To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any actions that are being taken to address the fragmented transition system for young disabled people, as identified in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report entitled, Disability and poverty in Northern Ireland.

I share the concerns about the impact that a fragmented system can have on the lives of disabled individuals. As the report reflects, effective transitions into adulthood for young people with disabilities go far beyond skills and education considerations. Access to health and social care, social security benefits, housing, employment and transport are all relevant to supporting people to fulfil their aspirations.

My Department contributes through our skills, education and careers provision, much of which has been designed to address the range of barriers faced by individuals; including through the recent consultation on Widening Participation in Higher Education which proposed that disabled learners and those with Special Educational Needs should be recognised as priority groups.

My Department is also working in partnership with the Department for Communities and the Department of Health to deliver the Work and Wellbeing Transformation Project which aims to align skills, employment and health services to support employment outcomes for those with ill health and disabilities, including young people. We are also working closely with Department for Communities on both the Disability Strategy and the Disability and Work Strategy in which my Department owns a number of actions.

In addition to the supports already in place, my Department is progressing a range of actions aimed at improving post-school opportunities and outcomes for disabled young people who want to access education, employment or training. This includes work to improve transition planning and data sharing across relevant Departments and public bodies, to ensure appropriate careers support to help young people to make fully informed choices – including the development of new technology to support autistic learners through “how I work”, and to increase the range and accessibility of the pathways available.

However, greater coordination and coherence is needed across all Departments, services and settings, otherwise disabled young people who do not fit neatly into our respective Departmental remits remain at risk not receiving the support and services they deserve. This is of great concern to me and to many young people, parents and carers. It is an issue I have brought to the attention of Executive colleagues and one which I hope will also be picked up through the Executive’s Disability Strategy, which is being led by the Department for the Communities.