Keith Bowen Contact a Family Wales

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

2. 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

3. Key Themes • Social policy for disabled children and young people in Wales since devolution • Involving disabled young people in policy development • Wales based research

4. Social Policy in Wales Main Phases • Evidence gathering • Developing a distinctive Wales policy agenda • Monitoring of implementation • Evaluation of impact

5. Social Policy in Wales Evidence gathering • Numerous Assembly Committees since 1999 Health and Social Services Committee 3 Education Committees Equality of Opportunity Committee Health, Wellbeing and Local Government Committee • Government response • Evidence from disabled young people and parents

6. 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

7. 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

8. Outcomes Monitoring 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

9. Outcomes Monitoring 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

10. Involvingdisabled 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

11. Involvingdisabled children and young people • Children In Wales Young Disabled Persons’ Network • Mencap Cymru Partners in Politics • Barnardo’s Cymru Participation unit

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Thank you for listening Keith Bowen Contact a Family Wales 02920 396624 keith.bowen@cafamily.org.uk www.cafamily.org.uk/wales