Learning Disability 2005, Cm 6700, Department of Health, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2005-Nov
The healthcare inspectorate began consultation on a plan to improve services for people with learning disabilities.
Source: Draft Three-year Strategic Plan for Assessing and Encouraging Improvement in the Health and Healthcare of Adults with Learning Disabilities 2006-2009, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Consultation document | CHAI press release
Date: 2005-Nov
An article reported on the organization of care management, based on a longitudinal study of community care for people resettled from long-stay learning disability and psychiatric hospitals.
Source: Paul Cambridge et al., 'The state of care management in learning disability and mental health services 12 years into community care', British Journal of Social Work, Volume 35 Number 7
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-Oct
A report said that people with learning disabilities were too often excluded from mainstream education and jobs.
Source: Hazel Morgan et al., Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities: Access to education and employment in the UK, Open Society Institute (eumap@osi.hu)
Links: Report (pdf) | OSI press release (pdf) | FPLD press release
Date: 2005-Oct
A report highlighted the need for learning and skills providers to address issues of inclusive practices more vigorously - such as gender segregation, and the needs of adults and young people with disabilities or learning difficulties.
Source: Vikki Smith and Anne Armstrong, Beyond Prejudice: Inclusive learning in practice, Learning and Skills Development Agency (020 7297 9144)
Links: Report (pdf) | LSDA press release (Word file)
Date: 2005-Sep
A report was published of the first national survey of adults with learning disabilities in England. The aim of the survey was to establish from people with learning difficulties themselves what their whole lives were like, including where they lived and with whom, what they did during the day, and what their needs, wants and aspirations were. It also sought to help establish what the gaps were between the services provided for people with learning difficulties and what they would like.
Source: Eric Emerson, Sally Malam, Ian Davies and Karen Spencer (eds.), Adults with Learning Difficulties in England, 2003/4, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report (pdf links) | Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Sep
An education inspectorate report said that inconsistencies between local authorities and a lack of joined-up thinking were limiting access to good-quality childcare provision for parents with children who had special needs.
Source: Removing Barriers: A can-do attitude - A report on developing good practice for children with special needs in early years childcare and education in the private and voluntary sectors, HMI 2449, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833)
Links: Report (pdf) | OFSTED press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Sep
A report said that over three-quarters of people with learning disabilities from black and minority ethnic communities were struggling without support.
Source: Chris Hatton, Improving Services for People with Learning Disabilities from Minority Ethnic Groups, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report (Word file) | Community Care report
Date: 2005-Aug
A report said that the lives of people with learning disabilities could be radically improved through person-centred planning. Individuals led busier and more varied lives, and were able to expand their social networks, have more contact with friends, and become involved in community activities. The process of person-centred planning might also facilitate the identification of health needs that normally went unnoticed.
Source: Janet Robertson et al., The Impact of Person-Centred Planning, Institute for Health Research/Lancaster University (01524 594103)
Links: Report (pdf) | FPLD press release
Date: 2005-Aug
An education inspectorate report reviewed the quality of external special educational needs support for schools, focusing mainly on local education authority support and outreach services by special schools. Significant variations were found in standards of support.
Source: Inclusion: The impact of LEA support and outreach services, HMI 2452, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833)
Links: Report (pdf) | OFSTED press release
Date: 2005-Jul
A report said that there was little progress towards inclusion of special needs children in England, during the period 2002-2004. One-third of local education authorities increased segregation of special needs children over this period. There were also very wide geographical variations: in 2004 pupils with statements of special educational needs in South Tyneside were 24 times more likely to receive a segregated education than those in Newham, London.
Source: Sharon Rustemier and Mark Vaughan, Segregation Trends - LEAs in England 2002-2004: Placement of pupils with statements in special schools and other segregated settings, Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (0117 344 4007)
Links: CSIE press release
Date: 2005-Jul
The third wave was published of longitudinal research with young people with special educational needs, to record and track their progress as they moved from compulsory schooling to early adulthood.
Source: Jane Aston, Sara Dewson, George Loukas and Alan Dyson, Post-16 Transitions: A Longitudinal Study of Young People with Special Educational Needs (Wave 3), Research Report 655, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jul
In January 2005 almost 242,600 pupils across all schools in England had statements of special educational need. This represented the lowest number of pupils with statements of SEN over the previous 5 years.
Source: Special Educational Needs in England January 2005, Statistical First Release 24/2005, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
A report by an official taskforce sought to improve knowledge about the numbers and needs of people with learning disabilities, and the uses of existing financial expenditure. It provided "compelling evidence" of an increased level of demand from people with learning disabilities.
Source: Transforming the Quality of People?s Lives: How it can be done - Financing improved services to people with learning disabilities, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Annex (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
An official taskforce on learning disabilities published its annual report for 2004.
Source: Learning Disability Task Force: Annual report 2004 - Challenging, listening, helping to improve lives, Department of Health (0117 9841831)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
A new book adopted a life-cycle approach to the lives of people with learning disabilities, and the effects upon them and their families. It examined the transitions in people's lives; and how services, professionals, advocates, allies, and wider communities of interest could support people with learning disabilities.
Source: Gordon Grant, Peter Goward, Paul Ramcharan and Malcolm Richardson, Learning Disability: A Life Cycle Approach to Valuing People, Open University Press (01280 823388)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Jun
A new book called for an inquiry into how best to provide for pupils with learning difficulties: it suggested that, rather than teaching all children in mainstream schools, more special schools should be established. (The author chaired an inquiry in the 1970s, which resulted in a law guaranteeing all children the right a place in a mainstream classroom.) A children's charity said that it was "alarmed" at the negative picture of inclusive education given in the book.
Source: Mary Warnock, Special Educational Needs: A New Look, Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain (01782 583122) | Press release 29 June 2005, Children?s Society (020 7841 4415)
Links: Children's Society press release | NAS press release | Children Now report | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jun
A report highlighted high levels of violence in mental health and learning disability inpatient facilities in England and Wales.
Source: The National Audit of Violence (2003-2005): Final report, Healthcare Commission (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report (pdf) | Healthcare Commission press release | Mind press release | Children Now report | Guardian report
Date: 2005-May
A report examined barriers to vulnerable children (including looked after children, young offenders, and pupils with special educational needs) accessing examinations at the end of key stage 4 (age 16), and identified strategies employed to overcome them.
Source: Sally Kendall, Annie Johnson, Kerry Martin and Kay Kinder, Vulnerable Children s Access to Examinations at Key Stage 4, Research Report 639, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2005-May
An article argued that the medical model had predominated in discussions of mental health support for people with learning difficulties, and that a social model approach could have much to offer.
Source: Val Williams and Pauline Heslop, 'Mental health support needs of people with a learning difficulty: a medical or a social model?', Disability & Society, Volume 20 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-May
A study compared ratings made by care standards inspectors with research measures for homes for people with intellectual disabilities. The research measures focused on the lived experience of residential care, including engagement in meaningful activity, choice, and participation in activities of daily living. Only 2 out of 108 correlations between care standards and research measures were significant.
Source: Julie Beadle-Brown, Aislinn Hutchinson and Jim Mansell, Care Standards in Homes for People with Intellectual Disabilities, Tizard Centre/University of Kent (01227 827373)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2005-May
A report said that young people with learning disabilities were far more inclined than others to suffer from depression and anxiety, yet these conditions often went unnoticed and untreated.
Source: Making us Count: Identifying and improving mental health support for young people with learning disabilities, Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities (020 7802 0300)
Links: Summary (pdf) | FPLD press release
Date: 2005-Apr
Researchers found that significant barriers were put in the way of people with learning difficulties exercising their human rights to consenting same-sex relationships.
Source: David Abbott and Joyce Howarth, Secret Loves, Hidden Lives? Exploring issues for people with learning difficulties who are gay, lesbian or bisexual, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary (pdf) | THT press release
Date: 2005-Apr
An official report reviewed progress on the government's strategy for people with learning disabilities in England (launched in 2001), with particular reference to adults. It said that the strategy had a lot of support from learning disabled people themselves and many families.
Source: Rob Greig, The Story So Far.. Valuing People - A new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | DH press release
Date: 2005-Mar
Researchers used quantitative data (collected as part of the evaluation of the education maintenance allowance pilots) to follow the life course trajectories of two groups of vulnerable young people as they aged from 16 to 18 - young women who had a child, or were pregnant, when they were first interviewed a few months after finishing compulsory education; and young people who had special educational needs and/or a health problem that limited their daily lives.
Source: Kim Perren and Sue Middleton, Teenage Mothers and Young People with Special Needs: Evidence from the education maintenance allowance pilots database, Research Report 629, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2005-Mar
The government announced that funding for health services for people with learning disabilities would be doubled in 2005-06, to over 41 million. The extra funding was allocated to primary care trusts to provide services through the Learning Disabilities Development Fund.
Source: Press release 17 February 2005, Department of Health (020 7210 4850)
Links: DH press release
Date: 2005-Feb
A report said that there was a 'postcode lottery' of provision of educational services to deaf children. There was a shortage of fully qualified staff. Professionals expressed concerns around funding issues - in particular, the potential threat to delegated services. A lack of expertise on the part of school inspectors in evaluating provision for deaf pupils was also a concern.
Source: At the Heart of Inclusion: The role of specialist support for deaf pupils, RNID (0808 808 0123)
Links: Report (pdf) | Children Now report
Date: 2005-Jan
A research report aimed to address a lack of empirical evidence surrounding the admission and exclusion of pupils with special educational needs.
Source: Anne Wilkin, Tamsin Archer, Kate Ridley, Felicity Fletcher-Campbell and Kay Kinder, Admissions and Exclusions of Pupils with Special Educational Needs, Research Report 608, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jan