FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3 July 2012

Urgent Review of Youth Disability Services Needed

Leading disability services and advocacy group CCS Disability Action today called for an urgent review of the Government’s youth disability services criteria.

CCS Disability Action has reported a 63 per cent increase in the number of people it has supported in the last year alone and is urging the Government to address a shortfall in funding to meet the demand.

“We’re seeing a huge gap between the amount of funding available and the demand for our services,” said David Matthews, CCS Disability Action’s Chief Executive.

“We believe that all people should be given the opportunity to enjoy meaningful work opportunities and all the economic and social benefits that go with that.

“Unfortunately adults with disabilities are overrepresented in our unemployment statistics. This is why it’s so crucial to support these young people to transition from school and out into the community.”

The shortfall in funding is an issue seen across the country, with hundreds of students in the Wellington region alone deemed ineligible for the agency’s support.

“We’ve seen a 63 per cent increase in the number of people our organisation supports but I believe the benchmark is still set far too high to allow individual’s with a genuine need to receive funding.”

Currently, only students who qualify for the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) get specialised transition services. ORS is restricted to approximately 1 per cent of the total school population. A student who just misses out on qualifying, no matter how complex their needs may be, will not get a transition programme.

“It’s simply not fair that students who just miss out get nothing. They clearly need access to support, but the Ministry of Social Development just draws a line in the sand and says ‘no’,” said Mr Matthews.

“What about the future cost to the taxpayer of having people stuck on a benefit? We need to break the cycle of unemployment by giving students with disabilities a fair go and for us this means greater access to quality transition services.”

For CCS Disability Action, gaining quality outcomes centers on the belief that all young people should be included into the fabric of their local communities, not excluded in specialist facilities.

“Our focus is to create individually designed supports to help them realise their vision for themselves. This often means further study or a job that acknowledges what they can do, not what they can’t.”

“Our transition services work hard to move students into the community and socially valued roles after school, and not all share this approach. They sometimes just transition students from schools into more restrictive opportunities.”

The organisation is attempting to redress this imbalance through funds donated by the public. “Last year we provided transition services for 91 students who didn’t qualify for government funding. We were thrilled to be able to secure some great outcomes for these individuals but unfortunately there are a huge amount of young people who won’t be accessing the opportunities because of this shortfall in funding.”
ends

© Scoop Media