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Some special schools are hindering disabled young people’s access to targeted Connexions support as they see it as their role to help them through problems, according to new research, writes Amy Taylor.

The study, by the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, found that many disabled young people attending special schools did not have access to targeted Connexions support available to non-disabled young people in mainstream education.

Targeted Connexions support provides a personal advisor working intensively and regularly with a young person with problems.

Nic Rowland-Crosby, one of the report’s authors, said that the there were great benefits for disabled young people to have access to targeted independent support from Connexions such as being able to talk about support services that are outside school.

He added that access to targeted support for disabled young people was also restricted by a lack of resources in Connexions, with personal advisors working in special schools tending to have large caseloads.

The report states that there is a failure by some schools or connexions partnerships to adequately recognise that young disabled people have the same sorts of problems as non-disabled young people and need the same range of support.

The two and a half year project covered five areas across England and involved consultations with 120 young disabled people, including those with learning difficulties and mental health problems.

The Children Bill proposes devolving the budgets currently held by Connexions services to local authority led children’s services. The study warns that personal advisors in any future structure will still need to have the freedom to challenge their own organisations when a young person is unhappy with the services being provided.

It concludes that Connexions has great potential to support young disabled people well and that whatever happens in children’s services it needs to be given the time and support to realise this.