A National Vision and Action Plan for Children and Young People with a Learning Disability in Wales
Children and young people with a learning disability should be empowered to reach their full potential. They deserve to be happy and healthy now and in the future.
Our shared National Vision and Action Plan for Children and Young People with a Learning Disability aims to create a Wales-wide approach to providing equitable access to services.
Background
Our journey towards a national vision started with the Learning Disability Strategic Action Plan (2022-2026) which seeks to ‘provide a consistent, accessible, and easily understood, Wales-wide approach to children’s services across the public sector and improve all aspects of transition services.’
As part of the NHS Executive, Improvement Cymru's Learning Disability programme is a national patient safety programme in Wales working to reduce health inequalities for people with a learning disability. Supporting children and young people with a learning disability was a key area of focus.
Our purpose
Access to healthcare services for children and young people in Wales varies widely across the country. This often has a negative impact on patient experiences and outcomes. Our work was developed with the aim of influencing future policy and the design and delivery of services. Our purpose was to provide a consistent, accessible, and easily understood, Wales-wide approach to children’s services across the public sector and improve all aspects of transition services.
Our engagement
Giving a voice to lived experience is important to us. We spent 18 months consulting with a wide range of stakeholders, including children, young people and the adults who care for them.
Our engagement involved facilitating workshops, holding listening events, visiting schools, and an open public consultation survey. We wanted to make sure the future was shaped by those who it affects the most, so it was vital to be directly informed about the challenges people face and the gaps from policy to practice.
These challenges need a whole-system outlook. Our work aimed to bring together health, social care, and education to create a comprehensive, integrated approach. The full spectrum of care service stakeholders participated in the process and we achieved cross-sector collaboration.
Get in touch
If you have any further enquiries or would like to know more about the NHS Executive’s Learning Disability programme, please contact: improvementcymru_ld@wales.nhs.uk
